‘Hoot’ or insult? ‘Fargo’ television series debuts on FX
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Some laugh about it, others loathed it, but "Fargo" is the classic movie that put Minnesota stereotypes out there for the country to laugh about.
Minnesotans have been living with the legacy of the dark comedy of the Coen brothers' 1996 film, and it'll be back Tuesday night in a new 10-part TV series from FX.
The characters and storylines won't be the same as the movie but the show features an A-list cast including Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman. A dialect coach has been working with them on their "uff-das" and "you betchas."
MPR News asked people around Minnesota and North Dakota what they thought about the movie, the TV show and how it will all reflect on the state. Dozens of people responded on social media and through the MPR News Public Insight Network.
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Even if they haven't seen the movie, many Minnesotans say the movie put the region's accent on the map -- for better or worse.
“It should be a hoot," said Anne Passe, 75, of Wabasha, Minn.
Passe said the Fargo accent came up on her recent trip to New Mexico. "The question is always, 'Where are you from?'" Passe said. "'Minnesota,' we reply. 'Minnie soowta,' they answer. I say that we keep a wood chipper in the backyard and that ends the conversation regarding our home state."
Amanda Thompson, 39, of White Bear Lake said she saw the movie when she was in college at Moorhead State University, and will never forget, "A woman sitting in front of me at the theater actually said (in her beautiful Fargo accent), 'Ooooh, now we doooon't sound like dat!'"
And Thompson thinks that's a reason to be proud.
"I love that as soon as we open our mouths that you can tell what kind of people we are … patient, humble, kind, sincere, truthful," she said. "And I love that we know when to keep our mouths shut ."
The movie depicted residents in a good light, Laurie Lind, 54, of Fargo, said, although she didn't enjoy the language or graphic sexual references in the movie. They were depicted as hard-working, mostly clean-talking, salt-of-the-earth types, she said.
"The 'out-of-towners' … were the vile, filthy, indecent, dishonest, criminally-minded scummy sorts. All of which, I thought, was a very funny premise to the movie. 'We are good people, 'they' are all just plain old no good," Lind said.
John Hoff, 49, of Minneapolis says he plans to watch the series, and says he's surprised people think the movie mocks the Midwest. Instead, he said, it "portrayed Midwesterners as pure, moral, hardworking, reluctant to give offense, and immune to the harsh conditions of winter."
For Sarah Doire, the movie had a bigger impact. "The movie is the reason I chose to apply to college in Minnesota without ever having visited the state, or even the Midwest," she said. "I've now lived in Minnesota, happily, since 1998. I personally love the movie, and owe it a lot."
A few people told MPR News that while they enjoyed the movie, they don't plan to watch the series. Others will watch out of curiosity.
"I will watch it --- mostly to see how they treat the material," said Doug Melby, 51, of North Dakota. "It's gotta be hard to adapt what some consider a masterpiece."
He thought the movie depictions were accurate. "The only concern is that I hope people don't think we have that type of violence here," he said.
Bill Schulz, 77, of Fergus Falls, Minn., said he might check the show out once or twice.
"From what I hear, it is just another show designed for people on both coasts designed to ridicule and demean all those gun-loving Bible thumping Neanderthals in flyover country," he said. He grew up on a farm in Otter Tail County in rural Minnesota, and attended schools in Fargo, then lived all across the country when he joined the Navy.
Mark Olson, 57, who calls himself a lifelong Fargoan -- 57 years and counting -- said he'll watch it for sheer entertainment. He said the movie was great, but didn't have anything to do with Fargo.
"It wasn't a documentary," he said. "Nobody in Fargo speaks like that. That accent is a northern Minnesota accent from a decade or two ago."
The stereotypes in the movie can produce the kind of powerful social commentary that stereotypes like Archie Bunker and George Jefferson and M.A.S.H. did, said Christine Engstrom, 64, of Cannon Falls, Minn. She said she looks forward to watching the new series.
"The opportunity is there to explore --what does it mean to be 'nice' in today's world -- what's up with that?" Engstrom said. "Deepening the characters over time (think 'Doc Martin') will be needed to hold interest, otherwise it will just be laughing at a stereotype rather than holding up a stereotype to invite us to explore our common foibles through exaggerations."
The movie not only portrayed stereotypes of accents, but also personalities and showed humor in our winter weather, said Kay Beckermann, 42, of Fargo.
"I wasn't offended by the stereotypes portrayed because if you can't laugh at yourself, what can you laugh at?" Beckermann said.
Jim McKie, 70, of West St. Paul echoes the notion that people shouldn't get offended or take the stereotypes too seriously. "Get over it," he said. "At least you don't have a Jersey accent!"
Editor's note: Watch this space Wednesday for a recap of the first episode of "Fargo."