The Big Lebowski

Written by Joel and Ethan Coen, The Big Lebowski follows an affable slacker (Jeff Bridges’ The Dude) as he’s mistaken for a reclusive millionaire and inadvertently drawn into a kidnapping plot – with the film subsequently detailing The Dude’s ongoing efforts at returning to his laid-back lifestyle of drinking, getting high, and bowling. There’s little doubt that the Coen brothers do an absolutely superb job of initially drawing the viewer into the proceedings, as the siblings offer up an off-the-wall opening half hour revolving entirely around the comings and goings of several irresistibly idiosyncratic figures – with, in particular, the banter between The Dude and his off-kilter bowling buddies (John Goodman’s Walter and Steve Buscemi’s Donny) faring especially well. It’s just as clear, however, that the film begins to palpably deflate once the almost extraordinarily busy plot kicks in, and it does, as a result, become more and more difficult to work up any real interest in or enthusiasm for The Dude’s continuing exploits. The movie’s progressively uninvolving atmosphere is worsened by a growing emphasis on elements and characters of an unreasonably oddball nature, with the inclusion of a few admittedly engrossing sequences and interludes (eg Walter accidentally beats the hell out of a random bystander’s car) ensuring that, at the very least, the film remains mildly watchable even through its overtly sluggish stretches. Ultimately, The Big Lebowski can’t help but come off as yet another in a long line of promising yet disappointing comedies from Joel and Ethan Coen – with the film’s love-it-or-hate-it feel certainly explaining its place as a bona fide contemporary cult classic.

** out of ****