No Laughing Matter

I am looking at your full-page ad for the Coen brothers’ film “Fargo” and wondering--who are these people who find the cold-blooded murder of five innocent people by a couple of criminally insane thugs among a community of seemingly dull-witted citizens “Absolutely delightful,” “A delicious, audacious thriller,” “A dazzling mix of mirth and malice, a terrific twisted comedy” and, worst of all, “A hilarious thriller! It had me laughing out loud”?

If the humor is to be found in the mocking of the frozen, small-town residents of Minnesota and North Dakota, the film is just a cruel joke. If it is to be found in the stupidity of the principals themselves, the film is pathetic commentary on the moral and emotional capacity of the filmmakers and the critics who slavishly adore them. I am tired of films that are revered because they mercilessly and derisively ridicule some portion of humanity in the name of art--in this case, persons who brought death and destruction to five people who came in contact with them through no fault of their own. If the story is true, as the Coens attest, this was a tragedy, not a comedy.

PATRICIA MCCARTHY

Burbank