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“This is not ‘Nam. This is bowling. There are rules.” When Walter (John Goodman) utters these lines as he is holding a gun to Smokey’s head in The Big Lebowski, it perfectly captures the mood of this Coen brothers’ cult classic.
Joel and Ethan Coen have a history of making great films. From Blood Simple to O Brother, Where Art Thou?, from Barton Fink to Fargo, they have helped keep alive the independence and intelligence of American film.
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Basically, The Big Lebowski’s plot centers on Jeff Lebowski – who would prefer to be called “The Dude” or “El Duderino,” if you’re not into the whole brevity thing – and his attempts to get his rug back after a “Chinaman” urinates on it. Jeff Bridges plays the Dude with just the right blend of drug-induced confusion and laid-back apathy.
The Dude is upset that his rug is ruined because it “really tied the room together,” but he struggles to overcome his own inertia in order to do anything about it. His friend Walter (a former Vietnam vet who is fired up because of the Gulf War), however, hears of the situation and pushes the Dude to take a stand against “unchecked aggression” by working to get his rug replaced.
Walter serves as an effective foil to the Dude: he is high-strung where the Dude is mellow, and served in Vietnam when the Dude was protesting against the war. Walter has a skewed perception of the world that involves seeing boundaries everywhere and a proper way to do everything. This leads to many humorous moments such as the aforementioned time he pulls a gun on a pacifist to resolve a bowling dispute.
As with most Coen brothers’ films, The Big Lebowski has a rich cast of characters. David Huddleston excellently plays "The Big Lebowski" himself, a man with the same name as the Dude who turns out to be the reason behind the rug urination incident. Julianne Moore is his daughter – an artist who enjoys painting in the nude while strapped into a flying harness.
John Turturro puts in arguably one of his best performances in the role of Jesus (pronounced like the deity) Quintana, a man with excellent bowling skills and a police record for being a pederast. Steve Buscemi plays the addled Donnie, bowling partner of the Dude and Walter, who is oblivious to everything but the strikes he consistently rolls. Flea, of Red Hot Chili Peppers fame, plays a member of a roving band of nihilists who believe in nothing and threaten the Dude’s manhood with a marmot. Sam Elliot appears as The Stranger, a narrator who frames the film and offers an homage to film noir films of the past.
These varied and well-developed characters, among others, combine to make for a fine viewing experience. The interaction is well-scripted and acted. The film also includes numerous Coen brothers’ offbeat trademarks. Perhaps the most remarkable is the dream sequence of the Dude where he imagines a surreal world of bowling and a chorus line in the sky all set to a psychedelic Kenny Rogers’ song.
A number of reviewers have criticizes the films of the Coens for being contemptuous of the common man and for mocking the audience. While the latter may be true, the idea that this film shows contempt toward the common man is ludicrous. The Dude and Walter seem to be the happiest characters of the movie, while the rich and the intellectuals are portrayed as either melancholy or semi-deranged.
This being a Coen brothers’ film, a recount of the plot would be long and superfluous. Let it be said, however, that this movie has been hailed by some as their best effort ever (though we are partial to that designation going to Miller’s Crossing). It is now available in a number of DVD versions for casual viewers and hardcore fans, and would be a worthwhile rental for those interested in an intelligent and hilarious trip.
