Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.
- Awards
- 5 wins & 18 nominations total
Terrence Burton
- Maude's Thug #2
- (as Terrance Burton)
- Directors
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Summary
Reviewers say 'The Big Lebowski' is acclaimed for its unique mix of comedy, drama, and noir, offering a memorable experience. Its unconventional plot and quirky characters contribute to its cult status. Themes of absurdity, fate, and identity are explored through 'The Dude'. The witty dialogue and performances by Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, and Steve Buscemi are highlighted. The soundtrack and cinematography enhance the atmosphere, though its unconventional style may polarize viewers.
Featured reviews
The Coen brothers are up there with my very favorite filmmakers (Scorsese, Kubrick, Carpenter). I am very fond of their work. Throughout their irreverent career, they have explored different subjects and themes. Their best stories evolve from kidnapping schemes in films like "Raising Arizona " and "Fargo", one of my very favorites. I thought that film was fervently free. I was so ever wrong. It's as if the Coen Brothers have celebrated their complete breakthrough success (Academy Award winners), and now are willing to do whatever they please. "The Big Lebowski" is a film so meandering, so wonderfully novel, that I found myself missing the many other sporadic jokes as I was heaving from laughter. The film is basically about mistaken identity, eccentric characters, and a soiled rug. This film extols the bowler, the allies, even the pins. We experience an actual bowling ball POV, as the Dude (Jeff Bridges) hallucinates. This film has nihilists, feminists, millionares, paedophiles, drugged out hippies, underachieving students, incompetent criminals, pornographers and 'Nam veterans. This movie is open to anything , anything... Some people are turned off by absurd looniness, because it's so grandiosely different. Yet who couldn't chuckle, if not explode, when a bowler dressed in a tight purple suit licks a bowling ball's finger hole, and the camera pans down to reveal his name as Jesus! I will disclose no more, but urgently recommend you to traverse to your nearest video abode and rent this true escapists' feature. Abandon all solemn inhibitons, though! One can not keep a straight face whilst watching.
The Dude, aka Jeff Lebowski, is mistaken for a shady, millionaire businessman with the same name, a gang of thugs, searching for money, smash his place up and steal his rug. The Dude is given the chance to seek out those men.
What a hilarious movie this is, from start to finish it's sheer brilliance, it doesn't matter how many times I watch it, I never tire of it, talk about a film you can watch over and over.
It's genuinely funny, and with plenty of mixed humour, some of it's smart, some of its slapstick, some of it's a little surreal, overall, it just works. I'm not sure the story is anything new or complex, but that idea of two people with the same unusual name being linked by a crime, it works.
The scene with Larry and the car is probably my favourite from the whole movie, talk about hilarious, that poor car.
Jeff Bridges has put in some marvellous performances over the years, for me though, this is the best, he just nails it, he's hilarious.
John Goodman is great, he steals many of the scenes, Julianne Moore is terrific, not sure if I prefer the accent or hairstyle, she's so good.
Perfect music throughout, seeing this you'll want to download The Gypsy Kings. You'll want to sip a White Russian at the same time.
A Joy!!
9/10.
What a hilarious movie this is, from start to finish it's sheer brilliance, it doesn't matter how many times I watch it, I never tire of it, talk about a film you can watch over and over.
It's genuinely funny, and with plenty of mixed humour, some of it's smart, some of its slapstick, some of it's a little surreal, overall, it just works. I'm not sure the story is anything new or complex, but that idea of two people with the same unusual name being linked by a crime, it works.
The scene with Larry and the car is probably my favourite from the whole movie, talk about hilarious, that poor car.
Jeff Bridges has put in some marvellous performances over the years, for me though, this is the best, he just nails it, he's hilarious.
John Goodman is great, he steals many of the scenes, Julianne Moore is terrific, not sure if I prefer the accent or hairstyle, she's so good.
Perfect music throughout, seeing this you'll want to download The Gypsy Kings. You'll want to sip a White Russian at the same time.
A Joy!!
9/10.
My Rating : 9/10
You either hate it or love it. I am in love with 'The Big Lebowski'! I love most of the Coen Brothers' work and this one is right up there with Fargo and No Country For Old Men. It's super funny and can be watched again and again. I think I watch it once a year and always have a great time.
One that I highly recommend. Go watch it! And then watch it again and again.
AN AWESOME CULT FILM.
You either hate it or love it. I am in love with 'The Big Lebowski'! I love most of the Coen Brothers' work and this one is right up there with Fargo and No Country For Old Men. It's super funny and can be watched again and again. I think I watch it once a year and always have a great time.
One that I highly recommend. Go watch it! And then watch it again and again.
