For decades, Jeff Bridges has been appearing in critically acclaimed films such as The Last Picture Show and Seabiscuit, most recently winning his first Academy Award for his portrayal of a broken-down country singer in Crazy Heart. Twelve years ago, Bridges starred in a film that was less of a commercial success, but can still be considered a modern cult classic. This film, written and directed by Ethan and Joel Coen, is the engaging mystery-comedy The Big Lebowski.

In the film, Bridges portrays Jeff Lebowski, a jobless bum who calls himself “The Dude” and spends all his time smoking marijuana, drinking White Russians and bowling with his friends Walter (John Goodman) and Donny (Steve Buscemi). One seemingly normal day, The Dude enters his house and discovers two gangsters who threaten him, claiming that his wife owes money to a man named Jackie Treehorn. The Dude protests that he doesn’t have a wife and that they have the wrong Lebowski, to which one of the gangsters responds by urinating on The Dude’s rug. The hoodlums soon realize that they do in fact have the wrong Lebowski and leave. The Dude, upon Walter’s encouragement, visits the other “Big Lebowski” (David Huddleston) in the hopes of repayment for his soiled rug. Although Lebowski refuses, he calls The Dude back several days later asking him for help in finding his kidnapped wife, Bunny, suspecting that the culprits are the same people that broke into The Dude’s house. What follows is a hilarious series of unfortunate events as The Dude searches for Bunny’s kidnappers and faces many outrageous obstacles along the way.

One of the great triumphs of The Big Lebowski is its unique cinematography. It contains mesmerizing, psychedelic dream sequences reminiscent of the recent popular film Shutter Island. One particular cut that stands out is one of a bowling ball rolling down the lane and striking the pins, which was shot from inside the holes of the bowling ball. The film is also edited to perfection, containing a classic rock soundtrack that perfectly complements the movie’s general vibe. At times, the synchronization of a cheerful ’60s song with a depiction of one of The Dude’s comical misfortunes makes the film even more amusing.

The film is also noteworthy for its ensemble of terrific actors, all of whom contribute to making the absurd storyline somewhat more believable. Jeff Bridges’ role may not have been as Oscar-worthy as his most recent performance in Crazy Heart, but it is certainly charismatic and pity-inducing. This emotion does not, however, get in the way of the film’s sheer hilarity. John Goodman’s portrayal of Walter, a converted Jew who is obsessed with talking about his experience as a Vietnam War veteran, may be the funniest part of the movie. Another great performance was Julianne Moore as Maude, the Big Lebowski’s quirky, feminist daughter, who also delivers some of the most entertaining moments in the film. Although all of these performances were excellent, a problematic aspect of the film is that these actors were not able to escape the cinematic stereotypes that many of them fit to a tee. Nonetheless, the film’s sheer farcicality made these clichés slightly more acceptable.

The screenplay itself is, as previously stated, fully absurdist and campy. The characterizations and witty dialogue make the film indisputably recognizable as the work of the Coen brothers. However, the more lewd humor evokes a sharp contrast with many of the brothers’ other films, including Fargo, which came out a year earlier and won an Academy Award for its screenplay, which presented a much more subdued humor than is seen in The Big Lebowski. The conclusion of the film can be viewed as silly, and to the jaded moviegoer, is most certainly predictable. The pace and utter entertainment of the film throughout renders this weakness insignificant. The Big Lebowski is truly unique, as can be said about most Coen brothers films. It can best be described as a hodgepodge of exaggerated characters, preposterous situations and unforgettably hysterical moments, which come together to create a work of comedic legend.