The Big Lebowski (1998)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Joel Coen

Writers (WGA):

Ethan Coen (written by) &
Joel Coen (written by)

Release Date:

6 March 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

They figured he was a lazy time wasting slacker. They were right.

Plot:

"Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.

Plot Keywords:

Rug | Millionaire | Bowling | Slacker | Jewish Convert

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Jeff Bridges	...	Jeffrey Lebowski - The Dude
John Goodman	...	Walter Sobchak
Julianne Moore	...	Maude Lebowski
Steve Buscemi	...	Theodore Donald 'Donny' Kerabatsos
David Huddleston	...	Jeffrey Lebowski - The Big Lebowski
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Brandt
Tara Reid	...	Bunny Lebowski
Philip Moon	...	Woo, Treehorn Thug
Mark Pellegrino	...	Blond Treehorn Thug
Peter Stormare	...	Nihilist #1, Uli Kunkel / 'Karl Hungus'
Flea	...	Nihilist #2, Kieffer
Torsten Voges	...	Nihilist #3, Franz
Jimmie Dale Gilmore	...	Smokey
Jack Kehler	...	Marty
John Turturro	...	Jesus Quintana

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive strong language, drug content, sexuality and brief violence.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | German | Hebrew | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Spain:18 | Brazil:14 | Italy:T | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KT | Canada:14A | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #35633) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Singapore:R(A) | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Polygram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

The Dude's shirt with Chinese characters and an Asian holding a baseball bat, worn during the scene in which the Big Lebowski describes Bunny's kidnapping, is the same shirt worn by Jeff Bridges in part of The Fisher King (1991).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Walter tosses The Big Lebowski on the floor, the man, who is supposed to be a paraplegic, moves his leg.

Quotes:

[first lines]
The Stranger: [voiceover] Way out west there was this fella I wanna tell ya about. Goes by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least that was the handle his loving parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. See, this Lebowski, he called himself "The Dude". Now, "Dude" - there's a name no man would self-apply where I come from...

Movie Connections:

References Tutto a posto e niente in ordine (1974)

Soundtrack:

My Mood Swings

Respectable Raunch

The Coen brothers (Joel and Ethan) are the most innovative and, perhaps, the best filmmakers working today. Or they at least rank along side the likes of Martin Scorsese and rising director star Quentin Tarantino. Think about it: "Blood Simple" was the best film of 1984; "Raising Arizona" was the best film of 1987; "Miller's Crossing" was the best movie of 1990; "Barton Fink" was the best movie of 1991; and "Fargo" was the best movie of 1996. Now comes their latest effort, "The Big Lebowski," which, while it isn't in quite the same league as the above films, is still one of the most thoroughly entertaining movies of 1998.

It tells the shambling story of a man named Jeff Lebowski, who calls himself The Dude (Jeff Bridges). The Dude's apartment gets broken into and a thief urinates on his rug. He finds out that the criminals were not looking for him, but looking for the OTHER Jeff Lebowski, the disabled millionaire (played by David Huddleston). That's all I can tell you. The rest is really too bizarre and complicated to put into words; but it's bizarre and complicated in the best ways of the words.

Still, what I'll remember most about "The Big Lebowski" is the outstanding number of utterly terrific performances. Bridges delivers the best performance of his career and probably the best of the year as a bum lie-about who just wants to be left alone. John Goodman is the real comic gem here as the forever-loudmouthed Walter, The Dude's bowling partner and best friend. Steve Buscemi co-stars as the dimwitted, bug-eyed Donny, the third bowling partner; there's a small but interestingly offbeat spot for Julianne Moore; and John Torturro stops in, as Jesus the bowler, for what is probably the best walk-on performance in years. If you are a Coen brothers fan or like humor that is distinctly offbeat, you have found your movie. As a rather avid moviegoer, I found the film to be a great excersise in pointless extremeties and respectable raunch. Rated R. 117 minutes. 10 out of 10.