The Big Lebowski

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Another movie I put into my queue after seeing Fargo.

I was totally delighted with this movie from beginning to end. The plot seemed a strong element to me, daffy as it was. I’ve read since that it’s reminiscent of The Big Sleep, and I see it, but really The Big Lebowski is more coherent and more satisfying. How is it that I found this movie so funny, from end to end, while I couldn’t take Raising Arizona, also by the Coen brothers, for more than about five minutes? I don’t know. Fargo is still my favorite Coen brothers movie, because that movie has a character—the Frances McDormand character—who has moral weight who fits seamlessly into the rest of its wild mix, and The Big Lebowski’s wild mix doesn’t have such a character. However, it does have “The Dude” who as a character I found just as delightful, if not moreso. Sheer chaotic life-force Falstaffian comedy.