The Big Lebowski [1998]

The Coen brothers' seventh film is a typically bizarre mix of mistaken identity, hippy philosophy and ten-pin ing. Jeff 'the Dude' Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) is a ing buff, laid-back to the point of horizontal, who gets mixed up in a blackmail plot involving a millionaire namesake. Roped into delivering the ransom to secure the release of the millionaire's kipped wife, the Dude's karmic balance is really put in a spin when his -toting buddy Walter (John Goodman) decides to help out. From .co.uk ----------- The Big Lebowski, a casually amusing follow-up from the prolifically inventive Coen brothers (Ethan and Joel), seems like a bit of a lark and the result was a box-office disappointment. It's lazy plot is part of its laidback charm. After all, how many movies can cl as their hero a pot-bellied, pot-smoking loser named Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) who spends most of his time ing and getting stoned? And where else could you find a hair-netted Latino er named Jesus (John Turturro) who sports dazzling purple footgear, or an erotic artist (Julianne Moore) whose creativity consists of covering her naked body in paint, flying through the air in a leather harness, and splatting herself against a giant canvas? Who else but the Coens would think of showing you a camera view from inside the holes of a ing ball, or an elaborate Busby Berkely-styled musical dream sequence involving a Viking goddess and giant ing pins? The plot--which finds Lebowski involved in a kipping scheme after he's mistaken for a rich guy with the same name--is almost beside the point. What counts here is a steady cascade of hilarious dialogue, great work from Coen regulars John Goodman and Steve Buscemi, and the kind of cinematic ingenuity that puts the Coens in a class all their own. --Jeff Shannon

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