Flawless

Rating: Null/10 (11 December 2008)

Two things shock me about reaction to "The Big Lebowski". The first being the iffy critical reaction to it when it was released following "Fargo", the second being that there are still people who don't love this movie. It's unquestionably a brilliant film on any technical level: there are no wasted shots, the 'dream' sequences are unbelievably gorgeous, the Coens' direction is confident and assured every step of the way, and their economy in telling the story is commendable, and the cinematography by Roger Deakins is superb.
Going beyond the visuals to the film, I find myself even more bewildered by how anyone could not at least give credit to the Coens for this script, at least for its immaculate structure and remarkably efficient characterization. Humor is subjective, sure, but this movie employs so many different types of humor that I should think it would appeal to just about everyone at one point or the other. I consider it a blessing that there's not a single joke in the film which I didn't find funny. You can't explain such things further, every line here is just pure gold, and the best thing about it is that the film demands multiple viewings for one to properly appreciate how rich the humor here is.
I'm struck by the similarity of this film to a later Coen brothers film, "Burn After Reading". Not only did both follow near-unanimously praised, Oscar-validated dramas with memorable characters and a dark sense of humor, but both were also met with positive-but-not-ecstatic reviews from critics. The biggest similarity however is the genre. "Burn After Reading" is a spy thriller with no stakes and "The Big Lebowski" is a film-noir with no real stakes and a bunch of pointless crime and destruction. There are differences which lie mostly in the execution of the concept, most notably in that "The Big Lebowski" features far better-developed and more sympathetic characters, as well as a stronger script in general. Moreover, while "Burn After Reading" is a spoof of the spy thriller, "The Big Lebowski" is more like a loving tribute to noir, most specifically Raymond Chandler.
The dialogue is pristine and probably never matched in film, at least not in a comedy, the acting is consistently superb with only Julianne Moore not being absolutely excellent (though she's fine, really) and Jeff Bridges and John Goodman giving the best performances of their respective careers, and the film is a technical marvel. What's not to love? Like with many of my favorite films I've put off writing a comment for a long time, and now that I've gotten it out of the way I don't feel I've said all I wanted to say. Oh well. This is an absolute classic, and I have no issues with calling it the Coens' finest film to date and one of cinema's great masterpieces.