The famous brotherly Direcing team; Joel and Ethan Coen have always had a flair of humour in their films, but the 1998 feature 'The Big Lebowski' is just pure comedy, in my opinion the best Coen film and the best comedy film. Now why do I think this? Well sit down on that rug, have some in and out burger and find out.
Obviously a major factor in any comedy is the quality of jokes and laugh factor. The humour in Big Lebowski stems mainly from the dialogue, as is common in Coen films, the dialogue is enriched with absurdities and cult lines that any true Lebowski fan can memorise by heart. Even basic phrases such as "Shut the fuck up Donny" or "Johnson?" can be laugh out loud moments (why will revealed in a bit). Another source of humour is the characters showcased, typical Coen films follow the theme of idiocy and madness and especially so here. Every character is portrayed with some sort of dysfunction, such as psycotic bowling/Vietnam obsessionist Walter, bowling king/peodophile Jesus (western pronounciation), tyrant/crook 'Big' Lebowski and of course stoner/layabout The Dude. The characters insanity adds to the films sense of confusion and madness, putting these characters (most likely the Dude) in hilariously profound situations. Overall the omnipresent absurdity and great array of hilarious characters create plenty a laugh in this film.
But what really puts Lebowski over for me is it's artistic level and complicity. The plot follows The Dude; a middle aged stoner in LA as he's mixed up in mistaken identity, kidnapping, crooked businesmen, euro-femminists, German Nihlistic porn stars and so many other. things that a normal man would be blown away by the perplexity. The film takes mild reference from Raymond Chandlers 'Big Sleep', addin noir elements to the comedy. The plot is so complex (as opposed to the majority of comedys) that the audience will have no idea what's going to happen next, adding to the hysteria of when a brash funny moment actually happens. In addition, the vivid fantasy sequences that take place whenever Dude's knocked out via punch or drugging are stylish with a touch of absurd (absurdity all around!), the 'Gutterballs' sequence is quite possibly the most insane yet hilarious moments in the film. In conclusion, 'Big Lebowski' sets itself apart from other comedy films by being intricate and stylish, often using this as part of the comedy factor.
The acting here is great, Jeff Bridges gives the best performance of his career, mixing relaxed, casual with frantic confusion and bitter annoyence. John Goodman as Walter is also the best role of his career, calm and colective serendipity at one moment, then loud and aggressive the next, a character where insanity is brewing just under the surface, something Goodman conveys so well. Julianne Moore as Maude Lebowski is pure femminist snob, with a high brow accent, barely changing expressions and mood, tightly wound and afirmative. David Huddlston as the 'Big' Lebowski is domminering yet franticly out of control, Peter Stormare as German porn star/nihlist Karl Hungus gives a decent performance, standing out with a humorour German accent. In conclusion, Bridges and Goodman give the standout performances, and Steve Buscemi as Donny?...Shut the fuck up!
'The Big Lebowski' is a comedy that is appealing in everyway, absurdly (ok last time I use that) poigant dialogue, creativly mad, likable characters, complex plotline and supurb acting. This Is a film that has gained a cult following, including an annual Lebowski fest and even a religion known as Dudeism. Is this one of the, if not the greatest comedy films of all time? Does the Pope shit in the woods?
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