Is The Big Lebowski a cultural milestone?The Dude, Donny and Walter (photo courtesy of Universal Pictures)
By Finlo Rohrer BBC News Magazine
It's 10 years since the release of The Big Lebowski, a film that split cinema audiences down the middle but created a strange cult. Is The Dude a slacker prince for our times? Not everybody likes The Big Lebowski. The Big Lebowski is a cult film. That is to say, not everybody likes it but those who do, in the main, have a special relationship with it. When it was released, as the follow-up to the Coen brothers' well-regarded and academy-impressing Fargo, many critics found themselves underwhelmed. Fargo was a film that hung together well - tightly paced and plotted, full of dark humour and moments of pathos. The Big Lebowski, on the other hand, could be viewed as two hours of wild self-indulgence, packed to the gills with bowling, White Russian cocktails, and swearing...
The rest of the story here.
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1:30 pm update. Now its only the third most emailed item after the world financial meltdown and something about Sarah Palin. What's the matter with you people, don't you know a real story when you see it?
10 comments:
a stoner classic
agreed,
The Big L and Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle = the perfect stoner evening.
thanks for the comment, man
TOP FUCKING NOTCH.....I've got high hopes of a Coen brothers box set for my forthcoming birthday.........oi - kids are you paying attention?
Coen Brothers box set. Yes. Come on boys give the punters what they want.
I'm a big Coens fan - I even liked Intolerable Cruelty, and didn't absolutely despise The Ladykillers (even though I love the Ealing original). I struggle to name my favourite Coens film, but The Big L is certainly a condender.
I once watched it with my ex after having raved about it for weeks to her. When it was over, she turned to me and asked, "What was so great about that?"
I must admit, I struggled to explain it. Mind you, that she asked the question might explain why she's now my ex.
Stuart
Yeah I agree. I think their weakest films have been the ones with Clooney but even they're pretty entertaining.
Hard to say which is my favourite but the first three are hard to beat Blood Simple, Millers Xing, Raising Arizona.
Wow.
a...
I've only seen "No Country for Old Men". I know.......I should be ashamed.
Actually, nope, reading Conduit's comment just reminded me. I've also seen "Intolerable Cruelty".
TCS
GET THEE TO A VIDEO STORE,
or netflix queue
or Torrent download.
Your life wont be complete until Blood Simple, Barton Fink, Raising Arizona, Fargo, Millers Xing at least.
Late to the table here, but TBL is one of my favourites. Yeah, maybe it's an indulgence, but to what harm? Sure wasn't The Dude's whole life an indulgence too?
The Slacker Movie may have died out, but I'm glad this one has achieved immortality through its cult status.
Has it really been ten years, though? Jesus.
gb
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