Affectionate stoner comedy

Rating: 6/10 (8 September 2016)

I've never been a huge fan of American stoner comedies; as somebody who is staunchly anti-drugs, the type of humour in these movies doesn't appeal and I usually just find them dumb. Not so with THE BIG LEBOWSK, the cult classic movie by the Coen brothers; this one's well-written and features an endearing cast of typically kooky characters in a plot that is very reminiscent of the Coen brothers style.
Jeff Bridges plays the likable lead as an exasperated chump who refuses to lose his mild-mannered world view despite getting mixed up in a plot involving reclusive millionaires and revolutionary weirdos. It helps that he has a fine supporting cast, in particular John Goodman who is cast completely against type as a far-right nut job who word has it was modelled on John Milius. Steve Buscemi is also a delight, even though he doesn't appear much; I tend to find everything that comes out of this guy's mouth to be completely hilarious.
The script is incessantly profane and yet, as in a Tarantino movie, the bad language has a natural flow and rhythm to it; it never feels forced or unpleasant. The oddball plot flows along nicely and there are few slow spots or mistakes along the way (an excruciating turn from Julianne Moore unwisely attempting a British accent being my only real problem with this). THE BIG LEBOWSKI, although not my favourite Coen brothers movie due to the subject matter, is a lot of goofy fun nonetheless.