This Movie Was Terrible

Rating: 4/10 (19 December 2004)

I absolutely hated this movie. It couldn't seem to figure out whether it was trying to take itself seriously or not. It kept throwing itself curveballs and never seemed to know where to go next. Here's my problem with this movie.
1. It seems to try very hard to be a dark comedy, but it simply isn't funny. I cracked a smile two or three times throughout the movie, and one of them was that part where Steve Buscemi got cut up in the wood chipper.
2. The "This is Based on a True Story" thing at the beginning seemed to be trying to prepare the viewer for a hard-hitting drama, but instead we got a bunch of weirdos with goofy accents.
The problem with this movie is it doesn't make me laugh, and I can't take it seriously as a drama when every single character is a white bread goof with a stupid accent (by the way, NOBODY in Minnesota talks like that). I'll give it a four, but only Frances McDormand's acting job keeps it from being a one.