The Big Lebowski (1998)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Joel Coen

Writers (WGA):

Ethan Coen (written by) &
Joel Coen (written by)

Release Date:

6 March 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

They figured he was a lazy time wasting slacker. They were right.

Plot:

"Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.

Plot Keywords:

Rug | Millionaire | Bowling | Slacker | Jewish Convert

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Jeff Bridges	...	Jeffrey Lebowski - The Dude
John Goodman	...	Walter Sobchak
Julianne Moore	...	Maude Lebowski
Steve Buscemi	...	Theodore Donald 'Donny' Kerabatsos
David Huddleston	...	Jeffrey Lebowski - The Big Lebowski
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Brandt
Tara Reid	...	Bunny Lebowski
Philip Moon	...	Woo, Treehorn Thug
Mark Pellegrino	...	Blond Treehorn Thug
Peter Stormare	...	Nihilist #1, Uli Kunkel / 'Karl Hungus'
Flea	...	Nihilist #2, Kieffer
Torsten Voges	...	Nihilist #3, Franz
Jimmie Dale Gilmore	...	Smokey
Jack Kehler	...	Marty
John Turturro	...	Jesus Quintana

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive strong language, drug content, sexuality and brief violence.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | German | Hebrew | Spanish

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Spain:18 | Brazil:14 | Italy:T | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KT | Canada:14A | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #35633) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Singapore:R(A) | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Polygram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

Possibly uniquely for an American movie, a bad guy wields a cricket bat rather than a baseball bat.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: In the toilet-dunking scene, The Dude says "W-w-wife? D-do you see a ring on my finger?" He's showing the blonde his right hand. Typically, the wedding ring is worn on the left ring finger. But one could easily understand why the Dude wouldn't know this - he's never been married.

Quotes:

[first lines]
The Stranger: [voiceover] Way out west there was this fella I wanna tell ya about. Goes by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least that was the handle his loving parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. See, this Lebowski, he called himself "The Dude". Now, "Dude" - there's a name no man would self-apply where I come from...

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Soundtrack:

Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)

The Dude Abides!!!

No movie has entertained me more in the last year than this film. It's delightfully written, directed with poise and acted with extravagance and excellence. I do admit that this is a film that I had to see six times to get. Every time I watch it I learn something new. The genius of the film lies within a game I think the Coen brothers play with their audiences. There are the touches of the masters in many of their films. In "The Hudsucker Proxy," it was Preston Sturges and Frank Capra. In "Raising Arizona," I felt a touch of Sam Fuller. In this film, I felt many touches of greatness, but more specifically I felt John Sayles or even John Cassevettes in spots. The camera was manipulated beautifully and I felt a tinge of their talents lurking in at many a turn. The performances are astounding, especially Goodman as the deranged bowler still living deep within the jungles of the Vietcong. Huddleston is also quite wonderful as the title character. Turturro gives a fine cameo as "Jesus," coupled with a rousing and humurous version of the Eagles, "Hotel California," done in Espanol. I hope this is a film that is looked at with more seriousness. It is, once you dig deep, a fine piece of filmmaking.