The Dude Abides...

Rating: 10/10 (20 March 2009)

No matter how many times I see this movie, it never gets old. At this point, I've easily seen it more than half a dozen times and I STILL find myself laughing throughout. This movie was my first exposure to the Coen brothers and it hooked me. Set in 1990's Los Angeles, the film follows the Dude, an unemployed stoner with a passion for bowling, as a case of mistaken identity and a soiled rug lead to his involvement in recovering a kid-napped woman. Honestly, that little synopsis doesn't do the film justice and it'd really be best to just watch it.
The characters are what make this film so memorable. Jeff Bridges as the Dude, what can I say. Since seeing him in this movie, I haven't been able to picture him as anyone else (made it interesting seeing him as the villain in Jon Favreau's "Iron Man", heh). He totally embodies this character, with his chilled demeanor and stoned investigating. Stealing the scene almost as often as the lead is John Goodman as the Dude's buddy, Walter. A Vietnam veteran who can't help but regress to 'Nam rants every time something grates on his nerves, Walter's attempts to help Dude in his predicament only make matters worse. These two characters alone (with, of course, credit to the fantastic writing of the Coens) fill the movie with infinitely quotable dialogue.
Supporting Bridges and Goodman are a myriad of great talent. Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, Peter Stormare, Sam Elliott, and Philip Seymour Hoffman contribute to film though the one of the best supporting characters has to be John Turturro's Jesus Quintana. Despite only being in two scenes, his role as the pedophile bowler made for one of the best moments. My absolute favorite sequences in the movie have to be the Dude's hallucinations/dream sequences, particularly the GUTTERBALLS number. A great soundtrack, wicked casting, sharp writing, and constant laughs give this movie infinite replay value and it'll never get old.