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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:12

Fresh:7

Rotten:5

Average Rating:6.1/10

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]

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Release:

Feb 4, 2003

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Reviews for The Big Lebowski

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1 - 12 (sorted by date)
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Adds up to considerably less than the sum of its often scintillating parts.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment 8 Comments
11/07/07
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
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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: New York Observer | comment Comment
04/27/07
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
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A typical Coen brothers film is like no film you've ever seen.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
04/25/03
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
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As tempting as it is to completely dismiss The Big Lebowski, it's hard to do because the Coens are able to create wickedly funny eccentrics and possess the ability to energize certain actors to inhabit them completely.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment 3 Comments
02/14/01
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
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No review available.

comment Comment
01/01/00
USA Today
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A genial spoof about life on the unhinged margins of L.A. that's a lot more carefully constructed than it pretends to be.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Andrew O'Hehir
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon.com
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There are more ideas here, more wacko side characters and plot curlicues than the film can support, and inevitably it deflates from having to shoulder so much.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment 4 Comments
01/01/00
Edward Guthmann
Edward Guthmann
San Francisco Chronicle
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The Big Lebowski is a mess. But what a glorious, wonderfully-entertaining mess it is.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
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This plot need not be taken too seriously. Watching it amble along is enough of a treat, since the Coens populate this story with oddballs and bowling balls of such comic variety.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
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The Dude and Sobchak begin as caricatures too, but they're allowed to grow into something deeper, if only because the humanist economy of the Coens' surrealist vaudeville allows for a couple of human beings within the tapestry of freaks.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
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It's weirdly engaging, like its hero.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News
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