The hoods had confused him with a much richer man with the same name. Bridges pays a visit to the other Big Lebowski (David Huddleston), demanding a new rug. Instead, he sucked into a vortex of kidnapping, payoffs, and violence, although nobody really gets hurt except for poor Steve Buscemi, and Aimee Mann's toe.
Bridges isn't in alone, though. His easily provoked bowling buddy, John Goodman, is on his side. And Julianne Moore, who turns out to be the only Lebowski who actually has money, takes an odd sexual interest in him.
Other players include the Big Lebowski's trophy wife, Tara Reid, and his sycophant, Philip Seymour Hoffman. There's also gay porn producer Ben Gazzara and his two henchmen Philip Moon and Mark Pelligrino; three German nihilists (Flea, Torsten Voges, Peter Stormare), who pretend to kidnap Tara Reid; and flamboyant bowler John Turturro, who must have been disappointed by his minimalist role.
How others will see it. The Big Lebowski proved a dud in theaters. Critical praise was generally faint. The film was ignored by the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, and BAFTA.
But time has been kind to both The Big Lebowski and the Coen Brothers. The movie was added to the prestigious National Film Registry in 2014, and today at imdb.com the film has a tremendous 550K user votes and a lofty user rating of 8.2 out of 10. True, the rating declines from 8.4 to 7.9 with increasing age of the viewer. Also, a gender spread is evident. Women over 45 grade it only 7.3.
Nonetheless, the overall average grade is 8.2, the highest of any Coen Brothers film, above even the heralded No Country for Old Men, and another highly regarded crime drama, Fargo, both at 8.1. All Coen films are quirky, but The Big Lebowski goes further than usual, and is too strange for many viewers. But most regard the film as hilarious. The typical fan has seen the film several times, and certain lines (e.g. "the dude abides") have crept into pop culture, to the bewilderment of those who have never seen it, or have since forgotten about it.
How I felt about it. There are a number of Joel Coen films that I haven't seen. They keep making 'em, you know. Of those I have seen, I would rate only two ahead of The Big Lebowski: Fargo and Raising Arizona. Fargo is a different film altogether, but Raising Arizona is much like The Big Lebowski. If Raising Arizona is better, it is because Francis Ford Coppola's nephew (Nicolas Cage) is a more endearing comic actor than Lloyd Bridges' son Jeff. Also, I'll take Holly Hunter over Julianne Moore, and Randall 'Tex' Cobb over a trio of German nihilists. John Goodman is a neutral factor, since he's in both films.
But there's no denying that The Big Lebowski has its moments, and plenty of them. Cassette tapes of Creedence Clearwater Revival become the source of clever dialogue. Wealthy businessman David Huddleston and his fawning assistant Philip Seymour Hoffman are the most amusing such duo since Montgomery Burns and Mr. Smithers. Goodman's unpredictable temper and criminally bad judgment somehow complement the peaceable natures of Bridges and Buscemi.
There are perhaps too many characters, and too many subplot complications, in a Coen Brothers' nod The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon. Maude Lebowski is perhaps too surreal, though she does have a funny laugh. It's sad that Steve Buscemi is needlessly killed off. How can the bowling team win their semifinals without him?