Has character

Rating: 7/10 (21 December 2014)

Ehm...they did not finish the story.
Were we not supposed to notice or were we not supposed to care? Towards the end Big Lebowski had about 5 or 6 story threads going, but left 2 of them untied at the end, one of which was a relatively major one. There is unexplained plot point or two. All in all, the story ends up being kind of disappointing.
Then again, the story is not very important because this movie is all about the characters. The Dude and Walter Sobchak, the main characters played by Jeff Bridges and John Goodman respectively are awesome and memorable creations. Yes, Steve Buscemi is there too, but he doesn't do a lot.
All of the characters in this film are eccentric. On the one hand, that is what gives this movie its colour, but on the other hand, this approach to character creation feels a step below simply having good believable people who are different from one another in a subtle but perceivable way.
You and I, we too could come up with some crazy personalities that would as a result be memorable: we can create a guy who makes racist jokes every time he appears on screen and smokes a whole lot so we will make him have two or three cigarettes in his moth at all times. Making ridiculous characters is easy and lazy. And while the Dude and Walter ultimately do work as characters, some of the others in this movie do not.
There are a few funny moments in this film, but there are equally few jokes that fail. The dialogue can be pretty good, pretty stupid and sometimes both at the same time.
The film has a number of interesting looking scenes, mostly when the main character is knocked out or drugged. The music covers the visuals with a layer of rock, complementary to the Dude's and Walter's 60s persona. It is safe to say that the film goes for a specific style and nails it. It is only unfortunate that it is a bit more style than substance.
Big Lebowski is like the weird friend in your party who is awkward and sometimes ruins things, but he has in time grown on you and you know that the party just wouldn't be the same without him. In that aspect he is very much like the main characters of this film.