Review of The Big Lebowski (1998) by Joe C — 04 Jan 2015

The Coens' colorful take on Raymond Chandler's LA noir is the shaggiest of shaggy dog stories, and evidently Joel and Ethan's most enduring by a long shot. The eminently quotable The Big Lebowski is perhaps the film that best demonstrates the brothers' unique style.

Jeff Bridges stars as pot-smoking slacker hero Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, who seeks restitution for his rug, urinated on by a pair of gangsters who mistook him for a different Lebowski. Along with his bowling buddies, The Dude embarks on a wild chase that's as funny, depraved, and plain unpredictable as Los Angeles always feels like it should be.

Populated by a cast of memorable weirdos, punctuated with bouts of screwball humour and boasting a dark streak a mile wide, it's a profoundly odd film and one that's nigh-on impossible to pigeonhole.