Allegory For My Life

Rating: 10/10 (16 October 2007)

Overtly based on Raymond Chandler's classic novel "The Big Sleep", The Big Lebowski is my favourite work from the Coen Brothers, along with Miller's Crossing. When released in 1998 cinema-goers were baffled by the film, with most viewers not being able to even gather an opinion. However, once the film was available for purchase a cult following began to emerge, which has given birth to the annual Lebowski Fest and a so-called religion named "Dudeism." The world of Lebowski has become an element of modern pop-culture, while Jeff Bridge's character "The Dude" has developed into an icon of apathy. His days are spent bowling, drinking, experiencing occasional acid flashbacks and delving in pacifism.
Conducting an exhaustingly (and intentionally) complex tale of a trophy wife's kidnapping, The Big Lebowski puts fourth a crime story as a means of making everything about the picture even more ludicrous than its characters. You see, the Coen Brothers routinely craft films concerning characters that have become swathed in absurdist situations. This is an ulterior motive; a means of clashing wacky diversities with an impelling sense of convolution. The Big Lebowski is about characters that are blissfully unaware of the complications which arouse due to their erratic behaviour. Jeff Bridge's protagonist The Dude (a.k.a. Jeffrey Lebowski) becomes apart of a kidnapping plot by accident. He unwittingly stumbles across the scheme after a contextual naming error, in which two house-breaking thugs urinate on his rug. In response The Dude seeks compensation from the intended victim who happens to carry the same name, hence the confusion. As you can see, I am rambling and could do with a "Caucasian" cocktail.
The Big Lebowski has been apart of my life for many years now; I recall lapping up the dialogue to such an extent that I would unintentionally quote the film during everyday conversations and I still do. This boils down to a screenplay which will retain its status as one of the finest ever written. By no means is the script artificial or plagiarised, instead the breathtaking originality of it came as a breath of fresh air to the QT-laden dialogue which circulated throughout the independent cinema of the '90s. Exemplifying imagination and entertainment is the aim of The Big Lebowski; dumb, half-witted nonsense is not what the film illustrates, as some people have wrongly accused it of being. Oh, and I must not disregard a clear and present fact; Jeff Bridges offers one of the greatest performances of all-time.
Do not dismiss this masterpiece as a senseless twaddle, as that would be an unfair accusation for such a multi-layered outing in confrontational, elaborate humour. This is comedy as an art form, and so is conducted on an ambitious scale of subtly intelligent, foul-mouthed wit. Except this is a farce crafted on a mesmerising scale of ingenuity and radiating charm. Characters like Walter Sobchak, Donny Kerabatsos, Jesus Quintana and of course the German nihilists are irrefutable creations of hypocritical hilarity. Throughout the picture The Dude encounters a vast array of sarcastically written characters, which are effectively caricatures of combined personalities. Stylistically, the film is crammed to the brim with stunning film-making procedures (e.g. the Jackie Treehorn section) which accentuate the confrontational wackiness of what could be hailed as a "warped homage to film-noir." For a film of the '90s, the soundtrack is punctuated with retro rock & roll from forgotten eras and in essence identifies a "hippy" stance.
It might be worth noting that this review is just my opinion, man. Even so, that should not stop you from viewing a film which is destined to be regarded as something not just of the '90s, but of today's culture, too. Remember: abide by The Dude's -rational, whether you like it or not- philosophies. Simply take each day as it comes and try not to live in the past, stranger.