The Dude: A Hero

Rating: 9/10 (22 May 2001)

The Coen Brothers have scaled dizzy heights in the 1990s. "Barton Fink" and "Millers Crossing" showed an outstanding knack for serious comedy, if such a phrase can be used. The unfortunate failure of "The Hudsucker Proxy" was followed by "Fargo", their most critical and commercially successful film to date. When "The Big Lebowski" came out in 1998, it was met with some critical division and was not the commercial success many had envisioned it to be. It is a shame, because "The Big Lebowski" is an outstanding comedy, filled with great characters and brilliant dialogue. It is also technically superb, with meticulous attention paid to every detail. Add in career-topping roles from Jeff Bridges and John Goodman and you have a movie that will be held in the same esteem as some of the greatest comedies ever.
It's Los Angeles 1991. Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (Bridges) is mistaken for another Jeffery Lebowski: a millionaire paraplegic whose young trophy wife has been acumilating debts around Los Angeles. The Dude, as he is known, has his home invaded by some thugs who have come to collect the debt. When realising he is not the correct Lebowski they urinate on his rug. Angry, The Dude seeks payment from the other Lebowski for a replacement rug.
The Dude a sort of hippy who has only slightly modernised and grown up since the 60s. All The Dude does is bowl, drive around and get stoned. What is so great about The Dude is the ease at which Bridges plays the character. It is almost the perfect role for him. With long, shoulder length hair, a goatee beard and pajama like attire, The Dude is slacker cool before it became a early to mid 90s chic.
The Dude's friends are similarly eccentric: the dim and permanently off the ball Donny (Steve Buscemi) and the aggressive Walter Sobchak (John Goodman), who is caught up in the past, especially his experiences in Vietnam. Why The Dude hangs out with such different characters is unusual, but it only adds to the comic genius of the film.
Other characters are superb as well. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is excellent as Brandt, the anally-retentive assistant to the "Big" Lebowski, who is also brilliantly played by David Huddleston. However, perhaps the most memorable character is Jesus Quintala, a bowling opponent of the three friends. Played by Coen Brothers stalwart John Turturro, Jesus is a hilariously disgusting Latino bowler, who wears skin-tight pink and blue jumpsuits to his bowling games. This character almost outshines The Dude as the most fun character to watch.
Further on in the story The Dude, Walter and Donny get caught up in a botched kidnapping plot, which is sometimes confusing and ultimately anti-climatic. This film is more a series of hilarious vignettes rather than a cohesive story.
The film is packed with witty memorable quotes that hit the mark more often than you think. The Coen Brothers construct outstanding set pieces: the dolly and slow motion tracking shots of the bowling hall, the Dude's dream sequence and the Citizen Kane-like drawing room of the "Big" Lebowski. All of these combined with the fine performances make this an unforgettable comedy.