The Big Lebowski

It took me quite a while to realise what a creative and clever style of humour The Big Lebowski has. The script seems to be nothing but a showcase for all those amazing actors to display the bizarreness and exaggeration of their creations, but lacking substance. Yet the plot is packed to bursting with so many excellent gags, subtly hinted at or potential twists and a unique parody of many established narrative techniques, all while perfectly retaining its own distinctive face and, most importantly, never ceasing to surprise – rarely have I felt such a palpable joy in a film's sheer narrative, in the creation of witty retorts or one-liners, or in the direction of the actors themselves, whose performances really beg for their own lengthy commentary. Jeff "The Dude" Bridges clearly moves up to one of my favourite movie characters, John Goodman complements him brilliantly, and at times Philip Seymour Hoffman, who has this funniest role in his life, also speaks out vehemently. There is no need to talk about the amazingly inventive cinematography or the wicked soundtrack, they are par for the course with the Coens... 90% (05/06/2011)

Acting is great, humor is fine, but overall, there is a big question mark. Everyone is scruffy, lisping, and just strange, and I somehow can't enjoy the story and sometimes even the lines amidst all of it. From a film, with the reputation of a Coen masterpiece, I would expect more than just - however fast-paced - amusing bizarreness. (07/20/2006)

The absurdity across the board applied directly and only to Dude Lebowski himself keeps me quite grounded for once instead of cheering. It's not that Jeff Bridges isn't cool, or that I don't want to go bowling or taste White Russian, but this time I didn't have as much fun as I expected, even though it is filmed in the way in which only the Coen brothers can do it. And maybe that's the problem... my problem. (01/07/2007)

I found Lebowski’s “fight for his peed-on rug" really entertaining and I enjoyed myself more than I have for a long time... But then I didn’t see it for a couple of years, and so maybe I idealized it too much, because when I at last got a chance to see it again, apart from a couple of ageless moments, it seemed really rather mediocre to me. Every single actor here is incredible, no doubt about that. It still has more snappy lines per foot of film than any other movie, but somehow it lacks “soul". But maybe in a few years I’ll see it again and it will again convince me that it is entertainment that has no equal. (12/03/2006)

Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant! That the Coen brothers can create lovely characters is something I’ve known for a long time, but they have really outdone themselves here. Big Lebowski is something that Czech filmmakers should watch to realise that there is another kind of easygoing comedy than the good-old “about ordinary people”. Yeah, and if I had to choose between the Dudeists and the Fargoists, I would join the former. (11/29/2008)