‘The Big Lebowski’ Improves with Age
Some movies are so imminently quotable and frequently hilarious that they command a viewer’s attention the whole way through. The first time I saw “The Big Lebowski” in theaters back in 1998, I was somewhat confused by the on-screen spectacle. At the time, there’s no way I would have placed it among the top comedy movies of all time. In truth, I didn’t know what to expect from this movie. It certainly wasn’t anything like the Coen Brothers’ previous offering, the relatively straightforward “Fargo.”
As it turned out, repeat viewings allowed me to appreciate the movie for the comedic masterpiece it is. Jeff Bridges turns in perhaps his signature role as Jeffrey Lebowski (I don’t care if he did just win an Oscar), a down-on-his-luck acid casualty from the ’60s. The adventures of “The Dude” and his best buddy Walter Sobchak function as a witty subversion of hardboiled crime thrillers and shaggy dog narratives. The Big Lebowski used to be the quintessential cult comedy, but with people sporting Big Lebowski shirts like this one from our movie t shirt collection and annual gatherings to celebrate the film, it has certainly risen above cult status.
