My Coen Brothers Top Ten — Vol 1.
I was planning to re-release my original musings on this Coen Brothers masterpiece last out of my “Top Ten” favourite films from the Minnesota born geniuses but what the hell, it’s New Years Eve, we’re on the precipice of yet another year in our collective lives and well, “the Dude abides”, right?
So without further ado, let me introduce you to yet another Coen Brothers created madcap world of a stoner named Lebowski, a rather more straight laced and successful businessman (also named Lebowski), a gun toting Vietnam veteran who’s a stickler for the rules of ten pin bowling, a laconic stranger, a trio of nihilists (with pet ferret), an artist with a penchant for the bizarre and surreal and a man named Jesus you simply “don’t fuck with”. Add in some of the most bizarre and sweet cameos from David Thewlis, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Steve Buscemi and you have the beautiful Coen Brothers trope of a single individual wrapped in an enigma he can’t solve as he bumbles from one hilarious calamity to another.
Oh, did I mention that there’s also a missing toe and that the nihilists pet ferret sure does enjoy a soak in a bath?
My love-in career catalogue of the Coen Brothers first 17 films are all contained within the opus blog article below, or please skip a little further to my original ramblings on this masterpiece of a film.
The world according to the Coen Brothers
“Blood Simple” in 1984 through to “Hail, Caesar!” in 2016. And 15 beautifully crafted films in between. Spoiler free.medium.com
“His name is Lebowski? That’s your name Dude!”
My favourite Coen Brothers film and a film almost without equal. Fifteen years and going strong, vibrant as ever with every watch.
Enjoy!
“You mind if I do a J?”
Following a tumbleweed through an open Los Angeles, “The Stranger” (Sam Elliott) narrates an opening monologue about “The Dude” (Jeff Bridges) and we’re immediately introduced to the world of Jeffrey Lebowski aka The Dude. A stoner and carefree attitude to match, he is mistaken for “The Big Lebowski” (David Huddleston) a multi millionaire with a life and attitude vastly differently to The Dude. A urinated on rug “they pee’d on the rug, Walter!” he demands compensation from the intended target. A stolen rug later, not to mention the offer of a blowjob from The Big Lebowski’s wife “Bunny” (Tara Reid) and The Dude is embroiled in a kidnap payoff that goes disastrously and hilariously wrong!
This, the Coen Brother’s first big out and out comedy, is a romp and laugh out loud funny from beginning to end. Using their staple theme of a simple plan going horribly awry, this masterpiece of a film is subtly funny too with a host of rich characters and star turns in many cameo and supporting roles. But first, who is The Dude?
“The Dude” (Jeff Bridges) A stoner/hippy, The Dude is brilliantly brought to life by Jeff Bridges. The performance has everything and is so natural at times it’s almost as though Bridges is playing the part with no care for the camera whatsoever. It’s just so relaxed, natural and an ease of performance that is so captivating. And hilarious throughout. Named Jeffrey Lebowski, he always corrects anyone daring to call him by that name and early in the film he introduces himself to his Lebowski namesake by reiterating the immortal and iconic lines “I’m The Dude. So that’s what you call me. You know, that or, His Dudeness, or Duder, or El Duderino if you’re not into the whole brevity thing”. And always, despite the crazy ride we endure and indeed enjoy with him, “The Dude Abides!”
Always bowling, he is joined in a trio of chaos with best friends “Walter Sobchak” (John Goodman) and “Donny Kerabatsos” (Steve Buscemi). Walter is an angry and permanently on edge war veteran, with John Goodman’s amazing performance in it’s own surreal way an equal to the role of The Dude. Goodman is incredible at times, a force of nature and anger, he is also subtle and often funny, though not always intentionally!. During a game of bowling, an opponent refuses to accept he stepped over the bowling line, and Goodman, steaming from the ludicrous injustice of this pulls a gun with the immortal line “Mark it Zero! It’s a League game Smoke”. The interplay with Donny, a deliberately understated and quieter role for Steve Buscemi is excellent (“shut the fuck up Donny”), but the three characters together, riffing anecdotal tales and jibes are superb and are the core of the film.
In an all star supporting cast, David Huddleston is excellent as the other Jeffrey Lebowski with his daughter “Maude Lebowski” brilliantly played by Julianne Moore. Philip Seymour Hoffman also makes his bow in a Coen Brothers film for the first time as The Big Lebowski’s assistant “Brandt” and although a cameo, is hilarious in every scene. The painfully awkward moments shared between these three excellent actors as they deal with a missing toe, a missing body and of course the missing rug, is priceless. The film is scattered with further bizarre and surreal supporting performances, notably “Jackie Treehorn” (Ben Gazzara) and a camp star turn as “Knox Harrington” from David Thewlis as friend and confidant to Maude Lebowski. His performance of over the top exuberance and surreal engagements with Maude sum up the film brilliantly. There are also important cameos for returnees to previous Coen Brothers films with Peter Stormare as “Karl Hungus” a nihilist with a penchant for marmosets and the brilliant John Turturro as “Jesus Quintana” who was given one of a host of classic screenplay lines: “Nobody fucks with the Jesus!”.
With two especially surreal, drug induced interludes between scenes, a terrific screenplay that is laced with quotable classics, subtle comedy that will still make you smile on repeated watching, this is the Coen Brothers at their very best. Carter Burwell again provides a minimal score, but it’s the soundtrack that stands out and there are a multitude to choose from, echoing The Dude’s preference for the late 60’s, early 70’s vibe. Bob Dylan’s “The Man in Me”, The Gypsy Kings version of “Hotel California” Kenny Rogers’ “Just Dropped in (To see what Condition my Condition was in)” and Mozart’s “Requiem in D Minor” complete an eclectic mix and a thoroughly recommended stand alone soundtrack album, all of which fit the film perfectly. There are many, many others.
Two hours with The Dude are a joy and funny as hell. As The Stranger narrates at the end, it’s good that we have someone like The Dude in the world. Amen to that. This is the main theme of the film and it could be argued this theme is heightened against his best friend Walter. With the film rooted approximately in 1991 (and the film starts with President George HW Bush declaring war against Iraq), Walter, with constant, if comedic references to Vietnam and his unresolved anger, we root for The Dude, his outlook on life and more pacifist tendencies. We see the film entirely through the eyes of The Dude and follow his every move and therein lies the juxtaposition the film espouses, of The Dude’s slacker, laid back and neutral take on life to his best friend’s explosive reactions.
Roger Deakins’ excellent cinematography deserved more recognition than it received and similarly the film as a whole, which is still largely seen as a cult classic and which did not feature at any of the main festival award shows. A film that has spawned a religion and yearly conventions in many worldwide cities, perhaps that is the film’s ultimate recommendation and reward.
Thanks for reading. Just for larks as always, and always a human reaction rather than spoilers galore. My three most recently published film articles are linked below or there’s well over 100 blog articles (with 300+ individual film reviews) within my archives from which to choose:
“The Banshees of Inisherin” (2022)
“She never fecking says hello!”medium.com
“Amsterdam” (2022)
Entertaining conspiracy in the land of the one-eyed King.medium.com
“28 Days Later” (2002)
“OK Jim, I’ve got some bad news”.medium.com