(1998) A duderific film from brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, writers/director. With the Sons of the Pioneers singing "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" in the background, The Stranger (Sam Elliott) narrates the opening and closing - LA in CA during the early '90s with President George Herbert Walker Bush (himself) taking on Saddam Hussein (Jerry Haleva) - plus two special appearances in cowboy garb (for the most part expressing approval of The Dude, though questioning the use of so much cussing - someone tallied more than 280 instances of the word "f--k") and a terrific mustache like a pair of spurs along side his saddle lips: "Sometimes there's a man for his time."

Two thugs burst into The Dude's house: one shoves his head into the toilet demanding the money while the other urinates on his rug. But they've mistaken The Dude (Jeff Bridges), who's unemployed, for The Big Lebowski (David Huddleston), a millionaire, whose trophy wife Bunny (Tara Reid), a former porn actress, owes film producer Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazzara) money, because both share the same given name, Jeffrey Lebowski. To the thugs' insults The Dude replies, "At least I'm housebroken."

The Dude bowls in a league with Walter Sobchak (John Goodman), a Polish-Catholic Vietnam vet who considers himself Jewish because he was once married to a Jewess, and Donny Kerabatsos (Steve Busceni). Walter having convinced The Dude he's owed compensation for his rug, The Dude takes up the question of recompense with The Big Lebowski, who brushes him off: "Your revolution is over; the bums lost." On his way out, escorted by Mr Lebowski's lackey Brandt (Philip Seymour Hoffman), The Dude appropriates a rug and briefly makes acquaintance with a very young Mrs Lebowski, who after asking him to blow on her just-painted green toenails offers him a blow job for $1000.

Back at the bowling alley as they prepare for the big tournament, Walter calls a foul on another bowler and pulls out his pistol to enforce the rules: "This is not Nam, this is bowling!"

Mr Lebowski requests The Dude's services (never mind the rug): Bunny has been kidnapped; a ransom of a million dollars must be delivered; for $20,000 The Dude is hired as currier. Walter goes along, and with his help the drop-off goes wrong; the car gets wrecked - three German nihilists on motorcycles shoot at them - and later stolen along with the briefcase containing the ransom money. "They're gonna kill her, and then they're gonna kill me," The Dude frets to Walter.

Just before these events, three thieves break into The Dude's house and punch his clock, resetting his snooze alarm - special effects take over, sending The Dude flying across the city before delivering him to a bowling alley where he becomes one with a bowling ball, watching in 360º-intervals his rapid rolling approach to an impact with a set of pins - relieving him of the carpet he had taken from The Big Lebowski. Maude Lebowski (Julianne Moore), a mod feminist artist, contacts The Dude to inform him that she was responsible for reappropriating the expensive rug (sentimental value associated with her deceased mother), inquires as to his interest in coitus, and provides fresh information about her detested father and stepmother's slutty history.

The Dude also goes through more special-effects courtesy of a drug-induced hallucination from Treehorn Productions featuring dancers, a bare-breasted girl on a trampoline, and another trip down the bowling alley. "Mr Treehorn treats objects like women," The Dude astutely observes. Obviously, as The Dude tries to explain, "It's a complicated case … lots of ins and outs," including In and Out Hamburgers.

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Copyright © 2007 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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