In his book “Stand for Something: The Battle for America’s Soul.” John Kasich spends three pages stating his hatred for the film. IMDB Trivia
Next morning, I got on the phone to Blockbuster and demanded that they take the movie off their shelves.” John Kasich
I actually like John Kasich. He’s a rare thing: a compassionate, consistent, reasonable conservative. When his Republican caucus in Ohio demanded that he reject the Obama Medicaid expansion for his state, he refused because, he said, as a Christian, he felt an obligation to reach out and help the less privileged. This made him an apostate to many Republicans who passionately believe that Christ commanded us to arm ourselves, big massively expensive weapons, neglect the poor and reduce taxes on the rich.
But Kasich hated Fargo, a very good movie. He hated it because it just didn’t seem to display those sunny virtues all Americans should share, like “The Sound of Music” and “Meet Me in St. Louis” did. He hated it because he didn’t get it. And he didn’t get the portrait of middle America in that film. He was disgusted by the explicit violence, particularly the wood-chipper scene near the end.
I don’t think he was able or willing to articulate what was really so offensive about the film– and it was offensive, in a positive sense. The “normal” mid-western characters of the film, and that includes the two prostitutes, are vividly characterized as honest, well-meaning, law-abiding, and reasonable– given their own assumptions about life and culture and social behavior. Yes, the prostitutes themselves are very nonchalant about what they do and the most distinctive aspect of their relationship with the protagonists is their observation that one of them was “kind of funny-looking”. “In what way?” asks Marge. “You know, just kind of funny-looking”. And they both nod. The assumption is that being paid for sex with a couple of strangers is just part of the social scene here, the contract everyone has with each other to maintain a semblance of normality even when indulging in behaviors that might seem outside the norm. But being “funny-looking” jumps out at them. This is a consistent thread in “Fargo” and it implies a slight sense of ridicule of these people, especially when they are confronted with genuinely criminal behavior. They are perturbed and confused. And it’s by conscious design: that’s why Marge makes ridiculous observations about the weather being so nice and yet there goes Gaear Grimsrun putting a body through a wood-chipper!
I think it is that subtle ridicule that sets off John Kasich, who is himself very much like Marge Gunderson: a decent, lawful, person– not stupid– who expects everyone to behave decently, after all. In fact, play the movie out in your own mind with John Kasich in that role: it works doesn’t it?
He tells the story in “Stand for Something: the Battle for America’s Soul”– the title tells it all. This is the classic Republican attitude towards the progressive movements of the 1960’s, from “free love” to women’s liberation to the peace movement, and so: the Republicans really want to fight those battles over again. They want your soul.
That’s all well and good, but then he crosses a line. He tries to persuade Blockbuster not to carry the film. The Oscar-winning film.
[whohit]John Kasich Hated Fargo[/whohit]