I keep treating objects as women...

Rating: 8/10 (17 February 2002)

One way to classify yourself as a film-goer is by identifying your favourite Coen Brothers movie. I believe that in the future this will be a universal standard and all reviews will being with the reviewers preference is brackets under the title. For example you might get (Fargo but closely followed by The Man Who Wasn't There or Miller's Crossing!!!). This would enable everybody to make snap judgements on whether to read the review or not.
I would imagine the Big Lebowski followers would be very much like the Dude. The go through life avoiding conflict and find it real hard to remember what the movie was all about afterwards. Consequently their reviews will never be scathing but slightly lacking in detail.
This films is a reaaaallllly relaxed Coen Brothers effort, following the Dude around the bowling alleys of Los Angeles in the early 90's. Much to the Dude's dismay, he gets mixed up in an affair involving nihilists, ex-porn stars and conceptual artists that results in a soiled rug and a run in with a marmot. Jeff Bridges is excellent in the role of the Dude and right now I can't help feeling this is going to be the part he's going to be associated with for the rest of this acting life. The rest of the cast are just as superb notably John Goodman and Julianne Moore.
I think the keep to this films success is the way the audience associates with the Dude. He trundles through the film trying to work out what is going on while keep a certain distance from events which is pretty much what I was trying to do while sitting in the cinema. This trick makes this possibly the most accessible Coen Brothers film to date and it's thoroughly recommended to everyone.
Go see
(The Hudsucker Proxy just over Fargo.)