The Dude abides and so does this film.

Rating: 10/10 (9 November 1998)

After the darkly surreal, snowswept landscapes of the Minnesota depicted in Fargo (1996), the Coen brothers have wisely opted for a different locale with The Big Lebowski. Set in Los Angeles (circa 1991 at the height of the Persian Gulf War), this effort from the inventive duo is a whimsical tale about a man known as The Dude.
Jeff `The Dude' Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) is a laid-back kinda guy, an aging Hippie who spends his days drinking White Russians, smoking pot, and bowling with his buddies. One day, this all changes when two thugs invade his home, rough him up, and urinate on his rug. It seems that they have The Dude confused with another Lebowski, a rich millionaire whose young wife owes money all over town.
Bummed at having his prized rug ruined, The Dude decides to contact the other Lebowski and in doing so becomes immersed in a very strange, convoluted plot that involves nihilists, a kidnapping, Busby Berkley dream sequences, British performance artists, and bowling.
Sound a little strange? It's all par for the course with the Coen brothers, a clever filmmaking duo that loves tweaking existing genres to the point that they become something very different and distinctly Coenesque.
This includes fully-realized characters, both major and minor, that have their own unique habits and mannerisms. Most films do not take the time to flesh out their respective worlds or the characters that live in them but this is not the case with the Coens.
The Big Lebowski presents a world rich in detail and atmosphere and is subsequently populated by often a humourous and sometimes bizarre collection of characters that range from an obnoxiously narcissistic bowler named Jesus (John Turturro) to Walter Sobchak (John Goodman), The Dude's loyal bowling buddy who just happens to be a Vietnam vet with a short fuse.
The cast do a great job in supporting the main character, played wonderfully by Jeff Bridges. He creates mannerisms and habits that flesh out his character perfectly. From the first time we see him, Bridges is The Dude. And even though he is a down-and-out loser, there is something undeniably likable about him, and this is due in large part to Bridges' performance.
From start to finish, The Big Lebowski is an engaging comedy that is very entertaining and a lot of fun to watch. It is a visual feast for the eyes -- in particular, The Dude's dream sequences which are simultaneously hilarious and breathtaking. This is the Coens in top form.
The Big Lebowski may not have the dramatic weight or substance of Fargo, but it has a distinctive charm uniquely its own. The joy of this film is in watching all the entertaining diversions, subplots and minor characters and how The Dude interacts with them all. You are not supposed to really care about what happens to the convoluted storyline or how it is resolved. That is merely window-dressing for the Coens to showcase this highly engaging world they've created. The Big Lebowski is definitely worth the trip.