One of the most original, unique movies of recent years. *** (out of four)

Rating: 7/10 (25 October 2001)

THE BIG LEBOWSKI / (1998) *** (out of four)
By Blake French:
The Coen Brothers are an artistic breed of their own. They add a twisted touch of humor to every project. They create imaginative characters, memorable stories, and ingenious dialogue. They have explored the lives of poets, hillbillies, cops, mobsters, adulterers, killers, and now a loser.

That's right, "The Big Lebowski" explores the life of a big-time loser. A lazy, uninspiring, unemployed loser. His name is Jeff Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), who lives in the moment and wears a goatee, a beer belly, a ponytail, and a pair of oversized Bermuda shorts. He lives to bowl, drink White Russians, and to do drugs. (Character: What do you do for recreation? The Dude: Oh, the usual. Bowl, drive around. The occasional acid flashback).

The Dude's best bowling pals, Donny (Steve Buscemi), who is never allowed to finish a sentence, and Walter (John Goodman), who is stuck in the past, diddle with the Dude as he goes with the flow, inhibiting not a care in the world. Until a porn king confuses the Dude for another person with the same name of Lebowski. Thugs invade the Dude's house, plunge his head into the toilet, and pee on his rug. They leave after they realize they have mistaken his identity.
However, the Dude wants a new rug. Walter and The Dude take a trip to the rich Lebowski's. They get more than a rug. It appears that someone has kidnapped Lebowski's daughter and the wealthy bigwig wants the Dude to deliver the ransom money. The Dude agrees, and, of course, chaos ensues.

Some of the material falls flat. A subplot about a bowling maniac named Jesus (John Turrturo) goes absolutely nowhere. Fortunately, many scenes work wonderfully, featuring original ideas, thought-provoking metaphors, experimental camera techniques, and eye-popping cinematography. I especially enjoyed how the film explores the Dude's dreams with sequences bursting with color, imagination, and peculiar images.
Audiences will remember "The Big Lebowski" as one of the most imaginative films of the decade. The Coen brothers create an odd assortment of unique circumstances and characters. The quirky characters have lots of fun with the unbelievably profane, (Screenit.com informs us that the movie uses the "F" word 250+ times!), but strangely amusing dialogue.
What does it all add up to? Well, there is plenty to think about and plenty to laugh at, but we do not leave with a powerful feeling of satisfaction. "The Big Lebowski" may resemble the spirit of "Raising Arizona," another wildly funny comedy by the Coen's, but this movie's does not quite work as well. Both contain the same zany style, but that film felt inspired by plot. "The Big Lebowski" lacks plot. A string of amusing predicaments does not necessarily account for the absence of story.
If the film would have followed a clear, comprehensible story, it may have been more involving, but that's clearly not what the Coen brother's wanted. Even before the opening credits begin, the film's narrator (Sam Elliot) explains that this film is about the Dude's adventures. It's not really a narrative of the Dude, but an examination of his reaction to life changing events. By the end of the movie, we sense the Dude has learned from his experiences, and because of them, he is a better personwell, kind of.