Critic Reviews
Big Lebowski, The (1998) Rank 5 Reviews
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Goatdog's Movies (Michael W. Phillips, Jr.)
This is the most succinct demonstration of the film's charm: the elaborate, wordy setup to a punchline that you can see coming, but that is nonetheless hilarious because of the actors' delivery. It's the actors that make this film: without the ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Goatdog's Movies (Michael W. Phillips, Jr.)
Movielocity Movie Reviews (Blake Kunisch)
Oh my! This movie is the funniest movie I have ever seen. Jeff Bridges plays Jeffery Lebowski (not the big Lebowski though) a.k.a. Dude (to your left). The Dude gets involved in a complicated plot involving a million dollars. The kidnapping and ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Movielocity Movie Reviews (Blake Kunisch)
David Wilcock
A mixture between Raising Arizona (1987), Blood Simple (1981) and Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski is fine entertainment. The cast is excellent, and features a wide range of slightly mad characters. Jeff Bridges is superb as the incredibly laid back The ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at David Wilcock
Chad Polenz
Perhaps one of the greatest feelings one can experience while watching a film is realizing how complex the story is and yet how easy it is to follow. It takes a lot of effort and craftsmanship to construct a screenplay and film it in such a way as to ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Chad Polenz
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Philip Martin)
... a loving study of Los Angeles loserdom. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Philip Martin)
Empire Magazine [UK]
In a perfect world all movies would be made by the Coen brothers. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Empire Magazine [UK]
Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
In many ways, The Big Lebowski has surpassed Fargo as the Coens' high-water mark. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
DVD Confidential
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Chad Polenz (Chad Polenz)
filmfacts (Andreas Edler)
Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
The Coen Brothers -- Joel and Ethan -- go for broke in The Big Lebowski, and we the viewers are the winners. With The Big Lebowski they take their now-familiar brand of absurdist mystery/crime/thriller -- writ visually large -- and turn the whole ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
Jan-Willem Swane
John Beachem
Let me say that this isn't an easy film to review. There isn't much of a plot for me to discuss, and there's nothing even remotely serious about what plot there is. Perhaps the best way to proceed would be to discuss each of the multitude of colorful ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at John Beachem
Looking Closer (Jeffrey Overstreet)
THE REPORT CARD Not sure you understand these review questions? Click here. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Looking Closer (Jeffrey Overstreet)
FulvueDrive-in.com (Chuck O'Leary)
It's pretty much impossible not to love The Dude. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at FulvueDrive-in.com (Chuck O'Leary)
Deep Focus (Bryant Frazer)
In Jeff Bridges, the Coens have finally found a performer whose offhand presence is a perfect foil for their own loping eccentricity. As one Jeffrey Lebowski, Bridges conjures up the laid-back California counterpart to the uptight shock jock he played ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Deep Focus (Bryant Frazer)
MovieMaze (Sascha Bregenhorn)
HNR - Hollywood North Report - DVD Review (Vince D'Amato)
Oregon Herald (Jamie Peck)
Movie Reviews UK
A typically bizarre venture into the mixed-up lives of self-proclaimed losers and dropouts, The Big Lebowski proves to be sporadically entertaining. Placed somewhat intentionally in the shadow of the Gulf War, which makes the date about 1991, this is an ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Movie Reviews UK
Andy Wright
Capsule Review: After a brief and somewhat disconcerting flirtation with the = conventional, FARGO creators and supreme weisenheimers Joel & Ethan Coen = have returned to the fringe big time with this, their loosest film to = date. A radically ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Andy Wright
Kevin Patterson
If that doesn't give you a good idea of this film's absurdist tone, then perhaps this will: the entire scenario which drives the story is set in motion by two thugs mistakenly urinating on the Dude's rug. They've mistaken him for a millionaire of the ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Kevin Patterson
mazzyboi's movie page (Angelo Aquino)
Movie Habit (Marty Mapes)
All around, The Big Lebowski is great, solid comedy. Outstanding acting, writing, direction and photography all combine to make this a great comic success. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Movie Habit (Marty Mapes)
filmcritic.com rolls with The Big Lebowski
