Can A Film With Bowling In It Be This Hilarious?

Rating: 9/10 (4 November 2000)

The Coen brothers prove their aptness at creating quirky, wonderfully engaging, and often hilarious characters as well as snappy dialogue between them. The Big Lebowski is a well-written, off-beat comedy filled with gut-busting scenes of absurdity and charm.
The Big Lebowski stars Jeff Bridges as Lebowski, or as he prefers to be called, "The Dude." When he is mistaken as another Lebowski (millionaire Lebowski), he stumbles into a kidnapping, ransom, money-laundering plot between millionaire Lebowski and a group of Nihilists. In between this, he takes the time to go bowling with buddies John Goodman and Steve Buscemi.
Jeff Bridges' hilarious Dude is a wonderful amalgam of laziness and low-key wit. His performance is marvelously engaging and entertaining with Bridges making his character slovenly, meandering, but ultimately an all-around nice guy. John Goodman gives one of his best comedic performances to date as the Dude's whacked out, extremist, Jewish 'Nam buddy. He and Steve Buscemi's harsh scenes create a caustic and very funny chemistry.
The dream sequences are in a class by themselves - they are probably the oddest ever filmed, with Bridges getting caught in a bowling ball, a bowling ball's eye view, and an unusually militant worker at the local bowling alley. At the very least, they will put a smile on your face.
With it's quirky, off-beat characters, Jeff Bridge's brilliant comic creation that is The Dude, and a wonderfully funny supporting cast, The Big Lebowski is one of the best comedies of all time. While the plot may not be at the same level of the Coens' other masterpiece, Fargo, it's still very enjoyable fun. After all, who would have taught a film with bowling as a backdrop could be so fun?
9 out of 10