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Joel and Ethan Cohen have established themselves as filmmakers uninterested in doing the standard cinematic thing, which has resulted in middling results, some critical acclaim, a cult status among buffs, and an Oscar for Best Picture for No Country for Old Men, but their most popular film was a 1998 gem called The Big Lebowski.
This loopy comic adventure stars Jeff Bridges as Jeff Lebowski, who refers to himself as "The Dude" who is visited by some thugs who stick his head in the toilet and pee on his rug threatening him about money owed to a gangster but it is revealed that the money is really owed by someone else named Jeff Lebowski and when The Dude decides to visit the guy to pay for his rug, this is the linchpin for a bizarre comic adventure that defies description.
The Coen Brothers have constructed a bizarre screenplay centered around a group of characters that are either really unlikable or have no redeeming qualities and a story that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, but for some reason we don't care. The Dude drinks white russians and goes shopping in his bathrobe and pays for a quart of milk by check, but that's OK. The Dude's best friends and bowling team buddies are a militant gun nut named Walter (John Goodman) and a nerdy but sweet guy named Donny (Steve Buscemi) who have the best intentions where the dude is concerned but sometimes their actions don't always belie that. The real Lebowski (David Huddleston) is no prize either and neither is his tight-assed assistant (Phillip Seymour Hoffman).
Thrown into the mix are the real Lebowski's child bride (Tara Reid) and his daughter (Julianne Moore, who seems to be channeling Katharine Hepburn with this performance) who are part of an elaborate kidnapping scheme that the Dude gets involved in.
Jeff Bridges appears to be having the time of his life playing the Dude, making a completely reprehensible character totally likable and John Goodman is kinetic as his outrageous BFF Walter. Buscemi is actually wasted playing the closest to a regular human being he has ever played but Hoffman garners major laughs as the tightly wound assistant. The film is full of outrageous images, including an outrageous nightmare hallucination framed around a classic 60's tune and Sam Elliott is a perfect narrator. Don't try to figure it out, just sit back and enjoy.
Joel and Ethan Cohen have established themselves as filmmakers uninterested in doing the standard cinematic thing, which has resulted in middling results, some critical acclaim, a cult status among buffs, and an Oscar for Best Picture for No Country for Old Men, but their most popular film was a 1998 gem called The Big Lebowski.
This loopy comic adventure stars Jeff Bridges as Jeff Lebowski, who refers to himself as "The Dude" who is visited by some thugs who stick his head in the toilet and pee on his rug threatening him about money owed to a gangster but it is revealed that the money is really owed by someone else named Jeff Lebowski and when The Dude decides to visit the guy to pay for his rug, this is the linchpin for a bizarre comic adventure that defies description.
The Coen Brothers have constructed a bizarre screenplay centered around a group of characters that are either really unlikable or have no redeeming qualities and a story that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, but for some reason we don't care. The Dude drinks white russians and goes shopping in his bathrobe and pays for a quart of milk by check, but that's OK. The Dude's best friends and bowling team buddies are a militant gun nut named Walter (John Goodman) and a nerdy but sweet guy named Donny (Steve Buscemi) who have the best intentions where the dude is concerned but sometimes their actions don't always belie that. The real Lebowski (David Huddleston) is no prize either and neither is his tight-assed assistant (Phillip Seymour Hoffman).
Thrown into the mix are the real Lebowski's child bride (Tara Reid) and his daughter (Julianne Moore, who seems to be channeling Katharine Hepburn with this performance) who are part of an elaborate kidnapping scheme that the Dude gets involved in.
Jeff Bridges appears to be having the time of his life playing the Dude, making a completely reprehensible character totally likable and John Goodman is kinetic as his outrageous BFF Walter. Buscemi is actually wasted playing the closest to a regular human being he has ever played but Hoffman garners major laughs as the tightly wound assistant. The film is full of outrageous images, including an outrageous nightmare hallucination framed around a classic 60's tune and Sam Elliott is a perfect narrator. Don't try to figure it out, just sit back and enjoy.