The Big Lebowski

This is another video review. I usually try to keep from doing those, but this is a special occasion. First of all, I think that the movie is still in theatres. I saw it on a screener tape, so it’s not offically on video yet. And second, this is a Coen brothers’ movie. It deserves special attention. So the Coens have a new one. That’s always a reason to get excited. The only difference now is that they’ve almost gotten into the mainstream. Usually that’s not a good thing. It means that more people like them and can control the content of their films. Look at John Waters. Look at John Woo. Yeah, their movies are still really cool, but are they as good as their underground/foreign movies? Well, no. It’s cool that more people know about them, but, to quote the last new “South Park” episode, at what cost…at what cost. I guess we wouldn’t have had Face/Off if Woo hadn’t come to America. Well, we would have, but we would have had it set in the future and it probably would have been some straight to video trash with Ray Liotta playing both parts so it would be cheaper.

Anyway, I was talking about the Coens, right? Yeah, somewhere back there I was. Let’s get back to them.

I’m happy to say that the boys haven’t let themselves be sucked into the mainstream too far. All they really have is a bigger budget and bigger actors. Well, one bigger actor if Jeff Bridges counts, which I think he does.

The Big Lebowski is just what you would expect from the Coens, which is to say, nothing that you would expect. Jeff Bridges is a loser named Jeff Lebowski, but he hates his name so he goes by Dude, The Dude, Duderino, whatever. He’s kept his life simple. He drinks. He bowls. He smokes out. He bowls. He drives around. He bowls. Oh yeah, and he bowls. His bowling buddies are bigger losers than he is. Coen stalwart John Goodman plays Walter, a crazed Vietnam vet who thinks that everything has everything to do with the war. He wants to help the Dude with his problem, which we’ll get to later. Steve Buscemi is Donny, the tagalong who just keeps asking what’s going on. This gives Goodman his tagline, “Shut the fuck up, Donny.” Buscemi’s kind of wasted in this one, but he deserves a break from being the main character in all of his movies lately. He’s still cool. We also get to see John Turturro in his strangest role yet. He plays Jesus, a sicko bowler who was once arrested for exposing himself to an eight year old. He only shows up for two scenes, but he steals both of them. This guy needs more roles.

The plot is a little harder to explain. Basically, Dude is mistaken for a millionaire. These guys come into his apartment and shove his head in the toilet and soil his rug, which really ties the room together. I was quite impressed with that. After he explains himself he decides to go to the real Lebowski to ask for a replacement rug. Here we meet him (David Huddleston, Grandpa from The Wonder Years!), his butler or manservant or whatever he wants to be called, Brandt (Philip Seymour Hoffman from Twister and Scent Of A Woman in his first role that I didn’t make me want to hit him in the face), and Bunny Lebowski, his trophy wife (Tara Reid, who I can’t wait to see more of in I Woke Up Early The Day I Died, a film written by Ed Wood!!!). Then we get Maude Lebowski (Julianne Moore) mixed up in things. She’s Lebowski’s avant garde artist daughter who tries to not have any connetion with him anymore. Then there’s Peter Stormare (Buscemi’s partner in Fargo) who’s a weird nihilist who may or may not have kidnapped Bunny. Oh yeah, there’s a kidnapping in here, too.

Confused yet? I was, too. that doesn’t really matter, though. First of all, The Stranger (Sam Elliot) is there to explain it all. And second, the movie’s hilarious. It didn’t beat Raising Arizona, but it’s great. I really liked the Busby Berkley musical number with all the bowling pin women. The ball-cam is amazing!

The movie does slow down a little near the end where the characters actually start getting too caught up in the plot, but stick with it. The very end is just as good as the first hour or so. And, remember, no matter what life deals you, strikes and gutters, ups and downs, The Dude abides.