AN AWESOME CULT FILM.
10cleaf
The Big Lebowski is the type of movie that is so funny, and so clever, you want nothing more but to meet the Coen brothers, congratulate them personally for their unique talent, and get inside their heads and find out what makes these two geniuses "tick". The main characters are Jeff Bridges (who plays such broad roles like The Muse, The Contender, and Sea Biscuit), John Goodman (who should have won an oscar for best supporting actor for his character, Walter Sobchak)Juliane Moore (Maude Lebowski)and Steve Buscemi (who is unique in every Coen Brother movie).
The first time I saw this movie, I will admit that I enjoyed it, but did not fully appreciate its level of humor and raw talent. I thought the middle section was a bit too depressing and long. But trust me, this is a movie that gets more funny every time you see it, even if it's your thousandth time seeing it. Its level of comedy, action, brutality, and vulgarity become that much more evident and important.
The characters are brilliantly written by the coen brothers, and, likewise, are brilliantly portrayed by the actors. The Big Lebowski is like no other film. It will make you laugh and it will make you cry. There is no other film such as TBL that is sharp and witty all the way through. One of the Joel and Ethan Coen's best, and one of the movie industry's best comedic film of all time. You want to go see this flick.
The first time I saw this movie, I will admit that I enjoyed it, but did not fully appreciate its level of humor and raw talent. I thought the middle section was a bit too depressing and long. But trust me, this is a movie that gets more funny every time you see it, even if it's your thousandth time seeing it. Its level of comedy, action, brutality, and vulgarity become that much more evident and important.
The characters are brilliantly written by the coen brothers, and, likewise, are brilliantly portrayed by the actors. The Big Lebowski is like no other film. It will make you laugh and it will make you cry. There is no other film such as TBL that is sharp and witty all the way through. One of the Joel and Ethan Coen's best, and one of the movie industry's best comedic film of all time. You want to go see this flick.
More than 20 years it took me to have a look at this cult classic. Finally did it and I do undestand the fuss about it.
Not a flick for everybody that I can tell because a lot of talking is done but it's the talking that starts to get funny after a while. In fact, a bunch of loser trying to solve a abduction and trying to hold the money for themselves goes terribly wrong.
After a while you even want the talking to go on and on. And some art flick here and there it was indeed a hell of a ride, funny, stupid but genious in its kind.
Gore 0/5 Nudity 1/5 Effects 3/5 Story 4/5 comedy 2/5.
Not a flick for everybody that I can tell because a lot of talking is done but it's the talking that starts to get funny after a while. In fact, a bunch of loser trying to solve a abduction and trying to hold the money for themselves goes terribly wrong.
After a while you even want the talking to go on and on. And some art flick here and there it was indeed a hell of a ride, funny, stupid but genious in its kind.
Gore 0/5 Nudity 1/5 Effects 3/5 Story 4/5 comedy 2/5.
Did you know
- TriviaIn an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, John Goodman stated that The Dude referring to The Big Lebowski as a "human paraquat" was one of the only improvised lines to make it into the final film. Virtually every other line, including every "man" and "dude," was scripted.
- GoofsWhen the Dude is at Jackie Treehorn's and he rubs the pad of paper with a pencil revealing Treehorn's drawing of a naked man, the Dude tears the page off the pad and quickly crumples and shoves the paper into his pocket. Later, while in the office of the Malibu Chief of Police, the Chief goes through the Dude's wallet and the same piece of paper is neatly folded in the wallet with no sign of the previous crumpling.
- Quotes
Walter Sobchak: Nihilists! Fuck me. I mean, say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos.
- Crazy creditsBaby Wranglers: Howls/Giggles/Marmots
- Alternate versionsThe version which premiered on USA Network in September, 2000 has been severely cut (aside from the usual edits for content). Among the story lines excised are virtually all the scenes involving Jesus Quintana (John Turturro), the private eye from Minnesota (Jon Polito) looking for Bunny Lebowski and the scene where Maud is trying to conceive The Dude's child.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Making of 'the Big Lebowski' (1998)
- SoundtracksTumbling Tumbleweeds
Written by Bob Nolan
Performed by Sons of the Pioneers
Published by Williamson Music Company / Music of the West c/o The Songwriters Guild of America (ASCAP)
Courtesy of the RCA Records Label of BMG Entertainment
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- El gran Lebowski: Identidad peligrosa
- Filming locations
- South Pasadena, California, USA(opening sequence at grocery store)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $15,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $19,488,923
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $5,533,844
- Mar 8, 1998
- Gross worldwide
- $48,261,691
- Runtime
- 1h 57m(117 min)
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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