The Big Lebowski
National Film Registry
Rent/Purchase
Jeffrey 'The Dude' Lebowski, a Los Angeles slacker who only wants to bowl and drink White Russians, is mistaken for another Jeffrey Lebowski, a wheelchair-bound millionaire, and finds himself dragged into a strange series of events involving nihilists, adult film producers, ferrets, errant toes, and large sums of money.
What critics thought
The Big Lebowski landed with a thud for some critics in 1998 — too shaggy, too shapeless, too pleased with itself — but popular affection and critical reappraisal have repositioned it as a Coen Brothers landmark. The real divide is whether the film's deliberate plotlessness reads as inspired eccentricity or as the Coens coasting on style, with Jeff Bridges's performance as the Dude being virtually the only element everyone agrees on.
“Mr. Bridges finds a role so right for him that he seems never to have been anywhere else. Watch this performance to see shambling executed with nonchalant grace and a seemingly out-to-lunch character played with fine comic flair.”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
“One of the film's indisputable triumphs is its soundtrack, which mixes Carter Burwell's original score with classic pop tunes and some fabulous covers.”
Todd McCarthy·Variety
“It's hard to believe that this is the work of a team that won an Oscar last year for the original screenplay of Fargo. There's a large amount of profanity in the movie, which seems a weak attempt to paper over dialogue gaps.”
Peter Howell·Toronto Star
“a bunch of ideas shoveled into a bag and allowed to spill out at random. The film is infuriating, and will win no prizes. But it does have some terrific jokes.”
The Guardian
Genres
Comedy, Crime
Cast & Crew
DirectorJoel Coen, Ethan Coen
StarringJeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston
ComposerCarter Burwell
The Big Lebowski
National Film Registry
Jeffrey 'The Dude' Lebowski, a Los Angeles slacker who only wants to bowl and drink White Russians, is mistaken for another Jeffrey Lebowski, a wheelchair-bound millionaire, and finds himself dragged into a strange series of events involving nihilists, adult film producers, ferrets, errant toes, and large sums of money.
What critics thought
The Big Lebowski landed with a thud for some critics in 1998 — too shaggy, too shapeless, too pleased with itself — but popular affection and critical reappraisal have repositioned it as a Coen Brothers landmark. The real divide is whether the film's deliberate plotlessness reads as inspired eccentricity or as the Coens coasting on style, with Jeff Bridges's performance as the Dude being virtually the only element everyone agrees on.
“Mr. Bridges finds a role so right for him that he seems never to have been anywhere else. Watch this performance to see shambling executed with nonchalant grace and a seemingly out-to-lunch character played with fine comic flair.”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
“One of the film's indisputable triumphs is its soundtrack, which mixes Carter Burwell's original score with classic pop tunes and some fabulous covers.”
Todd McCarthy·Variety
“It's hard to believe that this is the work of a team that won an Oscar last year for the original screenplay of Fargo. There's a large amount of profanity in the movie, which seems a weak attempt to paper over dialogue gaps.”
Peter Howell·Toronto Star
“a bunch of ideas shoveled into a bag and allowed to spill out at random. The film is infuriating, and will win no prizes. But it does have some terrific jokes.”
The Guardian
Genres
Comedy, Crime
Cast & Crew
DirectorJoel Coen, Ethan Coen
StarringJeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston
ComposerCarter Burwell
Rent/Purchase