The Big Lebowski

Name: The Big Lebowski
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Released: March 6, 1998
Duration: 117 min
Rating: 71
Cast: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman

1998

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 46 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 738 Ratings

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8.6

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8.6	User Score Universal acclaim based on 738 Ratings

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The Big Lebowski

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Movie Details & Credits

Gramercy Pictures (I) | Release Date: March 6, 1998 | R

Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman

Summary: A scattered farce about a pothead bowler who is mistaken for a deadbeat philanthropist.

Director: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen

Genre(s): Comedy, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 117 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Empire Ian Nathan

For those who delight in the Coens' divinely abstract take on reality, this is pure nirvana (cross Blood Simple with Raising Arizona if you must), yet beyond the hysterical black comedy, scattered violence and groovy dialogue, there sounds the same song to human goodness which enriched Fargo. Read full review

100

Joe Holleman

So I'll just say this: The Big Lebowksi is an excellent movie - and damn funny.

Desson Thomson

With their inspired, absurdist taste for weird, peculiar Americana-but a sort of neo-Americana that is entirely invented-the Coens have defined and mastered their own bizarre subgenre. Read full review

David Sterritt

Viewers with a taste for bizarre, even surreal, humor will have a ball. Read full review

William Arnold

Just a silly mess of a movie in which no one is trying very hard to do anything but goof off. [6 March 1998]

Alex Ross

The great flaw in most of the Coens' work is, surprisingly, an inability to sustain a plot over a two-hour span. Read full review

Ken Fox

If it's all supposed to be in fun, why does it feel so much like an insult? Read full review

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User Reviews

ArkonBlade

Sep 2, 2010

the one thing you can almost always say about the coen brothers is they are inovative with there films . this is a very funny film with a entertaining plot . great acting especially by goodman and bridges . its a great film that if you wana see some thing funny and differnt then you shouldthe one thing you can almost always say about the coen brothers is they are inovative with there films . this is a very funny film with a entertaining plot . great acting especially by goodman and bridges . its a great film that if you wana see some thing funny and differnt then you should deffinitly check this out.… Expand

6 of 8 users found this helpful62

Nadirt

Jun 25, 2007

"Ve f*#cks you up! Ve takes ze money." Simply put, the greatest movie to ever enter my psyche. I have sat for days quoting it to my friends who also feel the same. The Dude is quite possibly one of the most memorable characters in cinematic history. So too is Walter, Donnie, Maude, Ullie, "Ve f*#cks you up! Ve takes ze money." Simply put, the greatest movie to ever enter my psyche. I have sat for days quoting it to my friends who also feel the same. The Dude is quite possibly one of the most memorable characters in cinematic history. So too is Walter, Donnie, Maude, Ullie, Brant, Jesus... If you don't get it, thank God. The little Lebowski urban achievers that do are that much cooler due to your ignorance. My dirty undies Dude, my f.ckin' whites.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful

TheDude-

Jun 29, 2015

The big lebowski is one of the best films of all time the characters have a likability that most films cant capture, the dialogue is one of the funniest and most natural I have ever seen and the film has a lot of things to uncover such as theories that are not directly told but in a subtleThe big lebowski is one of the best films of all time the characters have a likability that most films cant capture, the dialogue is one of the funniest and most natural I have ever seen and the film has a lot of things to uncover such as theories that are not directly told but in a subtle way so multiple viewings is beneficial and a lot of fun.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

CoDFather

Sep 11, 2010

Ok, this, like any other Coen Brothers' movie, is hilarious as **** and **** is pretty funny nowadays. all the quotes, all the humor, all the characters/ actors, all the stuff you're gonna remember for the rest of your life. In my opinion, this is Joel Coen's best movie that wasn't nominatedOk, this, like any other Coen Brothers' movie, is hilarious as **** and **** is pretty funny nowadays. all the quotes, all the humor, all the characters/ actors, all the stuff you're gonna remember for the rest of your life. In my opinion, this is Joel Coen's best movie that wasn't nominated for any Oscars. In that case, Fargo is the best of Joel Coen's that actually won Oscars. I would recommend this movie to all Coen Brothers' fans. I would also recommend tuning- out all distractions and pay attention to the movie, because there's some **** you just might not understand without a bowl o' popcorn and no one to annoy you while you're trying to pay attention.… Expand

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

YungKang

Jun 20, 2018

If you don't like this movie at first, keep revisiting it. Eventually you will.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ahmedaiman999

Mar 21, 2018

The story's message is very simple as in all Coen Brothers' movies, the symbolism is so subtle and exquisite as in all Coen Brothers' movies, and every character with or without an arc or a sub-plot has a thing to do in the movie's plot or at least make you appreciate the movie even moreThe story's message is very simple as in all Coen Brothers' movies, the symbolism is so subtle and exquisite as in all Coen Brothers' movies, and every character with or without an arc or a sub-plot has a thing to do in the movie's plot or at least make you appreciate the movie even more than you do, but despite all that the redundancy of using the allegory by using many characters and sub-plots with the fast pacing could make you feel the movie's story is very sophisticated and convoluted even it's not. Also, I found some characters haven't been merged well with the plot (even they are very meaningful like the rest of the characters as I said). That being said, these issues didn't bother me at all as I was so invested in each character and I really enjoyed every second in the movie.

Jeff Bridges maybe give the best performance in his career. It's really a shame he didn't get an Oscar nomination for his vivid and stellar performance in The Big Lebowski. John Goodman was great, and he had a wonderful chemistry with Steve Buscemi as well as with Jeff Bridges.
Philip Seymour Hoffman didn't have a lot of time on the screen but he was so hilarious.

Roger Deakins did an awesome job as usual and crafted not just a beautiful cinematography but also a very smart and shiny one that has aged (and will age) very well.

The soundtrack maybe is one of the best soundtracks ever put to movie. It's a very very underrated one.

The Big Lebowski is a delightful ride. It's one of the best Coen Brothers' movies, and hands down it's the most "Coen Brothers" Coen Brothers' movie.

(8.5/10)… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

jr1445

Apr 12, 2015

This is not the worst movie ever made by established star like Bridges, Moore, and Goodman. But it's close. Horrible. Not funny, not smart, not witty, not entertaining in the least.

1 of 20 users found this helpful119

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35	#35 Best Movie of 1998
2	#2 Most Discussed Movie of 1998
7	#7 Most Shared Movie of 1998