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Movies / On DVD / The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski

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The Big Lebowski (1998)

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Reviews Counted:72

Fresh:56

Rotten:16

Average Rating:7.1/10

Consensus: Typically stunning visuals and sharp dialogue from the Coen Brothers, brought to life with strong performances from Goodman and Bridges.

Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: The Coen brothers have done it again. Mixing in Leninist philosophy, mistaken identity, crazy characters, a kidnapping plot, and a deep love of bowling, they have unleashed upon an unsuspecting... The Coen brothers have done it again. Mixing in Leninist philosophy, mistaken identity, crazy characters, a kidnapping plot, and a deep love of bowling, they have unleashed upon an unsuspecting world the many glories of THE BIG LEBOWSKI. Jeff Bridges plays Jeff Lebowski, known as the Dude, a laid-back, easygoing burnout who happens to have the same name as a millionaire whose wife owes a lot of dangerous people a whole bunch of money--resulting in the Dude having his rug soiled, sending him spiraling into the Los Angeles underworld. The film is beautiful to look at, especially the scenes in the bowling alley, which feature a vast array of bizarre characters--including Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, Sam Elliott, and the movie-stealing, riotously funny John Goodman as the Dude's crazy best buddy. As usual in Coen brothers films (BARTON FINK, RAISING ARIZONA), the dialogue is hysterically warped; the plot is confusing, complicated, and kinetic; the soundtrack is virtually another character; and the acting is weirdly stellar. THE BIG LEBOWSKI is yet another thoroughly entertaining foray into the strange and fascinating world ruled by Joel and Ethan Coen. [More]

Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi

Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston, John Turturro, Peter Stormare, David Thewlis, Ben Gazzara, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tara Reid, Flea, Torsten Voges, Philip Moon, Mark Pellegrino, Jack Kehler, Aimee Mann, Asia Carrera, Jerry Haleva

Director: Joel Coen

Director: Joel Coen
Producer: Ethan Coen, Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan
Screenwriter: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Composer: Carter Burwell

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Big Lebowski

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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It's the wealth of great characters and their insane dialogue that make this a memorable film.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/17/01
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Stylish and wickedly funny black comedy illuminated by a great performance from Jeff Bridges, and loaded with all the Coen brothers' trademark wit and flair.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/06/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Far from being shallow pastiche, it's actually about something: what it means to be a man, to be a friend, and to be a 'hero' for a particular time and place.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

In a perfect world all movies would be made by the Coen brothers.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ian Nathan
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
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If it's all supposed to be in fun, why does it feel so much like an insult?

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment 11 Comments
11/07/07
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Since The Big Lebowski doesn't have an idea in its head, it has to fill the empty space with 'witty' conceits

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment 10 Comments
01/01/00
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
Film Journal International

Adds up to considerably less than the sum of its often scintillating parts.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment 8 Comments
11/07/07
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There are more ideas here, more wacko side characters and plot curlicues than the film can support, and inevitably it deflates from having to shoulder so much.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment 4 Comments
01/01/00
Edward Guthmann
Edward Guthmann
San Francisco Chronicle

This movie seems to me almost a mishmash of the worst bits that were left out of previous Coen Brothers outings.

Full Review Source: Needcoffee.com | comment 4 Comments
01/01/00
Widgett Walls
Widgett Walls
Needcoffee.com

As tempting as it is to completely dismiss The Big Lebowski, it's hard to do because the Coens are able to create wickedly funny eccentrics and possess the ability to energize certain actors to inhabit them completely.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment 3 Comments
02/14/01
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Coen Brothers throw this film into the gutter, never developing what could have been a Strictly Ballroom-like spoof of the bowling world.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment 3 Comments
05/20/03
Susan Tavernetti
Susan Tavernetti
Palo Alto Weekly

I wish the Coens the best, but they're going to have to do better than this. I know they can.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment 2 Comments
01/01/00
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

Much of 'Lebowski' is amusing, some of it is downright hilarious and all of it is stylish, with plenty of the Coens' usual inventive shot composition and tricky camerawork.

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment 2 Comments
07/31/03
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

There are bits of brilliance here as in all Coen Brothers movies. Just not enough of them.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment 1 Comment
01/01/00
Barbara Shulgasser
Barbara Shulgasser
San Francisco Examiner

This deliberately messay comedy stars Jeff Bridges as a slack-brained pothead, but the funniest turn is given by John Turturro as a gay Latino bowler who urges his ball with sexy thrusts of his pelvis.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment 1 Comment
04/13/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

This uneven screwball comedy -- a disjointed and half-hearted attempt by the Coen brothers to return to the Raising Arizona style -- is bound to underwhelm even their most fervent admirers.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment 1 Comment
01/01/00
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

This broad farce about mistaken identities would have worked much better if the filmmakers hadn't mistaken their own.

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment 1 Comment
01/10/03
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

In many ways, The Big Lebowski has surpassed Fargo as the Coens' high-water mark.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment 1 Comment
08/05/05
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

An indulgent spoof, Big Lebowski isn’t a straight gutter ball, but it’s no strike, either.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment 1 Comment
02/27/04
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

No review available.

comment Comment
01/01/00
USA Today
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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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