Thursday, February 15, 2018

The Comedy of Life



 
The Big Lebowski
1998
D: Joel & Ethan Coen
**********
Pros: Great Characters, Funny Dialogue, Some Good Themes
Cons: Some Themes Arguably Pretentious, Arguably Too Foul-mouthed, Cinematography Could Be Better


      Today is the 20th Anniversary of my favorite comedy.  While The Big Lebowski has often been subtly derided as a “stoner movie” for its drug-addled protagonist, it at the very least elevates this type with its sharp dialogue and self-aware deconstruction of its rather absurd premise.  Another potential problem people have with this movie is its foul language.  It has noticeably more F-bombs than the average Coen movie, and attempts to edit it for TV have been arguably funnier than the original lines.  I agree that the movie curses too much, and that tis could turn away potential fans.  I also agree that “Shut the f*** up, Donny” has become one of those annoyingly memetic lines that’s only funny in context.  Still, that doesn’t truly detract from its quality. 
       The story begins with a narration by a cowboy known as the Stranger (Sam Elliott) introducing us to Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), an aging hippie based on the Coens’ friend Jeff Dowd (who makes an uncredited appearance as a bowler).  The Stranger’s monologue is humorous as it tries to find some sort of meaning in the utterly pointless adventure he’s about to tell, as well as the bum of a protagonist it has.  He suggests that he’s happy to have seen the tale, almost as if in denial about having been robbed of a much better experience.  He continues his attempt to wax poetic about the Dude as the latter samples a carton of milk from the grocery and pays for it with a check for $0.69.


