The Big Lebowski
Like a rabid pit bull in heat, “The Big Lebowski” goes right for the jugular. It’s a ferociously funny comedy that dares to be different. It’s no surprise that this collage of calamity comes from Joel and Ethan Coen, the dynamic duo whose last film was “Fargo.” “The Big Lebowski” harkens back to the brother’s “Raising Arizona,” a wild, free-for-all comedy with a gallery of bizarre characters and dizzying cinematography.
The stakes have risen in this comedy about bowling, kidnapping, Russian gangsters, soiled carpets and abstract art. It all comes together for The Dude, a Los Angeles burnout played with by Jeff Bridges. Anyone who has lived in Southern California long enough knows someone like The Dude. Terminally unemployed, he begins each day with a joint and a White Russian, and usually ends every evening hanging out with his friends.
The Dude is a dinosaur, a throwback to the days when Cheech and Chong were actually funny. Still, he summons the courage to wake up every day and try to get on with his life. All that changes when he’s mistaken for another Lebowski, a millionaire whose young, trophy wife owes a lot of gambling money to a well-known adult filmmaker. The misunderstanding leads to an assault in his apartment by two thugs, one who urinates on his precious living room carpet (it pulls the room together) to make a point.
Infuriated, The Dude visits the other Lebowski, and winds up stealing one of his carpet in exchange. The rebellious act finds The Dude being recruited by the Big Lebowski to help get his kidnapped wife back. The lure of money is too big, so Lebowski agrees to be the bag man. The simple maneuver is complicated when The Dude’s bowling buddy Walter (John Goodman) insists on tagging along. Walter, a Vietnam Vet who still uses the war as an excuse for his outrageous behavior, suspects something is afoul and ends up screwing up the drop.
From that moment on, “The Big Lebowski” is one contagiously funny moment after another. The Coen’s even have the audacity to include a Busby Berkley musical number disguised as an adult film about bowling.
The best thing about “The Big Lebowski” is that everything about it is unexpected. Bridges is sensational as the human fog bank who doesn’t have sense enough to hide his stash when he has police officers over to report his car being stolen. That scene alone, where The Dude tries to explain the circumstances behind his missing car while one of the officers peruses the stash, is worth the ticket price. Yet “The Big Lebowski” delivers so much more.
Goodman is hysterical as the volatile friend whose over-the-top behavior constantly lands the buddies in trouble. Completing this trio of stooges is Steve Buscemi as Donny, another dim bulb who brightens up the screen every time he opens his mouth. Into the fold comes feminist/artist Maude Lebowski, the millionaire’s daughter from a previous marriage, who uses her body as a paint brush. Moore is delicious as the quasi-Teutonic woman who sees sex as an opportunity to get pregnant and nothing more.
How all of these characters, and more, figure into the plot makes for engaging viewing. The screenplay is filled with colorful dialogue and situations, all brought vividly to life by director Coen. Roger Deakins’ evocative cinematography and Roderick Jaynes and Tricia Cooke’s tight editing combine to make a slick looking movie. Deakins puts his camera is some of the most unusual places. “The Big Lebowski” may defy description, but I can’t deny that it’s the best film of 1998 thus far. A totally original, off-beat comedy that will leave you breathless from laughing so hard.
THE THREE STOOGES
[THE BIG LEBOWSKI
Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, Sam Elliott, Ben Gazzara, David Huddleston, Philip Seymour Hoffman in a film directed by Joel Coen. Rated R. 117m.
LARSEN RATING: $10]
