The Big Lebowski - Movie Review Example

The Big Lebowksi is it is as it is meant to be told by its creators. It may be a mess to some but it’s a frank and honest yet entertaining movie that offers raw and awkward humor. Story. Mistaken to be the big Lebowski, Jeff Lebowski was assaulted by two men who were claiming that they were sent to collect money from Lebowski’s wife. They have beaten him and peed on his rug. Eventually they have learned that they picked the wrong Lebowski and left. Encouraged by his friend Walter to seek compensation with the peed rug, they pursue to find the big Lebowski.

The Dude’s request was rejected and he was even insulted by the big Lebowski. Days later, the big Lebowski’s wife was kidnapped, and he made arrangement with the Dude to be the courier of the ransom money in exchange of his request. Series of misfortunate events upon their delivery of the ransom money to the kidnappers, the Dude learned many things about the truth behind the alleged kidnapping. There was no kidnapping happened, as Bunny just went to a vacation trip with a friend, and it was revealed that the big Lebowski had orchestrated the whole thing – this was his plan to get the supposed ransom money from his first wife’s account and used the Dude to be the fall guy to deliver the fake suitcase.

Walter had physically assaulted the big Lebowski and near end they had a fight with a nihilist’s group. Donny died of heart attack in the process. After saying eulogy and scatter Donny’s ashes, the Dude and Walter headed back to their bowling routine session. Characters. The film has a perfect casting to portray the main idiosyncratic characters, perhaps because Cohen brothers had gathered fine actors such as Jeff Bridges and John Goodman. The actors had really synched in with the characters they were portraying.

Perhaps the Cohen brothers had in mind the actors’ personalities while writing the film’s characters i.e. Tara Reid being the reckless and mindless trophy wife and Julianne Moore as an intelligent yet pretentious feminist and an artist. The main protagonist of the film is Jeff Lebowski but preferred himself to be called The Dude. The Dude is portrayed by Jeff Bridges. The Dude is a type B personality who can be easily discern as perpetual bum, cares little about money and cares only for bowling with his equally type B friends.

It was reported that the Cohen brothers had written The Dude slightly based on Bridges character for being laid-back and slacking perspective in life. However, it was also revealed that the main influence of the character of the Dude was based on the film distributor that Cohen brothers had met named Jeff Dowd. Much like the Dude in the movie, Dowd was also called “The Dude”, fond of drinking White Russians, and shares physical appearance of the Dude on-screen: shaggy long hair, way of dressing, etc.

Another reference for the Dude’s character is the Cohen brothers’ friend, Peter Exline, a Vietnam War veteran who also has a thing for rugs. The Dude has a main best friend named Walter Sobchak and was played by John Goodman. Walter is also a Vietnam War veteran and is The Dude’s teammate. He values the rules of bowling second to the doctrines