Review of The Big Lebowski (1998) by Matt F — 08 Dec 2012

Here's the thing about "The Big Lebowski": I love this movie, but I don't quite know why I do. This is far from the best film the Coen brothers have ever made, but it may be the weirdest visual trip they've ever sent you on, which is saying a lot.

The plot, thin as it is, revolves around unemployed, pot-smoking, White-Russian-downing loser Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) and how his simple, static life unravels after he's mistaken for a rich businessman of the same namesake (David Huddleston) who is the target of an extortion scheme.

The Dude's best friend Walter (a hilarious John Goodman) and the businessman's sex-obsessed daughter (Julianne Moore) also figure in as key players in the story. In the same vein as something like Brian De Palma's "Scarface" the Coens released this as their follow-up to "Fargo" to tepid critics and audiences - cut to the present day, and it's now a revered cult classic.

Indeed, despite lacking a coherent story and suffering from wildly uneven pacing and tonal shifts, "The Big Lebowski" does pack a lot of laughs into its two-hour running time, with the interplay between Bridges and Goodman being the chief reason for this.

Add in the stunning, acid-trip-esque that the Coens are known for, and this film manages to charm and entertain you, almost in spite of itself. Worth a rental/download.