       The Dude then arrives at his apartment only to be assaulted by a two thugs (Philip Moon and Mark Pellegrino) who have mistaken him for the title character (David Huddleston), a millionaire of the same name.  They reveal that The Big Lebowski’s trophy wife Bunny (Tara Reid) owes porn mogul Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazzara) money, and one of them urinates on his rug to make a point.  When the two dimwitted henchmen realize their mistake, they leave the Dude unharmed but sadly bereft of a rug that “really held the room together.”
       In the next scene the Dude is venting to his friends Walter Sobchak (John Goodman), a paranoid right-winger based on Coen acquaintance John Milius, and Donny (Steve Buscemi).  Walter suggests that the Dude demand compensation from the Big Lebowski for the soiled rug.  The Dude then visits the rich man, meeting Bunny as well as The Big Lebowski’s amusingly sycophantic aide Brandt (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and a nihilistic porn star/techno musician “Karl Hungus” (Peter Stormare).  The Big Lebowski refuses to compensate the Dude, far too proud to admit his wife’s problems and too self-righteous to compensate a bum.  The Dude still convinces Brandt to give him a rug.
        Unfortunately, the Dude’s new rug ends up being stolen back by the Big Lebowski’s daughter Maude (Julianne Moore), a coldly pretentious feminist artist who eventually acts as one of his guides.  She eventually lures him into sex with the prospect of having a child (which she has no intention of letting him help her raise) and conspires with Treehorn to drug him and cast him in an experimentally artistic porno.  This line from Superbad is a little less funny when you realize that the Coens themselves pretty much already made the joke.  I’m not too big a fan of how casual-sex without consequence is depicted as a win-win scenario for the typical man.  Not being a part of one’s child’s life is something that would hurt most men with a sense of responsibility.  For some reason Maude Lebowski is featured on the heroes wiki.
        Even more unfortunately, Bunny has allegedly kidnapped by Hungus and his gang, and the Dude is dragged into the situation simply because he asked for compensation for a rug.  When he muses that Bunny probably kidnapped herself, Walter is so convinced of the theory the moronically sabotages the Dude’s efforts to ameliorate the situation under this assumption.  Meanwhile the Dude is very concerned about Bunny’s safety, and wants to see the situation through.  Still, he only seems to do anything when goaded into it, and he mostly wants to put the situation behind him so that he can continue with his normal, self-involved life.  His sloth and snark makes him one of the most lovably amusing reluctant heroes in movie history. 
       During his adventure the Dude encounters colorful figures including Smokey (Jimmie Dale Gimore), Knox Harrignton (David Thewlis), and Da Fino (Jon Polito), and the Stranger himself.  The cast is very good, and I usually think that the quality of the movie is proportional to its realization that Steve Buscemi is not intimidating.  Charlize Theron was considered for the role of Bunny, which is not so disappointing when you consider that Bunny herself had inconsequential screen time.  Almost everyone the Dude encounters is delusional in some way.  The Big Lebowski is revealed to be a charlatan.  Brandt fancies himself a friendly, but dignified aide but only turns out to be pompous.  Jesus “The Jesus” Quintana (John Turturro) talks tough but is nothing more than a pathetic degenerate.  Maude Lebowski believes herself to be a wise person, but her extreme feminism causes her to think less of men to the point where she believes they’re all afraid of the word “vagina” and once mistakes a blatantly sarcastic remark from the Dude for obliviousness.         Possibly the most delusional character is Walter.  He constantly believes himself to be a righteous angel, but his insane outbursts cause more harm than help.  He impulsively pulls a gun on a fellow bowler for an alleged foul, and he actively thwarts the Dude’s plan to deliver the ransom money to the Nihilists.  This almost makes him an antagonist, which is interesting considering his proximity to and friendship with the Dude. 
       If the synopsis sounds a bit incoherent, it’s supposed to be.  The overall plot isn’t much of a concern other than to provide opportunities for humor and characterization.  In fact the only part I would be concerned about spoiling is Donny’s death.  It is one of the more genuinely tragic deaths I’ve seen in a movie because it is so pointless.  Most death scenes have meaning, but Donny, an unwitting, buffoonish innocent who had no pretensions or stake in the conflict, is dragged along in so much of this by Walter, who simultaneously keeps him in the dark.  Not only is Walter indirectly responsible for his demise, he also robs him of any dignity in death by insisting his ashes be carried in a coffee can to cut costs and derailing his private eulogy with yet another one of his tangents about ‘Nam.  The Stranger tries to justify this tragedy by some sort Taoistic theme, but it could be interpreted as deconstructing such absurd attempts to find meaning and comfort in how pointless and cruel reality is.
      Another popular interpretation of this movie is that it is about insecure masculinity.  For example, in one of the less funny jokes of the movie, The Dude is afraid of having his penis cut off by the Nihilists.  Walter is implied in this theory to be in thrall to his ex-wife, as he’s willing to babysit her dog while she and her new boyfriend travel and continues to observe the Judaism she converted him into.  I would probably argue that this are, in fact, signs of maturity as one should not hold a petty grudge against an ex, and divorce is not a valid reason for apostasy in any religion.  From Walter’s point of view, her leading him to the truth is a good reason not to stay angry.  While the movie seems to consistently support this interpretation, I don’t think it’s a good thing.  For one thing, Freud’s theories on sex have been largely discredited, and this theme doesn’t add anything positive to the movie.  In fact the only good thing about this interpretation is that it makes the Jesus’ presence less random.
       I’ve said this before, but Jesus Quintana is possibly the most overrated character I’ve seen in a movie.  His defining trait is that he molests children, and that’s funny because…?  The only funny part about the Jesus is how funny characters like Walter and The Dude react to him.  If anyone should be the ensemble darkhorse of this movie it should be Brandt.  There are other better candidates such as The Dude’s landlord (Jack Kehler) and even The Jesus’ bowling partner, Liam (James G. Hoosier).  Hell, I even think the ponified version of him from MLP:FIM is funnier just for having a hairnet on his tail.  Unfortunately but unsurprisingly, there seems to be a spin-off movie about him in the making; apparently the Coens are not involved.  Another character I dislike is Hungus, who is a rare example of an unlikeable villain (like Stormare’s character in Fargo), and also doesn’t contribute any actual humor to the movie.
      A more compelling interpretation is how The Big Lebowski was an oddly prophetic depiction of the War in Iraq.  While taking place during the first Iraq War, the movie apparently depicts Walter as a neocon who rushes into disaster while the Dude is the liberal who is helpless to stop him.  The Dude’s check, which is dated exactly ten years before 9/11, is being written while George H.W. Bush is on TV talking about how Iraq’s aggression will not stand, is eerily in line with this theme.
       The movie’s artistic pedigree also includes cinematography by the great Roger Deakins, a frequent Coen collaborator, but the results are disappointing.  While Deakins has been known for beautiful work, his work in this movie seems nothing more than to inform this viewer that this is an art movie of some type.  This is most apparent in the scene at Jackie Treehorn’s house, dubbed “The Big Lebowski House.”  The introduction to the scene is an awkwardly unearned attempt at atmosphere, and the house itself, though very striking in its architecture, is not shot in a way that brings out its beauty.  In retrospect the most disappointing thing about this movie is the lackluster result of Roger Deakins and this buidling.  Even its owner commented on how disappointing the scene is in that respect.
       Because this is made by the Coen Bros, people generally try to find all kinds of hidden meanings in it.  Hell, I write about how this is  about Man’s isolation from his primal roots leads to confusion and insecurity, as evidenced by the characters misidentification of certain animals (a Yorkie is called a Pomeranian, and a ferret is referred to as a marmot).  Still, the real truth is that The Big Lebowski is great because it’s simply a great comedy.  I don’t know of anyone who loves this movie for any other reason than its unforgettable characters and snappy dialogue.  Everything else is icing on the cake.  We can add whatever thematic frills to justify our love for movies, but ultimately a good movie is one that succeeds in being entertaining.   

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