Though Fargo received mostly positive reviews, the movie was also subjected to some negative criticism.
Dave Kehr wrote: “From the camera angles to the set design, everything is calculatedĀ to make the viewer feel superior to the cloddish, geeky characters on display.”
Time magazine’s Richard Corliss observed: “Fargo is all attitude and low aptitude. Its function is to italicize the Coens’ giddy contempt toward ordinary Minnesota people.”
“Their movies are closed-in, with stories that are boxes within boxes, but the secrets and revelations become increasingly smaller.”