Review of The Big Lebowski (1998) by Ben L — 29 Sep 2014

This is a story of mistaken identity, a kidnapping, and the Dude who gets caught in the middle simply because he had a rug in his apartment that tied the whole room together. Clearly I'm late to the party on The Big Lebowski, but I did find it to be extremely funny and highly entertaining. I like how the story starts out small and slowly escalates. A big part of this is prompted by the Dude's best friend, Walter, played by John Goodman. He is easily the funniest part of this film. The way he talks to other characters, overreacts to things going on in the Dude's life, and continuously makes the dumbest decisions imaginable is what keeps this story rolling. Jeff Bridges is also great in the lead role, because he has that very laid-back vibe and I can totally believe he is the type of guy who literally does nothing with his life other than bowling.

The only thing that doesn't work for me in The Big Lebowski is the fact that so many of the characters are completely insane. It starts to feel like I'm watching a live-action version of a cartoon when we have so many fantastical characters. Even the narrator makes a live appearance in the story, and offers nothing but strange cryptic dialogue. I think the story might play for even more comedy if it was a bit more grounded. If it felt like Walter was the only crazy in a normal world, it makes his antics that much goofier. Instead we get the crazy Maude Lebowski who, for no particular reason, decides she wants to have a child by the Dude. Or there is Jesus Quintana, who almost seems to flaunt the fact that he is a registered sex offender. Still, I can accept the strange world The Big Lebowski takes place in because I had so much fun watching. This is one film I would like to see again sometime, and I'd recommend it to those who are curious but have never watched it before.