Summary

• Fargo franchise uses "true story" claim to trick viewers, but only two minor details in the movie are actually inspired by real events.
• Fargo TV show creator, Noah Hawley, confirms each season is entirely fictional, despite the repeated "based on true events" claim.
• The Coen Brothers' bold declaration of Fargo being a true story, only to reveal it as fiction, sets a darkly humorous and unique tone for the film.

The Fargo franchise claims it is based on a real story, but the movie and TV show tell stories that aren't as reliable as that Fargo true story claim sounds. The acclaimed Coen brothers movie opened in 1996 by telling audiences that what they're about to see actually happened in some form. The opening title card of the film reads, "The events depicted in this film took place in Minnesota in 1987. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred."

Two decades after the success of the film, which won two Oscars, FX and Noah Hawley took the film's broad true-crime concept and quirky sense of humor and turned Fargo into an anthology series. None of the show's five seasons are a direct adaptation of the movie's plot (although season 5 is pretty close), but they all open with a slightly tweaked version of that title card claiming that the story about to unfold is based on true events. However, this isn't necessarily true.

The Fargo Movie & TV Show Is Not Based On A True Story

But There Are Elements Of Truth In The Movie

The Fargo franchise consists of mostly fictional stories that use the "true story" claim to trick viewers. The Coens' movie is the closest example of a "true story" within this series. William H. Macy's character, Jerry Lundegaard, was based on the true story of a General Motors Finance Corporation employee who committed fraud using vehicle serial numbers.

The murder of Connecticut resident Helle Crafts, whose husband killed her using a woodchipper, inspired the infamous woodchipper scene in Fargo. These two minor details are the only "true" parts of Fargo; Joel Coen confirmed that the rest of the movie's characters and plot points are fictitious in a Huffington Post interview. As for the Fargo TV show, there are no real-life inspirations that Hawley adapted.

In an interview with Men's Health, Hawley explained that every season of the show is "all just made up." He never sought out a true-crime jumping-off point; he starts with characters that interest him and works out the stories from there. Still, Fargo manages to do a great job of tricking viewers into believing that these stories are real. Beyond their grounded nature, setting the stories in a familiar history helps make the events more believable. Season 4's Kansas City crime syndicates are rooted in reality, and season 2 featured Bruce Campbell as Ronald Reagan.

How Fargo Season 5 Continues The True Story Trick

It Once Again Claims To Be Based On Real Events

Like the previous seasons, Fargo season 5 claims to be based on a true story, but is actually a fully fictional story cooked up in Hawley's imagination. However, this one has closer links to the truth than its predecessors because it's the season that most closely follows the plot of the movie.

A Midwestern housewife is abducted from her home by two masked assailants in a complicated criminal scheme, the rich in-laws refuse to give up any of their wealth for a ransom, and the mild-mannered husband works at a car dealership. In that sense, Fargo season 5 could be linked back to the original true-crime case that inspired the Coens' movie.

For both the movie and TV show, saying any of these Fargo adventures are entirely true stories is disingenuous, and the repeated assertion that they are is a cheeky joke at the audience's expense — in this way, the show is gently mocking its audience for being gullible. But, it is also part of the charade that makes audiences so invested in the events of Fargo as they unfold. The gambit arguably works even better in the TV format than it did in the movie because it keeps viewers hooked on the serialized week-by-week storytelling.

The True Story Trick Is Part Of Fargo's Charm

The Darkly Humorous Claim Speaks To The Coen Brothers' Style

Though the Coen Brothers had become known in the movie business by 1996 thanks to their acclaimed films like Blood Simple, Miller's Crossing, and Barton Fink, Fargo was the one that really introduced their voices to the mainstream. The true story claim at the beginning of the movie was part of how the filmmaking duo stood out as truly unique artists in the industry and made the bold declaration that they were not interested in following the so-called rules.

The idea of claiming a movie is based on a true story when it is complete fiction is a novel idea but one that seems so obvious when confronted with the Coens' idea. Indeed, throughout Fargo, they are continuously doing things that are against the normal conventions of storytelling and showing how well it works in their own unique world. This includes the fact that Fargo's main character isn't introduced until the second act and the random scene with Mike Yanagita that apparently has nothing to do with the overall story.

The Coen Brothers have continued to display that kind of boldness and willingness to break the rules throughout their careers. Fans can look at the reveal of the main mystery in The Big Lebowski, the fate of the hero in No Country for OId Men, and the outcome of the main character's quest for recognition for his talents in Inside Llewyn Davis as prime examples of the Coens enjoying playing against audience expectations.

However, knowing that it's a total lie suddenly makes it hilarious.

The claim of Fargo's true story is also a perfect display of the dark humor of the movie. The opening title card explaining that the violent crime story viewers are about to see actually happened grabs the audience's attention and fills them with dread. However, knowing that it's a total lie suddenly makes it hilarious. It also sets a somber tone which is quickly broken by the first scene in the movie featuring the awkward and clumsy meeting between Jerry and the would-be kidnappers.

Fargo excels at switching between grim violence and oddball humor and the claim of it being a true story helps establish that tone right away.

Source: Huffington Post, Men's Health