Watch it a few times before you judge it

Rating: 10/10 (10 May 2004)

Like many other lovers of The Big Lebowski, I was baffled by this movie and didn't really care for it all that much after the first viewing, and didn't realize what a fantastic piece of work it was until I watched it again late one night on USA network while rocking a new born baby to sleep. Despite the edits and commercial interruptions, everything fell into place for me and I rented it again and watched it over and over, each time finding something new and wonderfully funny. I now own it on DVD and watch it at least once a month. And it just gets funnier each time.
First of all, I'm surprised that I have never seen anyone notice that this movie is the Coens fractured version of a modern day Western. The tumblin tumbleweed, the cowboy music, and Sam Elliot's narrative at the beginning should have been a huge tip off. In addition, the structure of this movie broadly mirrors that of John Ford's classic horse opera "The Searchers," though many of the elements are inverted. Most Westerns have a hero who is an outsider who only wants what is rightfully his (in The Big Lebowski, the Dude is a social misfit who just wants his rug back). Like the girl who was kidnapped by Native Americans in "The Searchers," this movie has a girl who has been purportedly abducted by a group foreign to the settled community (German Nihilists). And like every western movie, there is a violent showdown at the end, though most westerns don't have a showdown anywhere near as funny ("Dipsh** with a Nine-toed Woman!...Anti-Semite").
But its not the amateur film school analysis that makes this movie great, its the acting, the characters, the dialogue, and the many twists and turns that are tied up at the end.
The dialogue is richly funny, though you have to watch the movie several times to catch everything said, since the characters are constantly interrupting one another and trying to talk over each other. I think this is one reason that people who have only seen this movie once didn't like it. The humor in what the Dude, Donny, and Walter are saying to each other is killer, and its even funnier when you realize that none of them are really listening to each other.
For those who haven't seen the movie yet, you might want to remember this. If you see it and don't think the movie makes any sense, remember that many people who love this movie didn't "get it" either the first time around.