Just writing in my spare time ...If I ever get any!...Ciao has completely changed since I last wrote...
Just writing in my spare time ...If I ever get any!...Ciao has completely changed since I last wrote a review....hmmm..? need to figure it all out.... soon be CHRISTMAS YAY!!!
Member since:25.04.2003
Reviews:56
Members who trust:22
I first watched this about 3 years ago and I am still trying to figure out how I had missed watching such a great film like this for so long!!
Essentially this movie falls into the black comedy /slacker movie genre. The film has achieved Cult Status .There are so many lines in this movie that have become so famous.
'The Dude abides ' ... 'Shomer shabbos! '........ ' Forget it, Donny, you're out of your element! ' ...... ''You mark that frame an 8, and you're entering a world of pain.'
..and so on...Main Characters Jeff Bridges is JEFFREY LEBOWSKI ,in this movie he goes by the name 'The Dude. The Dude is a long haired hippy laid back ,slacker type character . He enjoys a white russian or a few ..and spends many an evening down the bowling alley playing in a team with his buddies.
John Goodman is Walter Sobchak.'Nam war vetaran Walter, is a really funny character he has some anger and paranoia issues and he has a lot of great one liners throughout the film . I have to say I think Goodman provided me with the most laughs in this movie while he was playing the role of Walter. I think it's the best film i've seen him in ,and his funniest performance.
Also in this film is Steve Buscemi as 'Donny'(characters full name is Theodore Donald "Donny" Kerabatsos)He is friend and Bowling buddy of The dude and Walter ,Walter has a bad habit of shouting down Donny should he join a conversation part way through Donny is the weaker
link of the three friends. Julianne Moore stars as multi-millionaire Lebowski's daughter 'Maude Lebowski' those are a few of the main characters obviously their are plenty others in the movie.
HOW THE MOVIE STARTS Out of the blue a gang barges into the Dudes home demanding money on behalf of a Jackie Treehorn . The gang finally concede that they have the wrong person . The gang leaves but not before they have marked their territory so to speak,one member so delightfully pee's on the Dudes rug!! The Dude later on at the bowling alley shares his story with friend Walter and before too long Walter has convinced The Dude that he should seek out the other Jeffrey Lebowski to demand some compensation for his soiled rug. The Dude pays Mr Lebowski a visit at his multi-millionaire's mansion and is quickly dismissed by the grumpy old wheelchair bound millionaire . Lebowski calls the Dude a lazy Bum and tells him that he should get a job, He refuses to give any sort of compensation for the rug. The Dude leaves quietly and calmly ,but not before picking up one of Mr Lebowski's rugs on the way out (Yes he stole it!) Shortly after the taking of the rug, the Dude gets a message on his answer machine asking him to contact Jeff Lebowski,The Dude is assured it's not to do with the rug . It turns out that Bunny (Lebowski's wife-played by Tara Reid) has been kidnapped because she was the one owing money to Treehorn,and so Lebowski offers the Dude a cash reward if he will help by making the drop off for the ransom demand. All does not go to plan though when friend Walter wants in on it .He insists on coming along for the ride. Walter has a plan of his own and certainly comes prepared.He plans to keep the money and even brings a ringer which happens to be a bag of his old undies.. By this time the Dude is starting to panic. The kidnappers had very specific demands and are expecting only one person at the drop off ,but before the Dude can do anything to stop Walter interfering its too late. It all goes horribly wrong !!! This bit of the movie is so funny there are plenty of laughs here. The money doesn't make it to the drop off ,and after all that the Dude and Walter end up losing the Money when their car along with the cash is stolen from the bowling alley car park.
So thats how the movie starts. Now that the scene has been set I won't tell much more but l promise you are in for plenty of laughs watching this ,a couple of quick examples are like when the Dude and Walter are trying to track down the money after their car has been stolen, Walter and the Dude suspect that a school kid has got a hold of the money .On paying him a visit at his home they try different ways shall we say of extracting information.John Goodman shines once again here. It's so funny! Another time sees Walter bringing his ex wife's dog with him to the bowling alley .Here you see Walter going on the defense and in turn this provides further big laughs.He has unresolved issues with his ex wife it would seem.
The story itself takes quite a few twists and turns along the way .It's full of the weird, the strange the sometimes not so nice but mostly it is very very funny!!! There are some amazing bordering on trippy scenes where the Dude goes off in a dream while knocked unconscious ,its the bits like this that really do add to the uniqueness and greatness of the movie the special effects are amazing in the dream scenes.
As this film is an 18 certificate there are a lot of very adult themes running throughout and in particular a huge number of uses of the ' F' word . I think it may even break some sort of record with number of times being used, it really does get used a lot! As it was mainly coming from Walter's mouth it all seemed in the right context of his character and I actually stopped noticing how much he swore after a while as he was just so funny.
As described on the DVD blurb- This is an 'hilariously twisted comedy -thriller' It contains a lot of irreverent humor. This movie held my interest from start to finish and its still as fresh each time that I watch it.... and believe me I have watched it so many times now. It is a FIRM favorite of mine- if not my FAVORITE FILM EVER!!
This for me is the best movie from the Coen brothers. If you like their other stuff you will undoubtedly love this.
I recommend this to people who like or get humor of the quite dark and warped kind .
Thanks for reading
I haven't viewed the special features but they are as follows:
This Special Edition - ALL-NEW DIGITALLY REMASTERED PICTURE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPECIAL FEATURES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Introduction by Mortimer Young -Making of the Big Lebowski -Jeff Bridges Photography - Production Notes
A Coen brothers movie
This version plays on Region 2,4,5
Run Time 1hr 52 mins
Year of release 1998
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(+) Because of the new series the box set isn't complete, which means it will be cheaper! (-) It isnt the complete box set so you'll have to buy the new dvds seperatly or wait for the new set!
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Production Year: 2003 - Comedy - Director: John Crowley - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Colin Farrell, Shirley Henderson, Cillian Murphy, Colm Meaney, Rory Keenan, Laurence Kinlan
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bonus material. The hilariously twisted comedy-thriller stars Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi and Julianne Moore. Join the Dude and his bowling buddies on ...
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Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![The Big Lebowski (Special Edition) [DVD] [1998]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78501242.jpg "The Big Lebowski (Special Edition) [DVD] [1998]")
![The Big Lebowski [Special Edition]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/103281105.jpg "The Big Lebowski [Special Edition]")
Sep 8th, 2009
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