Rent The Big Lebowski on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tara Reid, Mark Pellegrino, Peter Stormare, Flea, John Turturro
Rated: R
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Plot
Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.
Verdict
This has become a classic and with good reason. While it's frequently ridiculous in the best possible way, it's also has subtle one liners that only get better upon repeat viewings. The Dude stumbles into a complicated ransom plot and manages to only make more enemies. He's completely out of his depth but so is everyone else; no one knows what they're doing. The Dude just wants his rug, and it's his laid back demeanor that makes the comedy even better.
Watch It.
Review
Coen brothers' movies are famous for hapless characters stumbling into ridiculous situations and sometimes even out of them. This movie released just after Fargo, followed by O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Man Who Wasn't There. That's an incredible run of movies. My all time favorite movie of theirs is Inside Llewyn Davis, that or No Country for Old Men.
We're introduced to The Dude (Jeff Bridges) through a voice over before he stumbles into a case of mistaken identity. A couple of guys think he owes them money, trying to intimidate him. This movie is full of comedy amidst chaos. When one of the guys picks up a bowling and asks what it is, The Dude responds, "obviously you're not a golfer." Before leaving the enforcers ruin his rug, and that's what starts the entire plot.
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| Jeff Bridges plays Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski |
The Dude decides to find the other Lebowski and seek compensation for his ruined rug. His offer is spurned, but The Dude manages to steal a rug from the other Lebowski anyway. That's the point where The Dude meanders through a plot with which he'd rather not be involved. When the other Lebowki's wife goes missing, The Dude is recruited to hand off the money and confirm if it's the same people that originally ruined his rug.
The events are ridiculous, but the movie doesn't rely on that as it's genuinely funny. The Dude's deadpan delivery and general disregard for every situation is quite funny. He's truly only concerned with replacing his rug and goes along with what happens in the hopes of achieving that end. Despite his persistent dire circumstances, he's always concerned with the mundane.
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| Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi play The Dude, Walter, Donny |
No one listens. What was supposed to be only The Dude at the drop off becomes him and Walter (John Goodman), and that doesn't go well. The Dude wants to get out of his predicament entirely and cut his losses, but getting out isn't as easy as wandering in. The Dude is dealing with the whole Lebowski family as he stumbles deeper into trouble. On the other side, Walter is more nuisance than help.
The only leverage The Dude has, the ransom money, is lost. He and Walter follow a clue and end up interrogating a kid who either knows absolutely nothing or is a stone cold criminal.
The Dude has quite an adventure and ends up basically where he started, less a rug but with a wild story to tell. It's an interesting cast of character, all of them somewhat odd and unique. While this movie has stakes, that's not so much for The Dude. And then there are so many quotable lines. This is absolutely a movie made for multiple watches.
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