The Big Lebowski

B Directed by Joel Coen Running Time: 1:55

A wierd trip is the first thing that comes to mind when describing The Big Lebowski. The premise is simple yet confusing, and the main character loves to smoke pot and take these flights of fancy throughout the movie. Jeff Bridges is Jeff Lebowski, well one of two Lewbowski's in the film. But he prefers to be called The Dude. One day these two guys jump him in his apartment, because they think he's the other Lebowski. One of them pisses on the Dude's rug, then realizing their mistake, walk out. Now the Dude is a little upset over his rug, so he goes to the other Lebowski to get some money or a new rug. Well, one thing leads to another, and soon you have a kidnapping, a botched ransom, a few cars getting beaten up, the Dude getting beaten up, and a lot of bowling. The Dude and his friends (John Goodman and Steve Buscemi) always come back to bowling as a way to escape the outside world. They're fanatical about bowling, even going so far as to pull as gun on an opposing player when he wants to change his score. Goodman's Walter is a bit on edge, while Buscemi's Donny is the nicest guy you could meet. Also in the cast are Julianne Moore, John Turturro and Sam Elliot.

I'll admit, I haven't seen many of the Coen Brothers films (Fargo being the only one I remember), but I've heard a lot about them, and this film is right up that alley. It's a comedy, but has people dying sad deaths, people's toes being cut off, strange sexual desires, and these far out dream/drug sequences. But I liked it. Sure, some of the scenes were a little drawn out, but overall it was pretty funny. I never liked Jeff Bridges before, but here, his mannerisms fit in perfectly as the drugged out, simpleminded Dude. And John Goodman as his psycho, Vietnam soldier buddy Walter is hilarious. Everything comes back to the war for him, even when interrogating a 15 year old kid. The dream sequences actually made sense in the film, as opposed to some movies where the dream sequences are just the directors way of spending a lot of money for something that adds nothing to the film. The story, while at times confusing, actually comes together, even if it leaves you wondering what happened at the end. And when, in my opinion, one of the funniest scenes just has the three guys eating hamburgers, you know it's a good movie (you have to take it in context).

The Big Lebowski is certainly not for everyone. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't go out and try it. Think of it this way, how did you know you liked or didn't like chocolate, until you tried it the first time?