Rating: 
Summary: The Dude abides
Review: I first saw "The Big Lebowski" when it was in the theatres. Being a die-hard Coens fan, I was ready for inconsequential lunacy, esoteric characterizations, and dangerous obsessions with style and substance. Which is what I got. Still, I couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed. Having revisited "Lebowski" recently, I now understand why. Ill prepared to deal with the rambling narrative, I felt cheated by lack of structure. Which, I now see, is precisely the point of the film. So, my advice to first time viewers of "The Big Lebowski": never mind the plot machinations, this one's all about watching (and listening to [and learning from]) The Dude.Remember that stoner guy in high school, the one with the flashes of wit and insight in between spaced-out ramblings about his favourite rock band? Well, then you are on your way to knowing Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski. Mistaken by collecting thugs for a richer, more married, other Jeffrey Lebowski, The Dude gets caught up in a kidnapping caper when all he really wants to do is bowl and own a urine-free rug that really holds the room together. His dialogue belies years of smoking jay and downing endless White Russians. But The Dude is no Spicoli retread, and he'd never be caught dead with Bill and Ted. Surprisingly, he's a man of substance. His history, missed by me the first time around, plays a terribly important role in his character. There's the scene where he's in bed with Maude Lebowski (daughter of The Big Lebowski), where she point blank asks him about his past. Obscure references are made to the Port Huron Statement and the Seattle Seven, which indicates a fair measure of radicalism in Jeff's student days. But he also casually tells Brandt (The Big Lebowski's manservant) that his university days were spent, "occupying various, um, administration buildings, smoking thai-stick [and] breaking into the ROTC". So a social conscience was never far from young Jeff's thoughts. But now, some two decades later, he's burned out. It's the yearning for the casual lifestyle, free from stress and, quite frankly, thought, that is the main theme at the core of the movie. Standing in The Dude's way are a series of supporting characters that make up a Raymond Chandleresque menagerie of society's oddest oddballs (a group of nihilists with a defined sense of fairness; a trust-fund performance artist; an old-school pornographer; a bowling child molester; a seemingly endless parade of carpet pissers). But they are less characters than roadblocks to The Dude's ultimate goal: a life of leisure. Jeff Bridges, so adept at playing tormented angst ("The Fabulous Baker Boys", "The Fisher King"), proves that he has a deft comic touch, without ever being light. His Dude is a scruffy sloth, impatient with the world around him, but unable to figure out a viable way out of it. Bridges is truly hilarious here, never more so than with a simple expression near the end, when one character literally gets in his face. Assisting Bridges on his quest for leisure nirvana are John Goodman and Steve Buscemi. Goodman's Walter Sobchak is, if possible, even more over the top than The Dude. A conspiracy minded Vietnam vet, Sobchak is the raving id to The Dude's laid-back id, which makes them fast friends, and a terrible team. Buscemi, in what may be the most thankless role in the entire Coen canon, brings enough humanity to the eternally dim Donny that he becomes less a cipher and more an important friend. The rest of the cast is a fine mixture of Coen regulars, recognizable character actors, and even a couple of my favourite musicians in small cameos (look closely for Flea and Aimee Mann as two of the Nihilists). But it's probably Sam Elliott who makes the most undeniable impression here, as a smooth talking cowboy enigmatically called "The Stranger". His thick southern drawl, bushy moustache, and constantly twinkling eyes brighten up the few brief scenes he's in. Ostensibly the narrator (and who else but the Coens could dream up a narrator who loses his train of thought?), Elliott appears once at the beginning, once in the middle, and once again at the end. He offers low-key charm for The Dude to play off of (one of my favourite jokes in the film: THE STRANGER: One of those days, huh? Well, a wiser fellow than myself once said, sometimes you eat the bar and sometimes the bar, well, he eats you. DUDE: Uh-huh. That some kind of Eastern thing? [Mike's note: Oh yeah! The whole Eastern philosophy thing is a great, subtle undercurrent throughout the film. The Dude abides, indeed. Catch him doing faux Tai Chi when he needs to mellow out more than the marijuana can handle.] THE STRANGER: Far from it.). Ultimately, I suppose, "Lebowski" is a product of the Coen Brothers' minds, and its laced with their particular obsessions, stylistic devices, and eclectic musical choices (imagine scoring a tense bowling moment with a flamenco version of "Hotel California"). If you've enjoyed the Coens' anti-filmmaking in the past, and are prepared for an even more extreme example of it, take a quick trip with The Dude and Co. You'll surely enjoy the ride. (The DVD doesn't have much in the way of features, except for a nifty 30-minute interview with Joel and Ethan Coen. It's a rare treat, offering a trip into the brothers' witty, eccentric, but thoughtful filmmaking minds. Their anecdote about an interview they gave to a magazine called "Floor Coverings Weekly" is priceless, and it shows their playfulness and willingness to mock anyone not in on the joke.)
