Another Simple Plan

Rating: 7/10 (1 August 2015)

Well, I was hoping this snowy movie would help on August 1st, since it's too damned hot out and there's probably another 3 months of summer in Glendale, Arizona. Eh, not really.
I have only seen this movie once before, I believe in late 1996 or 1997, so it's been awhile. Despite the nearly two decade absence, I'm usually good at remembering movie's specific scenes, plot points and dialogue. Here, I barely remembered 20% of the actions in this. It probably didn't help that I know I got laid that night when I invited my friend over to see this. To my defense, we probably got it on during the viewing.
Maybe that was a good thing. It was interesting to revisit this as practically a first time. There's just so much that happens and it made it all seem so real, despite the lie at the beginning of the film that this was a true story. (Extremely loosely based is NOT a "true story" in my book. I could see a horrific traffic accident and decide to write an alien invasion story that involved a car crash. That wouldn't make that a true story. Much like this.)
I've never been to Fargo or any of the many towns featured here, let alone Minnesota and though I've heard of "the accent" and key phrases "Don'tcha know" and "Yeeeeeah." I don't think I'd want to visit if this movie was accurate with the dialect. Man, this movie was tough to get through at times with all the Sarah Palin-type slurs. Again, since I've never been to these locations, I cannot verify if any of this is true to the locals. But, dang, if the snow didn't do me in, the talking would.
I digress, the acting, tension and incredible script is completely worthwhile here and makes this a recommendation. The fact that it keeps going and going and the less than stellar police keep up with what's happening is probably part of the most unbelievable, but enjoyable parts. Frances McDormand's Marge is a dumbed down Columbo, but William H. Macy's Jerry was the real star here. Have to hate him, especially at his job, but I got more invested in him that the film's award-winning main attraction of McDormand.
I think the Coens perfected this movie years later with No Country For Old Men, but they still did a great job with this effort and it's totally recommended.
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Final thoughts: To give a little background, lazy and unintelligible word usage, namely filler words, irritate the crap out of me. It's unoriginal, unimaginative and worst of all, unnecessary. Thank God for earplugs as definitely need them at my job to attempt to block out all the "Yeeeeeah"s I hear roughly 78 times a day, mostly from one person. Oh, and while we're on this movie, just an FYI, Office Space is much more a "true story" than Fargo was. Apply at a call center, get hired and try to dispute that statement. I'll wait.