Going Against the Grain Here

Rating: Null/10 (8 November 2002)

This from the makers of Fargo and Raising Arizona? The Big Lebowski stars Jeff Bridges as Jeff Lebowski, a cranky, unemployed, foul-mouthed, pot-head slacker embroiled in a mistaken-identity farce. I've never liked Bridges' ponderous acting, and he doesn't score any points for me here as the self-proclaimed `Dude' either.
Anyway, two goons break into his apartment thinking he's Pasadena millionaire Jeff Lebowski and proceed to rough him up and piss on his throw-rug. `That rug really tied the room together,'' the Dude moans. Miffed, he tracks down the real Jeff Lebowski and steals a Persian rug, unwittingly becoming jumbled-up in a kidnapping caper. The Big Lebowski then hires the incompetent Dude to make a money drop for Lebowski's kidnapped trophy wife, Bunny (Tara Reid), but his short- tempered, pistol-happy, Vietnam-vet bowling buddy Walter Sobcek (John Goodman) bungles the plan, accelerating the two into a bizarre state of affairs.
There's a lot to like, but not enough to keep the viewer seriously engaged. That's due to the fact that half of the characters are amazing, and half are routine oddballs. Sex-crazed Latino bowler/pervert Jesus Quintana (John Turturro) is worth seeing, and Sam Elliot's mustache alone is worth the price of admission, but Elliot is some critically wasted talent here! Plus, I've never seen an actor overact as much as John Goodman does in the first half. and if I see Steve `Can I Get Any Other Role?' Buscemi play another little creepy loser I'm gonna die! On the other hand, Julianne Moore (Boogie Nights) plays erotic artist Maude Lebowski sexy and rough - there's a memorable scene where she covers part of her body with paint and hurls herself through the air in a leather harness to create a piece. Plus, the Big Lebowski's right-hand man, Brandt (played by Boogie Nights' Philip Seymour Hoffman), is equally absorbing. Nevertheless, it's a patrol officer (played by Michael Gomez) who gets the biggest laughs as the Dude picks up his recently stolen car from the police corral - blink and you'll miss it!
The film offers bursts of enlightenment in an otherwise quirky `indie-feel' movie, but doesn't really commit to the audience at any given point. Perhaps the Cohens are purposely treating us to the languid, uninspiring existence that is the Dude in hopes that we'll be quiescent enough to enjoy their blundering film.