The Raymond Chandler Comedy Picture Show

The Big Lebowski (1998)

Written and Directed by the Coen Brothers, Joel & Ethan

*** (out of 4)

On the surface The Big Lebowski appears to be one of the most original comedies conceived of in recent years. The film is very innovative in its use of comedy in conjunction with a bizarre, especially intricate caper. While the comedy aspect of The Big Lebowski is funny and original in its own regard, the crime element in the film is highly evocative of the works of author Raymond Chandler, specifically The Big Sleep (1946) directed by Howard Hawks, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

In that film resourceful and slick-talking private investigator Phillip Marlowe (Bogart) is hired by a rich family to take care of some problems and soon he becomes mixed up in a perplexing lark involving murder, blackmail and love. The Coens put a unique spin on this premise by using Jeff Lebowski (who prefers to be called “The Dude), an unemployed, middle-aged deadbeat whose typical outfit consists of tacky shorts, a ratty white t-shirt, an open sweater and sunglasses, as their amateur sleuth. The Dude becomes drawn into the puzzling case when he is mistaken for Millionaire Jeff Lebowski (David Huddleston) by two goons who urinate on The Dude’s rug. These men are after the millionaire because his trophy wife Bunny (Tara Reid) owes some people a lot of money around town.

Naturally, Lebowski and his assistant Brandt (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) think The Dude is the perfect man to act as courier when the bad guys demand a ransom for Bunny. The Dude asks for the advice of his bowling buddies in the mulish Walter (John Goodman) and the mild-mannered Donny (Steve Buscemi). Walter gets The Dude to believe that the kidnapping isn’t what it seems and may be part of some twisted plot by Lebowski. Like Marlowe in The Big Sleep, The Dude encounters a myriad of characters in the exceedingly feminist Maude Lebowski (Julianne Moore), porn publisher Jacky Treehorn (Ben Gazzara), a sadistic Malibu chief of police (Leon Rossum) and a trio of German nihilists. Also, noteworthy in a role unrelated to the alleged kidnapping is John Turturro as oddball bowler champion Jesus Quintana.

The Dude’s meetings with these people coupled with a few red herrings serves only to strengthen his conviction that something fishy is going on with the kidnapping. Like in the The Big Sleep the viewer is not supposed to be able to make sense of the events in The Big Lebowski, but rather is supposed to enjoy the sharp dialogue and vivid characters. The plot line merely serves as means for bringing these eccentric characters together. Fans of film-noir should recognize the use of a blackout dream sequence found in Murder My Sweet (1944) starring Dick Powell with the novel by Chandler.

One minor complaint would be the fact that really nothing in the plot is resolved. I understand that the plot is purposely complex, but perhaps a bit more could be clarified to satisfy the viewer’s interest in the case (Although I believe that keeping certain things vague is key, because the story is scene from the perspective of The Dude and not hardboiled private investigator). Despite this qualm, the Coens succeed in delivering a different type of comedy/crime piece that his comical and clever.