Review of The Big Lebowski (1998) by Shane M — 10 Apr 2014

"I'm the Dude." A hilarious Coen brothers classic, and their funniest film ever. Loosely inspired by Raymond Chandler's work, The Big Lebowski follows the bowling obsessed slacker Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski being hired by millionaire Jeffery Lebowski to deliver a ransom in order to save Jeffrey's wife after a case of mistaken identity leads to an attack at Jeff's home.

Unfortunately, Jeff's friend Walter prevents the exchange from happening as he schemes to keep the money, and the two run into trouble. This comedy does it best at straying away from clichés to offer a fresh story of crime, greed, and morality to a desperate audience.

Lebowski uses Joel and Ethan's style of wry humor, eccentricity, and brutal violence, despite being less brutally violent than their classics Blood Simple, Fargo, and Miller's Crossing. Luckily, there's enough graphic violence and language to keep audiences at the edge of their seats cheering and laughing their ass off.

There are nonstop laughs throughout, and there are moments that remain in forgotten today, and are made better with the sharp dialogue that make this a fresh crime-comedy (I guess it's fresh. I don't really know.

). The laughs are always deserved thanks to smart writing and direction from the brothers, and smart execution alongside the actors. Joel and Ethan are able to keep the ransom the main focus throughout, as well as keep the storytelling top-notch and coherent.

They are also able to time each laugh with finesse, use Dude as many times as they would use graphic language, and craft unique characters. They are also able to capture the look and feel of each scene, and execute each scene and comedic moment to a fault, showcasing some of their best work to date.

Under the alias "Roderick Jaynes", the brothers and Tricia Cooke add tons of visual appeal to the dream sequences that are both funny and help with the characterization of "the Dude", as well as remain convincing under a $15 million budget.

The soundtrack also helps with the scenes, and keep up with the rhythm of the film, and the acting makes it oh-so worth watching over and over. All the actors live their roles as they were obviously written for them, Jeff Bridges and John Goodman being the best separately and together onscreen.

Bridges captures the laziness and attitude of "The Dude", showcasing his most recognizable role to date. Goodman captures the outrageous temper and rage of Walter, and nails his use of quotes and violence to a fault, and both Bridges and Goodman are able to work together without any hesitation.

One of the funniest films of all time, and one of the best comedies of all time.