Completely original and unforgettable.

Rating: 9/10 (26 December 2009)

There never was before and there probably never will be a film quite like The Big Lebowski. It has a typical film noir story arc mixed with a couple of stoner characters and a hip setting in the early 1990s Los Angeles that creates a great atmosphere to watch the action unfold. This is Raymond Chandler on vacation; relaxed and willing to stretch out and let loose.
When it first premiered, this was quite a misunderstood movie. People couldn't believe that this was written, produced and directed by the same team who made that brilliant crime thriller Fargo from two years before. Yet, this kind of movie shows how creative and daring the Coen brothers are. They don't try to make just one kind of film; they branch out and try different ideas until they hit upon one that works. And they had to know from the start that a character like the Dude would work. With the wonderfully laid back Jeff Bridges in the title role, the Dude abides as one of the greatest of all movie characters, perhaps the Coens have ever written and one that will be remembered for ages.
Of course, where would the Dude be without his able partner, Walter Sobchak, that Vietnam-crazy, screaming Jew who takes his bowling almost as serious as his religion. John Goodman gives perhaps his most memorable performance and it is a great one; thoroughly entertaining as well as very funny. And then there is Donny, played with sweet naiveté by Steve Buscemi. Donny doesn't do or say much, but I think he represents the audience; just there for the ride and seeing the story unfold only because he enjoys the company of the Dude and Walter despite his constant yelling at him.
This is a movie that could be discussed and analyzed forever in terms of its plot, dream sequences and ways it adheres to old-fashion storytelling with modern film making. But perhaps the Coens simply wanted it enjoyed on its most basic level; as the story of a man called Dude who had his rug peed on and sought destitute for it. And that is because that rug really tied the room together. This is a completely original and unforgettable movie that must be seen by any Coen brothers or modern movie fan.