How Awesome is The Big Lebowski?

I've finally bought this film and watched it for the first time. Holy crap I love it. I knew I would but wow. Wowwy wow wow it's so damn good. The Dude has to be one of the coolest characters ever. Sorry, but I fu*king loved this movie!


The Doc

I haven't seen it but have seen "Fargo" by the Coens, which is one of the best films of the 90's.

You're not alone Doc, but sad news for ya, they're making a special edition DVD later on this year. As for the movie itself, it's probably in my top 3 with Scarface and The Usual Suspects. I thought the entire cast did great jobs (especially Jeff Bridges and John Goodman). Probably my favorite comedy of all time (and that's not a easy thing to do considering I laugh at everything!).

Goodman is hilarious in every Coen film (Barton Fink, O Brother, Where Art Thou?.

The Big Lebowski **
1998, Coen, US
A lazy, unemployed nobody, between league games at his bowling alley, finds himself searching for the woman who was mistaken as his in-debt wife.
Despite having nowhere to go, and in turn leading us nowhere at all, the usual Coen tricks are here; bold parts, bold originality, and, in the end, plotting so outrageous that it gets lost in its own cleverness.

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) is just as funny, I think.

Their best is Fargo (1996), a sublime mixture of dark humour and an ingeneous plot peppered with properly shocking violence.

Mick

Ah damn.

Oh well, I'll buy that too. It was only 10 bucks. Not bad.

The Doc

Pretty crazy movie.

You said it.

It really made me in the mood for a White Russian.

The Doc

Ever since that movie I've had a few White Russians and have hated them

I can never pass by a Coen brothers discussion without mentioning that (in no particular order)

Fargo
Millers Crossing
Intolerable Cruelty
Blood Simple
The Ladykillers

and the unbelieveably under-rated

The Man Who Wasn't There

would all be in my all-time top 100 favorites.

Very crazy movie. I love how everyone in the town just kinda takes care of him...he never pays for anything! And John Goodman's character is so funny, he relates everything to Vietnam. And the carpet... Very funny movie!

I've never seen the movie.

Plaw, what do you mainly think of Blood Simple, The Man Who Wasn't There, and Millers Crossing? I really wanna see those and some have said Millers Crossing has little to no plot, among other things.

Blood Simple is, of course, the brothers first collaboration, and while it's not equal to much of their later stuff I think it works very well as a modern day version/tribute to film noire.The acting is good, and the plot has a few nice twists.

Miller's Crossing, I think, is arguably (along with Fargo) their best film. There most certainly is a plot, and a good one, and it's populated with the usual assortment of off-beat Coen Bros. characters and some very memorable scenes and lines.

The plot revolves around the struggle for power between the Irish crime boss and an Italian upstart in an un-named city during roughly the same time frame as Road To Perdition. In fact, many of the costumes and sets bear a striking resemblance to the the latter.

The film has everything: Drama, violence, romance, and a healthy dose of comedy.

Watch for terrific performances by Jon Polito as the Italian crime boss, J.E. Freeman as Eddie Dane (Polito's "Luca Brasi"), and John Turturro as the Jewish bookmaker who is the catalyst for the whole plot.

It stars Gabriel Byrne, playing the role of Tom Regan, the "consigliere" to the Irish Boss (Is the name "Tom Regan" a tribute to another Irish consig who we know from another great gangster film?)

But it's Freeman, as "The Dane", with many of the show-stealing scenes, and one of my favorite lines in all of cinema.

Poito's Irish rival (Leo, played by Albert Finney)) sends a hitman to try and take care of The Dane, but Eddie gets the drop on him. He points a gun at the guy and asks....

"Where's Leo?"
Hitman: "If I tell you, how do I know you won't kill me?"
Eddie Dane: "Because if you told me and I killed you and I found out you were lying, I wouldn't get to kill you then."

A great gangster film, which after the GF Trilogy I rate right up there with Goodfellas, Casino, Donnie Brasco, Scarface, Carlito's Way, Bronx Tale and Road to Perdition.

Don't miss it.

The Man Who Wasn't There is really meant to be a film noire satire, I believe.

It's shot in B & W, and while the humor isn't the LOL kind, I find it to be quite funny on several different levels.

Watch for Tony Shaloub, who practically steals the picture as a criminal defense attorney.

While it's not as good or as rich as, say, Fargo or Miller's Crossing, and certainly not an example of great filmmaking, it is nevertheless extremely enjoyable, vastly under-rated IMO, and highly recommended.

Great movie! With an outstanding performance of Jeff Bridge, one of the most underrated actors of his generation IMO (can't understand why) and a great John Goodman! Not to mention John Turturro, who is one of the most versatile actors I can think of.

Not to mention James Gandolfini, who is also superb.

I disagree that The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) isn't an example of "great" filmmaking, because it is, well, a great film. A knowing, involved, involving neo-noir. The Coens wrote Barton Fink (1991) when they had writer's block; I wouldn't be surprised if they'd wrote The Man Who Wasn't There after watching a bunch of films noirs, and with nothing else to write about. Great performances, excellent writing, and the usual inspired cinematography from long-time and fully established collaborator Roger Deakins.

Mick

well Fargo is in my top ten list, and it's a shame that I still haven't watched The Big Lebowski. just can't wait to see it