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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 date; UK critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato

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: | comment Comment | May., 06 2008 06:25 PM

Channel 4 Film

tomato

Geoff Andrew

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: | comment Comment | Jun., 24 2006 04:24 AM

Time Out

tomato
5/5

It's the wealth of great characters and their insane dialogue that make this a memorable film.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 17 2001 06:43 PM

BBC

N/R
5/5

Ian Nathan

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 01 2000 12:00 AM

Empire Magazine

tomato

Rob Nelson

To what do we owe the pleasure of the Coen Brothers' new joie de vivre and love for their fellow man?

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 21 2009 06:36 AM

City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul

tomato

Beth Accomando

As with Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski gives us a protagonist whose dopey innocence seems to be his only protection from the real world.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 17 2007 06:18 PM

KPBS.org

splat
1.5/4

Ken Fox

If it's all supposed to be in fun, why does it feel so much like an insult?

Full Review Source: | comment 11 Comments | Nov., 07 2007 04:22 PM

TV Guide's Movie Guide

splat

Todd McCarthy

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

Full Review Source: | comment 8 Comments | Nov., 07 2007 04:21 PM

Variety

tomato
5/5

Rob Gonsalves

Bridges does more with his deflated body language than many comedians can manage by chewing the furniture.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 23 2007 06:07 PM

eFilmCritic.com

tomato
4/5

Ken Hanke

If nothing else, the Dude speaks for me when appraises the music of the Eagles.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 11 2007 08:39 AM

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

tomato

Andrew Sarris

The result is a lot of laughs and a feeling of awe toward the craftsmanship involved. I doubt that there'll be anything else like it the rest of this year.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 27 2007 03:15 AM

New York Observer

tomato
B-

Emanuel Levy

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: | comment 1 Comment | Apr., 13 2006 12:03 PM

EmanuelLevy.Com

tomato
B+

Chuck O'Leary

It's pretty much impossible not to love The Dude.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 20 2006 03:49 AM

FulvueDrive-in.com

tomato
5/5

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.

It's the actors that make this film: without the perfect casting ... and without their perfect comic timing, it wouldn't work. But it does work, every minute.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 18 2005 03:15 AM

Goatdog's Movies

tomato
4/5

Merle Bertrand

Joel and Ethan Cohen are in the midst of just such a golden streak right now.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 06 2005 08:12 PM

Film Threat

tomato
4.5/5

Scott Weinberg

After seeing and enjoying Lebowksi at least four times over the years, I can plainly see why the movie freaks have embraced this off-kilter comedy so enthusiastically.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 27 2005 12:41 PM

DVD Clinic

tomato
4/4

Phil Villarreal

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

Full Review Source: | comment 1 Comment | Aug., 05 2005 08:26 AM

Arizona Daily Star

tomato
B+

Robin Clifford

Jeff Bridges as The Dude is stroke of casting genius.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 09 2005 03:16 AM

Reeling Reviews

splat
2/5

Garth Franklin

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 14 2005 10:15 PM

Dark Horizons

tomato
B+

Jeffrey Overstreet

No, it's no Fargo. It's the most flamboyant, erratic, spontaneous movie the Coens have ever made.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 26 2005 10:15 PM

Looking Closer

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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all

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