The Big Lebowski review

Number 152 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Coen Brothers' crime drama The Big Lebowski.

Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) is a slacker.  He is lazy, irresponsible oaf who only cares about bowling.  However, a case of mistaken identity sees another Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston), an eccentric billionaire, send the Dude on a mission to rescue his wife Bunny Lebowski (Tara Reid) after she is kidnapped and is held to ransom.  Things go awry when the Dude's friend Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) conspires to keep the ransom for himself.

The Big Lebowski was great fun to watch.  It was a classic slacker comedy with the awesome central character of the Dude.  He is your standard reluctant hero.  While he is relaxing at home, two thugs break into his home.  Mistaking him for the other Jeffrey Lebowski, they intimidate him by peeing on his carpet.  And all he wants after that is to have his carpet replaced.  In his own words, it really tied the room together.

You can argue that at times things get a bit silly or abstract.  The film is full of dream sequences and peculiar dialogue.  Its characters are very strange.  Walter Sobchak is an ultra-masculine war veteran who is hot-headed and aggressive.  The Dude's life is run by his penchant for weed and rounding off these characters is the neurotic Donny (Steve Buscemi.) On top of this, the film is narrated by a cowboy.  Donny is constantly mocked by Walter, but he ends up being killed by three German nihilists (yep, this film is weird) in a surprisingly touching moment.  John Goodman showcases all his acting talent to convey some real emotion.

And while the film is a mixture of extremely bizarre and weird moments, they all convalesce together to create an eccentric but very watchable and entertaining film.