The Big Lebowski
I have recently heard that a film should teach you something about life by telling a story. Now, a story can be absolutely brilliant but the mise en scène can be absolutely horrible and unwatchable. Now, “The Big Lebowski” surely is greatly directed, there is no doubt about that. And the storyline itself is absolutely wonderful and full of funny references, which definitely has contributed to its cult status.
The film makes me want to drink a White Russian. It reminds me that I need a signature drink – I’m considering making it a martini as pre-dinner cocktail and a white grasshopper.
Now, at least 3 people told me that I should watch the film, and perhaps right now was the perfect time for me to do so. It’s as if seeing “The Big Lebowski” made me realize what I like about a movie: When it attempts to solve the mystery of life by telling a story and incorporating a million details of humanity. To me, posing questions by showing is so much nicer than any psychological analysis in a scientific context. In fact, I have read an absolutely horrible ‘scientifical’ article today, which reminds me yet again that I am most definitely never in my life going to study film. I would like to study something (like a mix of theology, political philosophy, history, photography and directing) that is not explicitly film – with the intent to actually study film. At least to me that sounds like something more reasonable.
I’m sorry for digressing. So what made “The Big Lebowski” enjoyable on so many levels? First of all, it was quite funny and entertaining. The whole story is like a roller coaster in a floppy way like “Some Like it Hot” was and it’s full of quotable scenes making it funny for seemingly any type of humor. But there’s more to that, and the fact that the Coen brothers do the Jarmusch thing definitely helped; they write up characters to match the acting of their friends like the roles of John Goodman and Steve Buscemi (who I love btw!), making those characters so much more “alive” even when they don’t have so much acting time. John Goodman’s character is an amazing asshole, but he drives the story further, provides some good laughs and is an amazingly non-stereotypical way to depict a character who could just as well stand for a whole generation of middle-aged men. The same applies to the Dude, the likeable loser: He fails at life, but at the same time it feels he has his heart at the right place and he was smart enough to look through the other Lebowski’s plan. The combination of hilarity, identification potential with the characters and an intriguing story where the characters are confronted both with each other and unusual situations make “The Big Lebowski” into a treasure box of truths about what life is. The best example is Donny’s death – we see how non-chalantly the other two deal with it and yet there is some mix of emotions and irony in the scene where Donny’s ashes are shattered. It’s like “Fight Club” without the fights.
I also love how there is no actual conclusion to the story, no big picture, just a good storyline. There is no climax or some dramatic end that the story has built up to (think fight against the big boss), there is no mastermind behind or it a big plot revealed – there isn’t even a million dollars to begin with. In the end, it’s more like an adventurous slice of life, the ultimate paradox.
If you have read this far: Yes, I find the way I am ranting about “The Big Lebowski” weird too, and it is utterly different from how I used to speak about “Fargo” which I would consider a very similar type of Coen movie. Maybe at that time I just wasn’t as susceptible for films like that, or I just didn’t get the story. Who knows. At any rate, I am aware that the thoughtful layer of “The Big Lebowski” is a very subtle one and therefore seems quite difficult to pinpoint to me. But it’s the main thing I got out of watching the film (oddly enough), so I apologize.
So don’t watch “The Big Lebowski” for the stuff I have ranted about, but do watch it if you are into black comedies.