The First of Many

Rating: 9/10 (6 February 2015)

I will start reviewing every movie I see from now on - new to me or ones I choose to re-watch - with careful attention, and this is the first movie I will officially review. I chose this one since I have seen it most recently and it is a pretty simple film with a seemingly complex plot. This is one of the Coen Brothers' best films - not necessarily in the sense of great cinema, but rather in relation to the factor of entertaining the audience. I showed this film to my good friend Spencer just a few months ago and he wanted to watch it again tonight. It is easy to see why since I was quoting/enjoying a lot of the film for its great comedy, such as the many times Walter says "shut the f--- up, Donnie," how the Dude repeats things he hears from other people in order to get his point across, or how ridiculous the narrator's moustache is. I remember that on first viewing I did not appreciate this film since it is revealed by the Dude towards the conclusion that the MacGuffin of the film - the briefcase filled with a million dollars - was never really filled in the first place. Like Fargo, The Big Lebowski deals with the idea that most will go out of their habits or comfort zone in order to obtain an amount of money - however, it does so in a more ridiculous manner than Fargo. After a few re-watches I have found it important to appreciate this film's comedy rather than make sense of the almost non-existent plot in order to enjoy it. Does it matter that The Dude's journey turns into a dead end? No; his journey is still progressive as he goes from not giving a damn about anything to confronting people of the seemingly upper class about using him, and the journey has a great deal of laughs making this a great cinematic experience to enjoy and reflect on the importance of taking things easy in everyday life. 3.5/4.0