funny, but not altogether satisfying

Rating: 6/10 (4 June 2004)

I enjoyed many parts of the movie - quite a lot, in fact. Jeff Bridges as the laid back "luzer" dude was brilliant. John Goodman, a 'Nam Vet', more than did his character justice. Some of the situations were really funny and made sense. Some made no sense and were funny. Other situations just made no sense. As a whole piece, it's a really flawed movie.
Most of the situations revolved around the whereabouts of $1 million in ransom money. The ingenious plot twists usually hang together, but not always. What was the point of the volkswagon dectective? What did that contribute? Nothing - it was just another point of confusion. The nihilist gang (which at least provided some funny dialogs) never fit with the rest of the movie, which was irritating. The cowboy narrator never fit, either; although I found his folksy drawl to be comforting.
This movie does a seriously poor job with it's female characters. The male lead characters are well developed, and most of the male secondary characters are well drawn also. The women characters are all flat and bizarre - more like creatures from outer space than real people. The millionaire's "trophey wife", Bunny, is a dumb blond ho. The adult daughter Maude comes off as mechanical and inhuman.
So, we have flashes of brilliance interspersed with a fair amount of gimcrack movie making. There is no ending, to speak of - the story just stops for no reason. Many situations set up earlier are left dangling and unresolved. In fact, the whole thing about what happens to the missing million dollars is just forgotten.
I think most people will find something to laugh at and something to like when they watch this movie. But, it's really not a satisfying movie experience.