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: This for me, is one of those movies I can watch at any time. No matter how many times I've seen it, or how recently I've seen it, I can watch it again should a friend come over and pick it out. All the characters in this movie are memorable, Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore and the nihilists all play their parts so well. For those that don't like Jeff Bridges, give him a chance in this movie, he's great. It's the best hippie vs. ultra-right-winger vs. german nihilists (with attack ferrets) vs. local bowling team vs. psycho paid-off police chief story you'll ever see.
Rating:
Summary: You see what happens, Larry!?
Review: This is quite possibly the funniest movie I have EVER seen! I just can't get tired of it no matter how many times I watch it, and I still use the catch phrases constantly. I have not yet met a person who didn't like this film. In my opinion, The Big Lebowski tops all other Coen Bros. movies, including Fargo; so do yourself a favor and BUY THIS MOVIE.
Rating:
Summary: the wardrobe alone makes it the Coens' best movie!!
Review: "Fargo," "O Brother Where Art Thou," "Raising Arizona"...all witty and inspired movies, sure, but I don't take the Coens too seriously as exemplars of "great American vernacular filmmaking," so I prefer this very witty and inspired film to the soggy "Man Who Wasn't There." The dialogue is printworthy, the plot is loose as a goose, and its taste in music is impeccable (not only does Jimmie Dale Gilmore make a cameo, the Eagles are trashed). This is the kind of movie that revels in odd, funny details and side alleys for their own sake. But I love it mostly because The Dude is the richest character the Coens ever created, and Bridges gives the greatest performance the Coens were ever lucky enough to direct; larger than life and more Oscar-worthy than whoever actually won in 1998.
Rating:
Summary: Funniest movie of All time
Review: This IS the funniest movie have ever seen in my entire life. I love movies. I LOVE movies, and this is a funny movie. Unfortunately, it didn't get much attention at the box office and consequently a lot of people have missed out on this film.
I could go into a long explanation about the Dude, nihilists, young money grubbing second wives, strange assistants, crazed Vietnam vets, bowling, and pot smoking, but it would give too much away and it would ruin the movie entirely. I didn't know anything about it before I saw it and I am so thankful that is the way that I saw it. I was not prepared for all the twist and turns in this movie, except I knew the Cohen brothers we in on the movie. So right there you know it is going to be strange, funny and wonderful. Believe me. It is! Watch it. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Drawing a line in the sand...
