The Big Lebowski [1998]

The plot--which finds Lebowski involved in a kidnapping scheme after he's mistaken for a rich guy with the same name--is almost beside the point. What counts here is a steady cascade of hilarious dialogue, great work from Coen regulars John Goodman and Steve Buscemi, and the kind of cinematic ingenuity that puts the Coens in a class all their own. --Jeff Shannon

The three lead characters, Jeff Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), Walter Sobchek (John Goodman) and Donny (Steve Buscemi) seem to be tailor-written for those specific actors. Jeff Bridges seems so utterly natural as the laid-back, unemployed hero of the film, whose penchant for drinking White Russians is matched only by his friend Walter's love of bowling.

The storyline is engaging, clever and funny, and involves Jeff Lebowski getting caught up in a mysterious ruse which involves the suspicious kidnapping of another Jeff Lebowski's (the 'big' Lebowski) wife. But it is the way that 'our' Lebowski seems to always end up doing things the hard way that leads him into more and more dangerous (and amusing) circumstances, where all he really wants to do is have an easy life, smoking dope, listening to Creedence Clearwater Revival, and occasionally bowling.

The script and screenplay are so expertly written that almost every line is mentioned in the internet movie database as a 'Memorable Quote'. The soundtrack is superb (unless you like the Eagles!), and is brought to the fore in this well-produced DVD.

There are so many points of interest in the film that the 're-watch' value is enormous... it takes several watches to 'get' some of the more subtle aspects of the Coen brother's twisted sense(s) of humour. A good example is when the LAPD are called to the bowling alley after Walter pulls a gun on an opponent during an argument. The police turn up just as Walter and Jeff are getting in their car, and Walter refers to the fact that 'We won the game, didn't we?'... this means that they would have to have stayed to finish the match first, and only then did the cops show up. Some people think that this is a continuity error in the film, but it is infact a deliberate joke about how slow the LAPD are at responding to incidents.

Also, many of Jeff Lebowski's lines are said by other character's first, like at the start of the film, he is confronted by a couple of heavies who demand to know "Where's the money, Lebowski?". By the end of the film, however, he and Walter confront the 'Big Lebowski' about what he has done with the money he has imbezzeled, so finds himself saying the exact same phrase... there is plenty of entertaining, witty, and downright brilliant passages of dialogue that are superbly played, notably by Goodman and Bridges, as poor Donny can hardly get a word in edgeways!

Superb from beginning to end, this is film-making of the highest calibre, hats off to Joel and Ethan Coen.


Masterpiece, but you wil have to watch it more than once   February 15, 2006
15 out of 16 found this review helpful

I can only confirm what the others have already posted: this is an excellent movie, deeply imbued with friendship, love and humanity, featuring an armada of the most eccentric characters you will ever see on screen, and all this with such a delicate and non-obtrusive delivery that will be hard to match. I am not a big movie fan but this one just got me addicted and I keep on watching it every now and then, always discovering something new in it.

But a word of warning. Just as it is the case with a really good CD, you will probably not get the most out of it when you are watching it first. When I saw it first I thought, well, it was an OK movie, but nothing else. Two years later, when me and a few friends had absolutely nothing to do, we decided to watch it again (which is very unusual of me, to watch a movie for a second time), and, well, I got hooked on it, and every time I see it I just want to watch it again to discover and rediscover its hidden merits. You know when you like a CD so much it hardly leaves they CD tray - well, it's sort of the same thing with this movie. After a while you will certainly get bored with it, but until then (and it won't happen for a while), this is top notch entertainment.


... A Man   November 7, 2000
14 out of 16 found this review helpful

Probably the greatest film ever, The Big Lebowski is the tale of a man who just wanted his rug back because it really tied the room together. A well rounded and well thought out plot filled with funny moments and some of the best characters the Coens have ever thought up make this film one you will return to again and again. Each scene is a classic and the jokes never stop and on repeat viewings never fail to hit the mark. A career best performance by Jeff Bridges makes you believe he IS the Dude and also makes you want to go and hang out with him,listen to some Creedence, drink a white russian and "do a J". The rest of the cast are superb aswell with Jon Goodman and Steve Bushemi making a fantastic double act and providing many of the films highlights including a very funny spate of confussion surrounding Lennon and Lenin. John Turturro's cameo role is also very good and is quite frankly underplayed. The Big Lebowski is the sort of film to watch when you need cheering up or the kind of film that you can chat about down the pub. Now if they'd only make a prequel/sequel....


Absolute comic brilliance, Dude   January 3, 2006
Daniel Jolley (Shelby, North Carolina USA)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

The Big Lebowski is a work of comic genius; it's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Jeff Bridges is hilarious as "the Dude," a pretty simple guy whose life goes all kinds of topsy-turvy after he's mistaken for someone else with the same name – Jeffrey Lebowski. John Goodman is hilarious as his best friend Walter Sobchak, a boisterous Vietnam vet with a quick temper and a pathological need to jump in and take decisive action all the time, and Steve Buscemi is his usual entertaining self as the only reasonably sane person in the entire film. The Big Lebowski is really all about dialogue and delivery. The script is just wickedly funny from start to finish, but it is Bridges' laid-back delivery that really makes the comic engine go, with all kinds of help from John Goodman.

The Dude comes home one night, only to find himself thrown face-down in the toilet and otherwise accosted by two chaps demanding money to pay off his wife's debts. He finally manages to convince the guys that he is not the Jeffrey Lebowski they are looking for – but not before one of the jokers gives his rug a golden shower. The Dude is not at all happy about this, as "that rug really tied the room together." After consulting with his bowling partners (the Dude spends a lot of time bowling), he decides to find the other, obviously rich Lebowski and ask him to reimburse him for the rug. Soon thereafter, the Big Lebowski calls him in and asks him to serve as the courier for a money drop to some guys who kidnapped his pretty young wife Bunny (Tara Reid). That's when all the trouble really starts. The Dude's soon mixed up with all sorts of crazy people (including a gang of nihilists), while Walter manages to get him deeper and deeper into a lot of trouble he never wanted in the first place. There are indeed lots of strands in the Dude's head as the whole story takes a series of odd twists and turns, each of them funnier than the last. And he's got to get ready for the big semifinals of bowling league play, to boot – Walter is very, very dedicated to the bowling league games. It's almost impossible to give a good overview of the plot, and I wouldn't want to do so anyway, as you really have to experience it all for yourself.

You've got to love the Dude. He's just a lazy slacker who wanted his good, clean rug back, and then all this crazy stuff happened to him. Rest easy, though, knowing that "the Dude abides." Sometimes, that's about all you can do in this crazy world. I should mention that the film more than earns its R rating for profanity, as about every third word anyone says is a curse word – so if that kind of thing bothers you, you may be "out of your element" here. I am quite confident, though, that most viewers will laugh themselves silly watching this movie and will want to keep on watching it over and over again. The Coen Brothers hit a grand slam with this one.


Simply genius   November 22, 2001
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

Truly one the greatest comedies ever made. A superbly original plot along with one of the funniest scripts film has ever produced "The Big Lebowski" has the best subtle humour (hence the lack of major box office success) of any movie and will keep you laughing every single time you see it.

On a par with Fear and Loathing... the characters in the film are so brilliantly portrayed you'd almost believe you were watching a documentary. Jeff Bridges is highly believable as The Dude, his Dudeness, or El Duderino, and John Goodman gives the performance of a lifetime and makes the character of Walter into a true great, where it could have so easily gone wrong.

A must see for any fan of laughing, if you don't find this funny then you have some serious personality issues.