White Russians, a Dude, and Bowling!

Rating: 7/10 (13 February 2007)

So a broke stoner/bowling lover wants revenge against hoodlums who mistakingly urinate on his living room carpet. Let the games begin! Bridges stars as "The Dude" Lebowski who enlists the help of his friend, ex-Vietnam vet Walter (Goodman) to exact revenge against a wealthy businessman with the same namesake. It turns out he gets way more than he bargained for; agreeing to find the millionaire's young wife, who has gone missing. It turns out he is not the only one looking for this woman or the ransom money. The Dude encounters an eccentric cast of characters, from the millionaire's daughter (Moore) to a gang of German Nihilists (including Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea).
The story is extremely wacky which lead to lots of hilarity in some scenes. The best part is that the film never takes itself seriously, its more of a dark comedy than anything else. The glue of the film for me is the great pairing of Bridges and Goodman. Goodman's character constantly looks to associate every situation with the Vietnam war. Bridges is brilliant because of his laid-back appearance, including a robe and sandals.
However the story seems to hit a few snags along the way and for me makes the film far from perfect. These snags for me are segments that seem to make the film drag a bit, time-wise. There seem to be too many characters that pop-up and then we are forced to revisit them later in the film.
In conclusion, its a great dark comedy that doesn't follow conventional plot lines, a Cohen brothers trademark. It's worth watching for the scenes with Goodman and Bridges alone.