The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski (1998)

  • 80% of critics liked it
    (83 reviews)

  • 93% of users liked it
    (305,096 ratings)

The plot of this Raymond Chandler-esque comedy crime caper from the Coen Brothers (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen) pivots around a case of mistaken identity complicated by extortion, double-crosses, deception, embezzlement, sex, pot, and gallons of White Russians (made with fresh cream, please). In 1991,… More

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R, 1 hr. 58 min.
Directed By
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Written By
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Genres
Comedy
In Theaters
Mar 6, 1998 Wide
On DVD
Oct 27, 1998
Gramercy Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • Todd McCarthy, Variety

    Adds up to considerably less than the sum of its often scintillating parts.

  • Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

    The result is a lot of laughs and a feeling of awe toward the craftsmanship involved. I doubt that there'll be anything else like it the rest of this year.

  • Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

    A typical Coen brothers film is like no film you've ever seen.

  • Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

    As tempting as it is to completely dismiss The Big Lebowski, it's hard to do because the Coens are able to create wickedly funny eccentrics and possess the ability to energize certain actors to inhabit them completely.

  • James Berardinelli, ReelViews

    The Big Lebowski is a mess. But what a glorious, wonderfully-entertaining mess it is.

Read all 21 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • John M


    The Dude abides. Not much else I can say but what a great movie this is. One of the all time great cult films.

  • Mark W


    This film has such a massive cult following that it has even spawned a traveling, annual festival called "The Lebowski Fest", at which fans congregate dressed as their favourite characters. It has also amassed a new belief system called "Dudeism" of which you can… More

  • Greg S


    When thugs urinate on his carpet in a case of mistaken identity, 60s burnout "the Dude" is drawn into a complicated caper involving a millionaire's kidnapped porn-star wife---in the middle of his bowling league playoffs! This quirky Coen brothers gem is, almost without… More

  • Kevin C


    A perfect 10. That's a bowling joke. And a double meaning. This movie is a perfect 10. If this movie was a woman, I'd be kind of grossed out.... But a little attracted. But this movie is a movie, not a woman.

  • Directors C


    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] It's a fact that the 1990's wasn't the best decade for witty and smart comedy movies, but The Big Lebowski was an exception. It's a real shame the critics didn't embrace it because… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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