Some of our SpoilerFreeReviews contributors are younger than others – and because of that, there’s a long list of movies that they haven’t seen. This is a SpoilerFreeReviews Catch-Up edition.
I watched THE BIG LEBOWSKI in theaters last week with friends that love the movie, a crowd drawn to watch one of their favorites, and surely a few people like myself, motivated by a curiosity driven by the film’s pop-culture significance and spurred into action by a limited re-release.
I’ll admit that these circumstances make it much easier to enjoy a movie, especially one with a cult following (I guess it’s called a cult for a reason). Still, THE BIG LEBOWSKI is fun, unique, clever, and worthy of its status. It reminded me of off-beat comedies like NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, Seth Rogen-led stoner comedies, and even a bit of Wes Anderson—probably not a coincidence – THE BIG LEBOWSKI feels influential. The tone is odd; it’s comedic, but there’s a darkness and depth that I wasn’t anticipating.
The story itself may be messy, convoluted, and ultimately, debatably irrelevant, so the writing, characters, and blink-and-you-miss-it jokes feel like the real meat of the movie. And, of course, a stacked cast. Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, John Turturro, and more round out an impressive ensemble – I’m curious if these names had the same weight at the film’s release. A big disclaimer; I’m not as well-versed in the Coen brothers’ work as some people. I’ve seen and enjoyed their recent work, HAIL, CAESAR, THE BALLARD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS, and MACBETH, but none of their seminal works propelled them to their current status. But I guarantee you I’ll bump FARGO and NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN higher up on my ever-growing movie backlog.
Whether you already love it or have just been curious about it, make yourself a White Russian, sit on your favorite rug, and enjoy THE BIG LEBOWSKI. And if you don’t like the movie? Well, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.
THE BIG LEBOWSKI is available on Prime Video. I watched it at a 25th-anniversary screening on 4/20. W