It's a truly unique inventive, a collection of idiosyncrasies that come crashing together to form an unforgettable work of anarchic art. It might be the Coen brothers best work -- and that's saying a lot. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at filmcritic.com rolls with The Big Lebowski
Michael Redman
The marvelous sound of "The Stranger" (Sam Elliot)'s voiceover introduces the film. At least it does until he forgets what he was going to say and gives up. The Dude (Jeff Bridges) is described as the "laziest man in Los Angeles, possibly the world", ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Michael Redman
Michael Dequina
Needless to say, The Big Lebowski's story is intricate, outthere, and distinctly Coenesque; it is just about impossible to sum it up in a single sentence. While the Coens' unpredictable, ridiculously complex, and consistently funny plotline is one of ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Michael Dequina
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Every now and then, a director comes along whose every film turns to gold. Back in the late 1970's, Steven Spielberg could do no wrong. In the 80's, it was Rob Reiner. Judging by The Big Lebowski, Joel and Ethan Cohen are in the midst of just such ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Jack Garner)
her|News|Business News|Entertainment|Sports|Bulletin Boards|Community|Classifieds|Employment|Cars|Real Estate|Apartments|NewHomeNetwork|Personals|Weddings|Advertising Info|Newspaper info|Online info|Search|FeedbackCopyright 2001 Rochester Democrat ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Jack Garner)
Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
You see, the story is about intruders who piss the Dude off when they piss on his rug. So he goes to the rich Lebowski (David Huddleston) and asks payment for his rug's damage, using the logic that it is this guy's fault why it happened, even if he ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
hip online
The Coen brothers have done it again. Mixing in Leninist philosophy, mistaken identity, crazy characters, a kidnapping plot, and a deep love of bowling, they have unleashed upon an unsuspecting world the many glories of THE BIG LEBOWSKI. Jeff Bridges ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at hip online
txreviews.com (Curtis Edmonds)
The Big Lebowski -- and I mean this as praise, not criticism -- is a two-hour Seinfeld episode. It's a movie about nothing. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at txreviews.com (Curtis Edmonds)
Jamie Peck
You know you're in for a truly different cinematic experience the moment you realize Steve Buscemi has been cast as the movie in question's most normal character. Such is the case with "The Big Lebowski," Joel and Ethan Coen's first venture since their ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Jamie Peck
DVD Clinic (Scott Weinberg)
A hilariously burnt-out slacker "dude," through no fault of his own, gets wrapped up in a kidnapping scheme that involves bowling, performance art, and a peed-on rug. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at DVD Clinic (Scott Weinberg)
Ted Prigge
"The Big Lebowski" is a mess, but my god, what a wonderful mess of a film. The film is as disjointed, overlyexaggerated, incredibly weird, and as disconnected from reality as its protagonist, L.A.'s most lazy and selfcentered human being. This wonderful ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Ted Prigge
Bullz-Eye.com
As tempting as it is to completely dismiss "The Big Lebowski," it would be
foolish to do so. The Coens have a gift for conjuring up a series of wickedly
funny eccentrics and then finding just the right actor to inhabit those
characters ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Bullz-Eye.com
Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
The comedy here is sometimes so sharp that you could roll in the aisle with laughter and not seem any odder than the characters you see onscreen. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Appreciating Great Trash
Baltimore City Paper (Jack Purdy)
Houston Chronicle
San Francisco Examiner (Barbara Shulgasser)
San Francisco Chronicle (Edward Guthmann)
THE WEEKLY MOVIE REVIEW
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
The Dude abides. That he does. Boy, the Dude's outlook on life sure seems simple, don't it Just roll along, without a care in the world, and somehow things will work out in the end. Oh, sure, you might still be behind on your rent, and you may have ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Nathaniel R. Atcheson
That Cow (B. Kiefer)
This film is set "sometime back in the 90's" and stars Jeff Brigdes, John Goodman, and Steve Buscemi. It certainly carries on many of the themes, tricks, and styles that the Coen brothers (writer and director) have been working on for years. Bridges ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at That Cow (B. Kiefer)
filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
It bears repeating: Just because you happen to make an amazing, perfectly-crafted, wildly funny movie (Fargo), doesn't mean you can do whatever the hell you want in your follow-up and pass it off as art.
