The Best Comedy FilM in the Last 25 years

Rating: 10/10 (17 September 2005)

The Big Lewboski is among the best comedy films of all time, kind of. It has a very disjointed storyline, and is, at times, hard to follow (or comprehend). However, the writer allows enough latitude for the actors to make it work. The casting of Jeff Bridges as 'Dude' is central to the movie. I can't think of another actor that could have pulled this off as well as he did. It really tied the movie together.
The Dude seems not to want anything but to be left alone. The uncertainty presented to him as the result of a case of mistaken identity (maybe) shatters the warm comfort that 'Dude' has spent his life creating and maintaining. It makes him very uncomfortable, and causes him to react accordingly. Walter is the Dude's salvation. He forces the 'Dude' to pursue the source of his discomfort. The more that Walter exerts himself, the better it gets. John Goodman's heroic, manic performance gave the movie the only sense of stability in an otherwise chaotic circumstance presented to the 'Dude'. Both Walter and 'Dude' are pretty intelligent, introspective and spiritual beings in their own rights. They just don't know it.
I have no idea what Donny was doing in the movie, other than to have Steve Buschemi die in yet another Cohen brothers film. The dialog is wild. The Big Lewboski yelling 'The Plane has crashed into the mountain', Maudes discussion of the effect of vaginae on men, and all of The Jesus' scenes, down to his purple jump suit (The Purple Jesus) are bizarre. Everything coming out of the 'Dude's' mouth is very funny. Like 'A Night at the Opera' and 'The Producers' good comic actors, presented with the right opportunity, can take it over the falls. The more you watch this movie, the better it gets.