Review: Although it has been commented on in an earlier review, when The Dude makes out his check at the Ralphs (for .69 cents) it takes on newly bizarre signifigance. Ten years to the day of the 911, The Dude makes his check out on September 11, 1991 as the television shows Bush Sr. sabre rattling prior to Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Much like the final shot of "Barton Fink" (the pelican diving *kerplunkt!* right into the ocean as the dollface on the beach raises her hand to shade her eyes), it's a bit of cinematic effluvia that captures perfectly the Coen's overall sensibility (call it quirky, but that barely scratches the surface. Aside from the faux Philip Marlow stylings (reminiscent of Robert Altman's "The Long Goodbye" in my opinion), the film's father/son dynamic (the Big Lebowski/The Dude) is a kind of riff on "Rebel Without a Cause." The classic scene between the the two Jeffrey Lebowski's: Jeff Bridges and David Huddleston, as the Dude tries to explain the situation with the rug is a pitched battle between father and son, between the generations that plays like the world's most generic scolding, the place where father and son diverge and find each other lacking in the way they live their respective lives. The films of the Coen's don't always get noticed for the sublety of certain scenes or shots... they still have that aura of the film school brat. But the simple, unnoticed callbacks like the the Dude's choice in bank checks: whale prints. This image is called back later in the film on the soundtrack as whale songs play through The Dude's cheapo tape player while he gets pleasantly stoned in the candlelit tub. Pretty sweet, hardly noticed (unlike the frequent callback of the various names for genitalia)... thank you DVD! This is an incredibly complex film once you get past the pot smoke and mirrors the Coens like to throw up to obscure their literary source material and the cinematic homages that play throughout. Pretty damn cool... Totally worth owning on DVD... "Obviously you're not a golfer."
Rating: 
Summary: THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD!
Review: Let me start by saying,this is by far the greatest movie ever made! I could relate to the story with it's gripping performances by the lead characters,mainly Scooter Numnum and Foothole Bingoneck! And let's not forget Buttmunch the 2nd!!!!!!!! What a character,going around pretending to be so intelligent,insulting people far more wise than himself just because they like something to deep for his feeble mind to fathom. He was trueeoollyyy pathetic!(Proper spelling "truly") He was like,if you like something I don't,you are dumb. And if you dislike something I "love",you are dumb. I guess that 3rd grade education really paid off. Hopefully those 101 working braincells will get behind a type WRITER(one T only please) and write us a brilliant screenplay one day.Yeah right! But enough about him,his part in the movie didn't really add up to anything other than a few laughs at his own expense. Scooter and Foothole are the real stars of this little gem. The way they shared the screen together was wonderful. If only all acting were this good. I laughed until my side hurt! Then I laughed some more. That's how funny this movie is. The only part I didn't get was when that kid wrote in crayon on the wall "TBWP". What was up with that? Oh well,it was funny to me all the same. I hope there is a sequel!
Rating:
Summary: still can't get tired from it
Review: I have seen the big lemboski several times not and each time the movie keeps me laughing. The Coen brothers have directed another great movie.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie, Strange Prediction?
Review: To start off, I have to say that this movie is wonderful. People had been reccomending it to me for what felt like years, but I never got around to watching it. Finally, I saw it, and I have to say that I am sorry that I waited. Jeff Bridges was awesome as "The Dude," and John Goodman could not have played his role better as Walter, the Viet Nam vet bowling psychopath. But there was something strange at the beginning of this movie that I wonder if anyone else might have noticed. In the beginning, we see "The Dude" buying a few groceries, for which he pays by check. The date on the check is September 11th. Stranger still however is that seconds after we see the check, we see a shot of a TV screen behind the cashier which displays George Bush, the original George Bush. The first thing that comes out of his mouth is the statement: "This act will not stand," referring to a situation in Kuwait. So everyone who has it run out and double check this, and anyone who doesn't buy it now and see one of the funniest, and most visually stunning movies ever.
Rating:
Summary: Your entering a world of pain
Review: Let me say this:
This is without a doubt, i'll repeat that, without a doubt the best and funniest movie of all time. Since I bought this movie, two years ago, it has not left the bottom tray of my dvd player. I watch it so often that if it where on VHS the picture would already be as worn and faded as if it where 20 years old. The characters and one liners from this movie are unforgetable, and, if you watch it enough times you will probably start talking like the Dude with acessive use of the word "man" and the exagerated pauses between words.
I must say that for the people that gave this movie only one star, they must only have 2 or 3 brain cells working to not be able to appreciate the witty humor of this movie. Do yourself a favor and see the movie for yourself. There is a reason why 99.8 percent of the reviews cant say enough about it. Basically, you shouldn't own a dvd player if your not going to own this movie, simple as that.
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