The Big Lebowski is the definitive answer to ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
In "The Big Lebowski," their first cinematic offering since the multiple Academy Award-winning "Fargo," the action takes place in Los Angeles during the Gulf War, and the hero of the story is Jeff Lebowski, aka The Dude. The Dude is played by Jeff ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
Nehring The Edge
Eternal Entertainment reviews
Empire Movies (Liam Cullin)
DVD Clinic (Scott Weinberg)
After seeing and enjoying Lebowksi at least four times over the years, I can plainly see why the movie freaks have embraced this off-kilter comedy so enthusiastically. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at DVD Clinic (Scott Weinberg)
Cinenganos (Alex Ramirez)
The Big Lebowski tiene el efecto deseado: creer en los personaje, aún sin creer necesariamente en la historia. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Cinenganos (Alex Ramirez)
eFilmCritic.com (Brian Mckay)
When you're having a down day, pop in THE BIG LEBOWSKI for a little pick-me-up, and always remember: The Dude Abides. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Brian Mckay)
Film Threat (--)
UTK Daily Beacon (John Carruthers)
dvdfuture.com (Jay Paulson)
A Guide to Current DVD (Aaron Beierle)
DVDLard - Region 1 DVD Review
A Guide to Current DVD (Aaron Beierle)
At-A-Glance Film Reviews
ErikCinema (Erik Bauman)
Subjective Camera (David Dalgleish)
Andrew Hicks (Andrew Hicks)
Kalamazoo Gazette (James Sanford)
Much of 'Lebowski' is amusing, some of it is downright hilarious and all of it is stylish, with plenty of the Coens' usual inventive shot composition and tricky camerawork. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Kalamazoo Gazette (James Sanford)
Wolfpack Productions (Sujit 'Chief' Chawla)
A wierd trip is the first thing that comes to mind when describing The Big Lebowski. The premise is simple yet confusing, and the main character loves to smoke pot and take these flights of fancy throughout the movie. Jeff Bridges is Jeff Lebowski, well ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Wolfpack Productions (Sujit 'Chief' Chawla)
DVDBeaver
Released in 1998 the Coen brothers film The Big Lebowski centers around the confluence of divergent U.S. cultural anomalies that are defined by the essential qualities of two decades. We meet characters that are stuck in the 70's and who are unable or ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at DVDBeaver
Guide To Film DVD Review
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Problems with the plot notwithstanding, The Big Lebowski ranks as one of the most
audacious comedies of recent years. The Coens keep the jokes coming, although some of them are
so subtle they can easily be missed (for example, when The ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Scott Renshaw
I spent most of the car ride home from THE BIG LEBOWSKI and a fair chunk of time afterward spelunking for themes, tropes and symbols. The time frame of Gulf Warera 1991 was certainly meant to place the story squarely in the twilight of the Reagan/Bush ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Scott Renshaw
David Dalgleish
THE BIG LEBOWSKI is certainly idiosyncratic, but there is a sense of strain about it. It's cluttered with contrived attempts to be original and offbeat: there's a man in an iron lung, a philosophizing character called The Stranger (Sam Elliot), an ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at David Dalgleish
Movie Hell (Michael J. Legeros)
THE BIG LEBOWSKI is closer to a character study than the caper comedy it thinks it is. Though neither as fit nor funny as FARGO, the Coen Brother's latest is still a must-see, first for Jeff Bridges, as a pothead bowler who calls himself "the Dude," and ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Movie Hell (Michael J. Legeros)
Globe and Mail (--)
Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)
Leave it to the Coen brothers to use a man urinating on a rug as the catalyst for an entire film's events. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)
Cinema em Cena (Pablo Villaça)
Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)
Viewers with a taste for bizarre, even surreal, humor will have a ball. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)
Steve Rhodes
There's only one problem, he doesn't have a wife. He does, however, have a real name, Jeff Lebowski, which unfortunately is shared by a filthy rich but chintzy guy, who goes by the name of The Big Lebowski (David Huddleston). And the worst part of The ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Steve Rhodes
JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
This film lacks much of the "punch" and originality that I loved about the Coens' earlier pictures. It never really bored me at any point, but at the same time, it never really excited me either. The comedy was lacking (only one inspired scene with John ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
SPLICEDwire (Rob Blackwelder)
Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
An out-of-work amatuer bowler gets mistaken for a wealthy business man due to having the same last name and becomes embroiled in a quagmire of trouble when the rich Lebowski's daughter gets kidnapped and he is entrusted with delivering the ransom money.Th ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
