Black Humour at its very blackest

Rating: 9/10 (24 November 2006)

The Big Lebowski is probably one of the best films in the category of dark comedy. The Coen brothers did a really magnificent job in all respects. Practically every aspect of the movie is flawless. The characters, the dialogues, the casting, the storyline, the settings and the plot itself.
Where the main roles are concerned Jeff Bridges and John Goodman gave their best performance ever. The roles suite them so well, I doubt they will ever do better than they did here. Steve Buscemi is the only exception (he already gave his best in Fargo)
Unfortunately, the Coen brothers never really recovered after the shock of making such an exquisite film and their later works are nowhere near as good. In fact I'd go as far as to say their film Intolerable Cruelty (2003) was a complete waste of effort, for maker and viewer alike.
There is however one emphatic point about the Big Lebowski: it is not universal humour. To really appreciate it, one has to be familiar with the American way of life or at least have a basic understanding of US history, contemporary culture, slang and so on. For example the ambiance of the "bowling culture", words like "undude", "bummer", "jay", "ringer" "His Dudeness"; Walter's (Goodman) constant struggle for people to respect his constitutional rights and the RULES etc.
Overall I still have to say it is an evergreen classic, and a must see for everyone who believes they have a decent sense of humour and are not put off by a little cursing from time to time and let's face it: all the time.