The Big Lebowski

November 29, 2013 - Jeff Bridges abides in this very funny film by the Coen brothers about bowling, friendship and mistaken identity. The stellar cast includes John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Sam Elliott narrates and shows up just long enough to sip some sarsaparilla.

Bridges plays a laid-back Seventies burnout named Jeff Lebowski, better known as "the Dude." Goodman and Buscemi are his bowling buddies. The Dude is doing just fine, hanging out at the bowling alley and minding his own business, until he's mistaken for another Lebowski whose wife supposedly owes money all over town. The Dude gets beaten up and his rug gets pissed on, and that's just the start of what turns into a wild few days for the Dude and his buddies.

Overall review: *** This film is really funny. This film features some unforgettable visuals, including a naked Julianne Moore strapped into a harness and flying over a sexual painting. This film has lots of foul language. Every other word is the F-word.

This film is really funny. It reminds me a lot of one of the Coen brothers later films, 2008's Burn After Reading. Both films come at some semblance of a plot from lots of different directions and somehow form a coherent whole. The Big Lebowski, however, seems to have more loose ends, so it gets three stars instead of four.