One of the Few that Stands the Test of Time...

Rating: 9/10 (7 June 2005)

This movie is a beautifully shot, simple morality tale that doesn't hit you over the head with its own nature. I watched it again tonight after a two-year hiatus and am as struck by it as I was when I rented it in 1999.
The repeated comments I read from non-fans of this film are: "It's BORING! It's TOO SLOW! It's NOT FUNNY!" Well, it's true, there are none of the following: Bruckheimer-style car chases, explosions, gratuitous balloon-like jugs, pratfalls, or jokes about bodily secretions. And this was never, ever meant to be a comedy. It was billed by some as a "black comedy," yes, and even that incorrectly for my money, but by definition that is not the same thing.
What it is, is a study of the good and the bad that can exist right under our noses in the most benign of places. That's it. It has the bonus of lovingly drawn characters that you can't help feeling you've met...and an understanding of what that part of the country is like. If you've never lived there or don't have any family from there, you're probably not going to get a true sense of HOW true to life it is.
Speaking of characters, I think that Marge Gunderson still ranks up there to me as one of the iconic film images of bravery and kindness...whether she's encouraging her husband's banal hobby or confronting a bad guy, she's a waddling, unswayed symbol of integrity. And it takes considerable skill (by both the Coen Brothers and Ms. McDormand) to make us buy it. Her husband is a warm spot too...he starts out as a laconic Midwestern guy, short on sparkle or sex appeal  until he turns out to be a beacon of love and goodness in a brutal world. One of the great film marriages, ever.