FILM CHALLENGE: 25) The Big Lebowski

25) The Big Lebowski

Director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Year: 1998

Plot Summary: When "The Dude" Lebowski is mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, two thugs urinate on his rug to coerce him into paying a debt he knows nothing about. While attempting to gain recompense for the ruined rug from his wealthy counterpart, he accepts a one-time job with high pay-off. He enlists the help of his bowling buddy, Walter, a gun-toting Jewish-convert with anger issues. Deception leads to more trouble, and it soon seems that everyone from porn empire tycoons to nihilists want something from The Dude.

Where do I begin when reviewing the Coen Brothers' classic comedy? To define what the filmmakers are trying to say here is very difficult and even after maybe six or seven watches I still can't find one theme that The Big Lebowski is based around.

It touches on aspects of spirituality, politics, ethnicity, religion, gender and sexuality to name a few. There's references to Jews, Christians, Nihilists and Nazis. There's discussions about Iraq and Vietnam. Images of Nixon, Bush and Reagan all make an appearance. German, South American, Chinese, British, and American cultures all clash. Even the relationships between men and women are explored. It's a deeply complex film thematically and one that offers something new on every viewing.

The plot is very much the same. Like Chinatown, The Big Lebowski takes repeated viewings and a good memory for all of the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place. Even when I watched it tonight I found things I hadn't realised before that made the narrative make more sense.

However, while many could find these things frustrating, I think these are the most entertaining factors of The Big Lebowski. It's clever, complex and mind-bending unlike any comedy that has come before or after and it also displays just how intelligent the Coen Brothers truly are.

After the opening paragraphs of this review, it's hard to believe that The Big Lebowski is a comedy. However, despite the incredibly puzzling plot and themes, it is also a side-splittingly funny movie. It's endlessly quotable and will have you laughing in every scene with the Coens' unique hybrid of black and slapstick comedy. That doesn't mean that it's only a comedy though. There are influences from westerns - the opening shots are almost like something you would in this genre before the L.A. skyline is revealed, not to mention Sam Elliot's mysterious cowboy character - and there are traces of film noirs like The Big Sleep too.

The film, moreover, is so packed with symbolism and metaphor that it's almost impossible to remember everything for this review. There are contrasts and comparisons made in the music of Bob Dylan and The Eagles, there's symbolism in The Dude's rug, there's metaphor to explain why characters contradicts themselves and why characters are constantly confused with each others identities, there are comparisons in the dialogue from one character to the next, foreshadowings in how many pins are hit in a bowling match and even the state of The Dude's car symbolises how deep his troubles are rising.

It's an incredible watch but one that is deeply complex and takes a few goes to get your head around. However, it's totally worth it because The Big Lebowski is up there with the very best from two of the cinema's most gifted filmmakers.

"I am the Walrus?"

5/5

By Daniel Sarath with 1 comment