It certainly would be difficult to work with your family members, but when things pan out, the reward has the possibility of being ginormous. While it may have seemed like a risk for brothers Joel and Ethan Coen to go into the industry together, their payoff has been a big one, with the duo’s joint productions raking in an onslaught of nominations and wins at celebrated award events like the Oscars, BAFTAs and more. The early days of their time together were marked with titles like Raising Arizona and Barton Fink, but by the mid-90s, things fully fell into place when the pair released their all-time classic, Fargo. The star-studded crime comedy secured the siblings as two of the biggest names in the industry, with the title earning a whopping seven Academy Award nominations and walking with two. Right now, audiences have the chance to watch the fan-favorite flick for free as Fargo is now streaming on Tubi.
Kind of based on true events, Fargo sets the story during a chilly winter in Minnesota in 1987. Although he’s tried to provide for his family the best he could through his job as a car salesman in Minneapolis, Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) is in desperate need of a pay bump. Hatching a harebrained idea that he hopes will benefit him in the long run, Jerry organizes a staged crime that will see his wife, Jean (Kristin Rudrüd), kidnapped and a ransom set that his father-in-law (and boss), Wade Gustafson (Harve Presnell), will be forced to payout. But the delinquents he hires (Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare) make a foolish and deadly mistake when they pull the trigger and kill a police officer, turning the staged crime into a much bigger and riskier mess than Jerry had anticipated.
Frances McDormand’s First Oscar Win

As always, this Coen brothers film is held together by an incredibly impressive cast filled with a wide range of talent. At the center of the story (after the police officer is shot) is Frances McDormand’s Marge Gunderson, who perfectly plays the detective put on the case of tracking down the perps and bringing them to justice. For her work in the film, McDormand took home her first of three Academy Awards for Best Actress, while the Coen brothers nabbed the trophy for Best Original Screenplay. Fargo was far from the first time the actress worked with the siblings, as she previously appeared in Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Miller’s Crossing and Barton Fink and went on to join them for The Man Who Wasn’t There, Burn After Reading and Hail, Caesar! On a more personal level, McDormand is married to Joel Coen, making them partners in both art and life.
Head over to Tubi now to stream Fargo free of charge.

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Fargo

Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard’s inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen’s bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.

Release Date

April 5, 1996

Director

Joel Coen
, Ethan Coen

Runtime

98 Minutes

Writers

Ethan Coen
, Joel Coen

WATCH ON TUBI