weird and boring

Rating: 7/10 (31 March 2003)

If you like quirky, and John Goodman, then rent Raising Arizona instead.
The plot begins with Jeff Bridge's character being mistaken for another man with the same name. The other man's wife apparently has a lot of outstanding debts and the ruffians who pay Jeff a visit urinate on his rug before he finally convinces them he's NOT the rich husband they're looking for. He's simply a bum known by everyone as "the dude". The dude decides that if he simply visits the rich guy with the same name, he can probably talk him into replacing his rug, since technically they were supposed to have urinated on the rich guy's rug instead. The rich fellow, however, tells the dude that his wife's been kidnapped and asks the dude to carry the ransom money to them.
Why? Good question... and from there, the story gets even more confusing and pointless. Which, the filmmakers freely admit. On the DVD version, the filmmakers frankly state that the confusing plot takes a back seat to the quirky characters we get to meet. Oh joy.
They even admit that when one of the actors asked what his character's motivation was, or why he was even in the story - they didn't have an answer for him. They say this laughing (at the viewers?).
Anyways... the only positive thing I can say about this movie is that the visuals and transitions are unique and creative, and that Jeff Bridges proves again that he's such a good actor he can even come out shining when buried under a pile of feces. His portrayal of the dude is priceless - and he doesn't dance half-bad either.