Coens' new comedy an eccentric treat
Many critics hail Jeff Bridges as the finest actor working in America today. I have always seen him as someone who cannot open a movie - until The Big Lebowski, that is.
Joel and Ethan Coen's follow-up to Fargo, this crackling comedy benefits from a first-rate performance from Bridges in the main role of Jeff Lebowski, or, as he insists on being called, 'the Dude'.
This cannot be defined as an American comedy, even though it is set in Los Angeles. The Big Lebowski is very European in its sensibilities, which include a hefty dose of irony and a wonderful sense of the ridiculous.
The Coen brothers have done it again: I found this funnier than Fargo, though it has divided the American critics.
Admittedly, it does finish badly - but I enjoyed the previous proceedings so much, I cannot really begrudge the Coens a poor final 10 minutes.
The Big Lebowski somehow subverts the classic cross and double-cross of mistaken identity.
Bridges is visited by two thugs who destroy his carpet. As this unemployed, stuck-in-the-70s 'Dude' does not have much to call his own, the wanton destruction of his carpet proves particularly irksome.
They have mistaken him for the other Lebowski - the big Pasadena millionaire - whose sluttish wife Bunny (Tara Reid) has debts all over town, hence the threatening visit.
Encouraged by his hilarious bowling pals - the mild-mannered Danny (Steve Buscemi) and the psychotic Vietnam war veteran Walter (John Goodman), the Dude pays the big Lebowski a visit.
Instead of receiving a replacement carpet, however, he gets an assignment: to rescue Bunny, who has been kidnapped, apparently by a gang of German nihilists.
While Walter insists on getting involved in the pay-off, with the direst of consequences, others line up to make the Dude's life a living hell. These include the big Lebowski's bizarre daughter, Maude (Julianne Moore), who does not believe Bunny has been kidnapped.
While the Dude's life spirals out of control, life at the bowling alley heats up with the vile Jesus Quintano (John Turturro) taking the game extremely seriously. And that is not to mention Walter's AK47-response to a scoring problem.
If you like the bizarre, The Big Lebowski is a slayer. It does not so much come from left-of-field as from-another-planet in its humour, harking back to the good old Coen brothers days of Blood Simple or Raising Arizona. It is bizarrely unpredictable and most of it works.
Sam Elliot as the narrator is slightly problematic and his closing monologue is definitely ill-advised, but the rest of the film is hilarious.
The performances are top-notch, Bridges in particular, with Goodman in a career-defining role that was made for him. Moore is also first-rate and there are enough fine cameos to keep you entertained.
This is an unusual ride, not what you may expect from Hollywood film-makers. It has not done as well as expected at the US box office, as it is too eccentric for most tastes. But give it a chance and you will be rewarded: The Big Lebowski is, without a shadow of a doubt, the year's funniest film.
The Big Lebowski, Panasia circuit
