The Big Reviewski

Way back in the nineties there was this movie I wanna tell ya about. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But then again, maybe that's why I found it so darned interestin'. 'Course I ain't never been to London, and I ain't never seen France. And I ain't never seen no queen in her damned undies, so the feller says. But I'll tell you what--after seeing this movie, and writing this here review I'm about to unfold, well, I guess I seen somethin' every bit as stupefyin' as you'd seen in any of them other places. And in English, too. So I can die with a smile on my face, without feelin' like the good Lord gypped me. Now this here review I'm about to unfold is about a movie took place in the early '90s--just about the time of our conflict with Sad'm and the I-raqis. I only mention it because sometimes there's a movie...I won't say a classic, 'cause, what's a classic? Sometimes, there's a movie. Sometimes, there's a movie, well, it's the movie for its time and place. It fits right in there. And even if it's a crazy movie--and it was most certainly that. Quite possibly the craziest in all of nineties comedies, which would place it high in the runnin' for craziest of all time. Sometimes there's a movie, sometimes, there's a movie. Well, I lost my train of thought here. But...aw, hell. I've done introduced it enough.

The Big Lebowski (1998) is the movie for the nineties, but you should seriously have realized that by now. Even being the film buff I am now, there are some classic movies that I have simply not had the opportunity to see. The Big Lebowski formerly among them, this list also includes Citizen Kane, all the Godfather movies, any of the Rocky movies, or any of the Nightmare on Elm Street films being doubly surprising to my love for horror. I simply never had to opportunity to see any of these films and only kind of passively desire to do so. Someday, when I own every DVD I want this will all be solved. Some films that will be on that list include all of Sam Raimi's horror films, and everything the Coen brothers have done.

The Big Lebowski is a film by the Coen brothers based on someone they actually encountered. Although the events in the movie are all based on "What if this happened to our friend?" and then wrote out the scenario, it is still boggling to wrap my head around that. The film is narrated through Sam Elliott drawl. It stars the likes of Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, and Steve Buscemi. Written and directed by Ethan and Joel Coen, they employed Carter Burwell (score for In Bruges and Where the Wild Things Are to his credit) for the music. The team behind this film is pretty genius, and the movie shapes up to live up to it.

The movie, if you haven't seen it, is about the Dude who shares a name with a rich-as-hell gentleman with no legs. This leads to a mix up that ends with the Duder's rug being peed on. This leads to a screwball comedy the likes of Dude, Where's My Car or The Hangover, but pulls it off better than both--perhaps because it was here first. The character Jeff Bridges portrays as the Dude is brilliant, being a stoner with a love for White Russians, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and bowling but is still smart enough to unravel this retardedly complex scheme that pretty much ends with him being screwed over and then comes out on top of it with the help of his psychotic friends.

The writing needed in order to achieve that in a something you need or your movie is going to fail, and has to have an ending worth all of it. The Coen brothers did everything they could with the story, with directing to match the sky-high spirit of the film. T-Bone Burnett, the person responsible for the songs chosen for the soundtrack of the film, made the perfect movie choices; they went perfectly with the Coen's directing and matched the mood and you know what--I hate the Eagles too.

The Big Lebowski is a movie that you should see if you haven't already. Sure, you may think The Hangover was better and that's okay--you have the right to think that. It just doesn't make you any more wrong, if only because the Dude actually exists somewhere. The Coen brother's use their powers of writing and directing to make a purely enjoyable movie, and this movie is probably their best comedy. To those offended, I pledge to see The Godfather soon. I will probably not review it.

-Evan "Dez" O'Connor