The Coen brothers' ``The Big Lebowski'' is a genial, shambling comedy about a human train wreck, and should come with a warning like the one Mark Twain attached to ``Huckleberry Finn'': ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
In a word, The Big Lebowski is a mess. But what a glorious, wonderfully-entertaining mess it is. This film, the Coen Brothers' follow-up to the critically-lauded Fargo, isn't likely to generate the same degree of universal praise. In fact, those expecting ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
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Movie Criticism for the Retarded
Originally, this piece was written and posted to this site in February of 2003. However, I have recently made some changes to the article, including adding some paragraphs that weren’t here initially. This rehash is here to commemorate that tonight, at ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Movie Criticism for the Retarded
The DVD Archives (Will Penley)
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The latest trend in filmmaking seems to be brothers working together behind the camera. There's Paul and Chris Weitz, who directed and produced (respectively) American Pie. Larry and Andy Wachowski co-wrote and co-directed both Bound and The Matrix. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at DVD Verdict (Mike Jackson)
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“The Big Lebowski†is the latest from the wild and wacky imagination of the Coen brothers, whose previous highlights include “Fargo,†“Raising Arizona†and “Barton Fink.†The brothers thrive on developing a central character and throwing ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Anchorage Press (Bostin Christopher)
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Krazy Kevin McElwee's review in "the eXile"
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Stockholm Film Review : The Big Lebowski
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What any viewer, and particularly any reviewer of The Big Lebowski has to acknowledge, I
think, is that much in the manner of the Naked Gun or Hot Shots films, what we have here is
a scattershot assortment of comic ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Nick's Flick Picks (Nick Davis)
Nitrate Online (Carrie Gorringe)
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Damen Nguyen in The Beautiful CountryA melting pot of concepts and cultures comes together in this muddled but occasionally effective drama. Social ostracism rears its ugly head for Vietnamese native Binh (Damien Nguyen), the son of an American GI who ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Palo Alto Online (Susan Tavernetti)
The Boston Phoenix
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CineFile : il Cinema in Rete (Mariela Bernardini)
Slate (Alex Ross)
This is a familiar debate, but Rafferty turns the usual cant around. It's the hypercapitalist studio mentality that is usually deemed corrupt. Independent films, no matter how incompetent, are thought to be well-meaning. Rafferty passes over obvious ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Slate (Alex Ross)
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Box Office Magazine
Boxoffice Magazine
Palo Alto Weekly (Susan Tavernetti)
Cinematter (Matt Williams)
The Coen Brothers have consistently released a string of quirky, offbeat, but highly entertaining films with only one minor stumble (Miller's Crossing). While The Big Lebowski delivers more of their typical oddball characters and situations, it is an ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Cinematter (Matt Williams)
DigitalVD.de (Tino Hahn)
Detroit News (Susan Stark)
Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
Let me start off by saying I'm not a Coen brothers fan. I watched "Fargo" after the Oscars and I said "Is this supposed to be funny?". "Fargo" had the 'ocker' type of humour, like "Northern Exposure", where you either laugh at these simple folks ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
David Sunga
Lebowsky gives the Dude a briefcase to drop off, but unfortunately, it gets stolen. This leads to a situation where various people come to punch the Dude's lights out: the angry millionaire Lebowski; Lebowski's eccentric artist daughter Maude and her ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at David Sunga
Media-Assault.com (Sean Caszatt)
The Big Lebowski concerns a man who goes by the name of The Dude (Jeff Bridges). His real name is Jeff Lebowski, but he doesn't want anyone to call him that. When two thugs break into his apartment demanding money that his wife owes to their boss, they ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at Media-Assault.com (Sean Caszatt)
Projectionist (Sean Caszatt)
EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)
Released after the high point of Fargo, this messay comedy stars Jeff Bridges as a slack-brained pothead sucked into a bizarre intrigue, but the best turn is given by Turturro as a gay Latino bowler urging his ball with sexy thrusts of his pelvis. ...read the complete Big Lebowski movie review at EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)
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