Suspicions confirmed, unfortunately.

Rating: 6/10 (20 November 2008)

There is a youtube.com video somebody laboriously strung together of all the numerous eff-words in this movie and the order in which they appear. The thing goes on for at least two full minutes. And it is very, very funny. Trouble is, the entire movie is little more amusing than this little clip. Only it lasts much longer. Too long, in fact. For years I had put off watching The Big Lebowski. After seeing various snippets of it, I began to develop suspicions that the entire ordeal might not be worth the time to watch it. Unfortunately, my suspicions were confirmed after a recent viewing of the whole thing.
The story, and I use the word "story" loosely, deals with an ex-hippie loser trying to get revenge and restitution from those who urinated on a rug in his tiny apartment. A case of mistaken identity causes Jeff Lebowski to be assaulted by goons in an early scene, and his home and possessions violated. Lebowski, played wonderfully by Jeff Bridges, has been mistaken for a seemingly wealthy man and he feels that the real target of the assault at least owes him for the rug. Lebowski goes to the man's mansion to ask for restitution, but ends up getting involved in a kidnapping scheme involving the man's trophy wife. Nothing else must be said about the plot. You just have to sit back an experience the rest. My guess is that many people, whether they will admit it or not, may find this movie a tad bit tedious. Yes, it is full of talented and funny actors, and yes it was made by the Coen brothers. But the plot involving nihilists, hit men, eccentric performance artists, bowling alleys, and god knows whatever else is just too much to take in one dosage. My guess is the Coens were just bound and determined to tell some kind of story about "The Dude", and the plot of that story was ultimately inconsequential to the actual act of telling his story.
As mentioned earlier, Bridges is pretty funny as "The Dude" Jeff Lebowski. This is one of those roles an actor doesn't have to do a lot for. No trips to the gym, no chiseled abs like in Against All Odds. Heck, he even used some of his own clothes. The rest of the cast is pretty good, too. They just aren't always sure how best to use them. If anyone out there doesn't know who John Millius is, trust me... John Goodman nailed him. Tara Reid ten years later seems like a casting mistake though. Back then I guess someone thought she had talent.
The Coens are living gods in the minds of many. For my money, they are pretty hit and miss. They've given us duds like O Brother Where Art Thou, and the Ladykillers. Little gems like Raising Arizona. Stellar efforts like Fargo. And maybe the best film I've ever seen, No Country for Old Men. But The Big Lebowski is a slight miss for them. If you like it, then I guess The Hound abides but can only give it 6 of 10 stars himself.