this aggression will not stand

Rating: 9/10 (30 June 2001)

i'm bored and going to spoil many things, so if you've never seen this movie skip past this review. now.
to me, the big lebowski is a scathing social commentary on a few types of burnouts prevalent in the 90s. now while the typical definition of a burnout is drug related, i would argue that the core trio of this movie (dude, walter, and donnie) are all burned out on life in their own unique ways. the dude is rather obvious, seeing as he chooses to smoke roaches and drink white russians throughout the whole movie. furthermore, i presume him to be a weed dealer, due to his neverending supply of pot, kahlua, and money. walter feels that society has been indebted to him for his service in nam, so his irrational righteousness carries him through the story with an award winning swagger. donnie is the awkward outsider, trying to enter the dialogues too late thanks to his innate timidity. while these guys seem like an unlikely trio, leave it to the coen brothers to combine them in a rather dysfunctional faction to show the utter pointless absurdity of their lives.
from there, the movie centers around the inherent human trait to recycle things that it comes across. the conversations are circular, the characters all develop vernacular influenced by others, and the most boring conversations turn into a slapstick gag by the rather simple method of immediate repetition. the coen brothers are masters of characterization (i wanted to slug that pregnant cop in fargo for her accent alone) so it's interesting to watch the characters develop throughout the course of the big lebowski. you generally don't get a one dimensional look at any character in their movies.
the subtlties of the coen bros' movies are what make them borderline genius, and the big lebowski is saturated with all kinds of hilarious quirks that are easy to miss. check out jesus' coke fingernail on his pinky, or how the cops raid the bowling alley after the gun scene, while walter's borrowed dog runs off (yet inexplicably shows up later). or even the irony of how the self-proclaimed nihilists are so worked up over getting the money that they don't fit their title, subtly pointing to the core trio as the true nihilists in the movie. the dude only smokes roaches except when he's in the lap of luxury at the big lebowski's place, where he lights up a spliff. even the middle/upper class work ethic is chastised when the dude shrugs in utter disbelief that he's getting completely discredited because he doesn't have a formal job. i wouldn't be surprised if these characters were based on people from the coen brothers' past, seeing as they probably were ridiculed as aspiring directors many years ago, and maybe even got told to get a real job on several occasions.
i think this movie is their masterstroke, although the hudsucker proxy is indeed wicked too. most everything is perfectly implemented in this movie, and consequently utterly hilarious. this whole adventure starts with someone, uh... soiling the dude's rug and ends with the dude getting the most wicked 5 o'clock shadow ever, in between lies the most hilarious social commentary i've seen.
however, this movie is COMPLETELY hit or miss. some people are going to call it incoherent and boring, others like myself will call it genius. either way, the coen bros' caustic sense of humor isn't for everyone. although it's a blessing if you can understand it, seeing as you're treated to the best movies that come out of america, in my humble opinion.