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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