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An unlikely mélange of bowling, Budweiser, and some Raymond Chandler-inspired L.A. noir turns out to be a perfect blend in The Big Lebowski, a virtuoso comedy from Joel and Ethan Coen. Jeff Bridges portrays Jeff Lebowski (known to his friends as "the Dude") -- a lazy, unemployed, and eminently likable stoner with a taste for Kahlùa who gets accidentally involved in a convoluted kidnapping case. Bridges is perfect as a textbook fish out of water, blundering his way through the complex plot like a memory-impaired Phillip Marlowe with a White-Russian mustache and taking more punches than even the hardest of hard-boiled detectives. Along for the ride is John Goodman, who plays the Dude's best friend and bowling partner, a buffoonish Vietnam vet with a hair-trigger temper and an endless supply of harebrained schemes. Simply put, this might be the gnarliest of noir send-ups. Meanwhile, the visuals cast unexpected light on the mechanics of bowling, as tour-de-force montages of shiny lanes and ball's-eye views whet one's appetite for a little ten-pin action. As is typical for a Coen brothers film, The Big Lebowski is genre savvy and multi-referential: riffing on the Dude's stonerdom, they provide a few hallucinogenic, Busby Berkeley-style fantasy sequences for those moments when he is knocked senseless. And riffing on his all-important nickname, they frame the whole film with a cowboy monologue, delivered in a liquid-smooth basso by Sam Elliot. Yes, The Big Lebowski may be a strange brew, but it tastes great and has "a kick like a mule." Gregory Baird

All Movie Guide

The plot of this Raymond Chandler-esque comedy crime caper from the Coen Brothers (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen) pivots around a case of mistaken identity complicated by extortion, double-crosses, deception, embezzlement, sex, pot, and gallons of White Russians (made with fresh cream, please). In 1991, unemployed '60s refugee Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) grooves into his laid-back Los Angeles lifestyle. One of the laziest men in LA, he enjoys hanging with his bowling buddies, pompous security-store owner Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) and mild-mannered ex-surfer Donny (Steve Buscemi). However, the Dude's life takes an alternate route the afternoon two goons break into his threadbare Venice, California, bungalow, rough him up, and urinate on his living room rug. Why? Because Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazzara) is owed money by the wife of a certain Jeff Lebowski. However, the goons grabbed the wrong Jeff Lebowski. With the right info, they would have invaded the home of philanthropic Pasadena millionaire Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston). The Dude looks up his wealthy namesake, manages to get a replacement for his rug, and meets the millionaire's sexy young wife Bunny (Tara Reid). Later, Jeffrey ("The Big") Lebowski calls in the Dude to deliver a $1 million ransom for the return of his kidnapped wife. Fine -- except that Walter intrudes and botches the ransom drop. As events unravel, the Dude gets caught up in the schemes of Lebowski's daughter, erotic artist Maude (Julianne Moore), encounters both cops and bad guys, and drifts through an elaborate bowling fantasy sequence titled Gutterballs. The soundtrack includes Bob Dylan, Yma Sumac, Moondog, Captain Beefheart, and the Sons of the Pioneers. Bhob Stewart

Product Details

• UPC: 025192674129
• Source: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
• Region Code: 1
• Time: 1:58:00
• Sales Rank: 8,327

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