Good but not a classic Dude!

Rating: 8/10 (15 March 2010)

I first watched The Big Lebowski about 12 years ago and i was extremely underwhelmed by it . I liked it , sure , but i couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Since then i have had a love hate relationship with the Coen Brothers movies. Some of their films i really have not liked such as O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Ladykillers and recently i have enjoyed the likes of No country for old men and Burn after reading , so i decided to go back and watch The Big Lebowski again and see if , with age , i had become accustomed to their humour and the answer is yes....and no.
Jeff Lebowski is the victim of mistaken identity. Two thugs break into his apartment in the errant belief that they are accosting Jeff Lebowski, the Pasadena millionaire--not the laid-back, unemployed, stuck in the 70s Jeff Lebowski who calls himself the Dude. The Dude's first mistake is paying a visit to his wealthy namesake in the hopes of getting a replacement for his soiled carpet. But instead of a Persian loaner, our reluctant hero and his buddy Walter are swept up in a Coenesque comedy/thriller of extortion, double-cross, deception, embezzlement, sex and dope. It takes guys as simple as the Dude and Walter to make a story this complicated...and they'd really rather be bowling.
There is no doubt about it that The Big Lebowski has some memorable moments. The characters are fantastic . Jeff Bridges as the Dude , Jon Goodman as Walter Sobchak and John Turturro as Jesus Quintana are the standout performers and they have the best lines in the movie. I love the way Jeff Bridges IS The Dude. He is so perfect in that role that it could have been written for him ( maybe it was?) . Goodman is also outstanding as the wannabe Jew who is highly strung and aggressive and again the role is perfect for him. Now for the problem with the film. The plot. I really feel the story is too weak and at times a little too confusing . I know that's maybe the idea the Coens had when writing this but it does spoil it a little for me. There are times when i felt myself drifting because it was becoming too convoluted. Also the Julianne Moore character seemed unnecessary and became another distraction. The best way to explain the way i feel about The Big Lebowski is that the characters are far too big for what is a pretty lame story and at times they swamp it. I'm glad i went back to watch this movie again but i still feel it's not quite justified in the admiration it still gets.
I first watched The Big Lebowski about 12 years ago and i was extremely underwhelmed by it . I liked it , sure , but i couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Since then i have had a love hate relationship with the Coen Brothers movies. Some of their films i really have not liked such as O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Ladykillers and recently i have enjoyed the likes of No country for old men and Burn after reading , so i decided to go back and watch The Big Lebowski again and see if , with age , i had become accustomed to their humour and the answer is yes....and no.
Jeff Lebowski is the victim of mistaken identity. Two thugs break into his apartment in the errant belief that they are accosting Jeff Lebowski, the Pasadena millionaire--not the laid-back, unemployed, stuck in the 70s Jeff Lebowski who calls himself the Dude. The Dude's first mistake is paying a visit to his wealthy namesake in the hopes of getting a replacement for his soiled carpet. But instead of a Persian loaner, our reluctant hero and his buddy Walter are swept up in a Coenesque comedy/thriller of extortion, double-cross, deception, embezzlement, sex and dope. It takes guys as simple as the Dude and Walter to make a story this complicated...and they'd really rather be bowling.
There is no doubt about it that The Big Lebowski has some memorable moments. The characters are fantastic . Jeff Bridges as the Dude , Jon Goodman as Walter Sobchak and John Turturro as Jesus Quintana are the standout performers and they have the best lines in the movie. I love the way Jeff Bridges IS The Dude. He is so perfect in that role that it could have been written for him ( maybe it was?) . Goodman is also outstanding as the wannabe Jew who is highly strung and aggressive and again the role is perfect for him. Now for the problem with the film. The plot. I really feel the story is too weak and at times a little too confusing . I know that's maybe the idea the Coens had when writing this but it does spoil it a little for me. There are times when i felt myself drifting because it was becoming too convoluted. Also the Julianne Moore character seemed unnecessary and became another distraction. The best way to explain the way i feel about The Big Lebowski is that the characters are far too big for what is a pretty lame story and at times they swamp it. I'm glad i went back to watch this movie again but i still feel it's not quite justified in the admiration it still gets. clear rating