In the early 1990s an idle, carefree Los Angeles "Dude" who likes to bowl and is particularly fond of his rug at home gets mistaken for a disabled, goldbricking and pompous millionaire with the same name. This sets off a chain of events involving a kidnap-and-ransom exchange that gets him (and his pals) entangled with an indelible assortment of weirdos including the millionaire's spoiled tween of a trophy wife, as well as his brazen, sensual daughter, plus a knockabout group of nihilists. Flippant, bizarro Coen brothers dark comedy has quotable lines, voluminous swearing, plenty of laughs, and a purposely silly storyline that isn't required to make sense; plays like a series of strange (to put it mildly) segments patched together but it's proficiently cast all-around with a memorable outing for Bridges who nonchalantly loafs through the picture, and a juicy part for Goodman as The Dude's violence-prone bowling buddy. Audacious and outrageous it's definitely an acquired taste, but if it's fun to watch then why complain too much? **½
Review of The Big Lebowski
