The best bowling comedy of 1998

Rating: 10/10 (3 August 1999)

At a Conservative Party ccktail function sometime last year, after a few drinks the subject naturally got onto best films. The general concensus was that "Withnail & I" had that title of funniest, and of that there was little genuine argument. However, there was a small contingent of persons present who claimed that the Coen brothers with Lebowski, a then, recent offering, could possibly wrest the title from Robinson's hitherto safe hands. Though I should add that they voiced this opinion in a humble and respectful manner.
An investigation ensued, and within a week I had located an establishment that was to play it, and set to my task, viz. a comparison with studious meticulousisity.
To take the film as it stands would be the only way to treat it fairly because, to be fair to it, it is completely different to Withnail. It is a totally different kind of humour, and style of filming. Whereas Withnail features a kind of low budget dark, earthy and realistic humour, Lebowski has a certain elaborate feel to it, from the expensive sets and abstract scenes to the wealth of locations and Hollywood feel. But enough of the comparisons, I'm supposed to be writing about Lebowski here, so no more Withnail. But let it be said, they are both titled on names and concentrate on bums (or a bum).
Lebowski tends to rely on seemingly obvious jokes and repeated lines and styles,(such as "shut the F***K UP Donny", "I'll suck your c**k for a thousand dollars" and "Am I wrong?") combined with a rewarding subtle blend of character-based humour, (such as Lebowski never finishing his lines, Donny never getting to say anything, Brandt's nervous mannerisms, and numerous self referential statements). Some people from the Dumb and Dumber school of comedy appreciation will "get" very little of Lebowski, and will not rate it. These are largely the same kind of people who thought that Mallrats was better than Clerks.
The introduction to the film and, most importantly, to Lebowski is utterly perfect. The look at this supposed bum, and then at the till girl to put things in perspective, creates good empathy with the inner workings of the protagonist. He took his choice, others take theirs. Great camera work and combination with Dylan provides the perfect setting to the bowling hall, and hence, the backdrop to the film. This style of filming is the Coen brothers at their very best, and blending of the title sequence into the story is done as well as anyone could do.
This film is made of a combination of straightforward camera shots and dialogue with very little action (aside from bowling or driving). This is then juxtaposed with some very abstract scenes such as dream sequences and slow motion footage of (questionably) real situations. This technique often creates a very effective result though sometimes can become tiresome. The main crux of the film is set in the real world and revolves around The Dude attempting to repatriate his living room with a rug. This is largely done in a very ordinary fashion but with a great wealth of humorous conversation. Goodman provides many memorable sayings. Where the film goes at a tangent to this, but with immediate purpose in mind, it works very well. The best examples of this are the introductory bowling scene (as stated), and the introduction of the loveable Jesus. When these scenes are not so welcome is when they actively distract from the flow of the story and serve only to break it up in an undesirable manner. Still, without this experimentation we would have been without some of the film's most impressive moments.
As The Dude's main opponent is The Big Lebowski, a disabled veteran with a personal achievement complex. He is acted out brilliantly by Huddleston, has an excellent vocabulary ( including micturate) and is a very aggressive character, especially towards The Dude. Looking after him is his faithful servant Brandt who has some delightful nervous mannerisms and peculiar gaits which work well with his characters speaking parts.
The blend of humour is mostly based around slight subtlety on the part of some characters, and outright over-the-top acting on the part of others. Add this to some great visuals, though not over the top, and the result is a finely crafted humorous product. In all, though not as good as the all conquering Withnail, Lebowski does manage to better Fargo, and is certainly one of the funniest films in recent years.