The Coens' weakest film in my opinion is Intolerable Cruelty.
In terms of their "quirky" [as kermode puts it] films, The Big Lebowski is by far the best......nowhere near as good as Fargo [obviously] but much funnier than Raising Arizona. I wouldn't comapre it to Blue Brothers because, for me, Blue Brothers is much more disjointed and ramshackle.....
Oh, God.... well.... this was funny. This was the closest thing to actually being out there with the guy, waiting for him to go into the movie theatre and then come out and sit down with him in the back alley to listen to him.
Kermode, The Coens have said themselves that The Big Lebowski is a story of an unlikely character being put into a story that you would find in a Raymond Chandler novel, and these novels have always been very 'episodic' as the Coens said themselves in an interview. The 'series of moments' is done on purpose.
Mark, I disagree with you saying it's disjointed. It's supposed to be that way, it's part of their characters. Like as soon as the dude's life gets really screwed up, they are not crying about it, they get some coke and have a drink. It's like they don't give a fuck. They are slackers unable to comprehend the gravity of their situation. I didn't think it was as great as it was when I first saw it. However the more you watch it, the better it gets. It's about Desert Storm and who are the heros.
There is so, so much being said in the Big Lebowski. That's not the reason I love it, I love it mainly for the reasons Mark points out, but he's completely wrong to say it's a 'right, old mess.' It's probably the most political movie they've made and it's disappointing that a professional reviewer like Kermode didn't access that level. It's also a fantastic take on masculinity and emasculation in particular. This isn't why I fell in love with it, but those things are there.
I didn't like it the first time either. Switched it off after 40 minutes or so. Second time I watched it thought it was one of the funniest films I'd ever seen!
I couldnt agree more, i watched The Big Lebowski 3 times on a 3 day streak, firstly because i didnt like it the first time and due to its huge following, i thought i must have missed something, the 2nd time i found it a bit funnier than my 1st, and on my 3rd watch i also came to the conclusion that its just an ok movie and its all about its moments. It is a messy structure less film, and id go as far to say theres no story, there certainly wasnt an ending, but, it had its moments
Remember, this is the guy who liked every Twilight film. Every.Last.One. Emphatically.
I get the impression one of the biggest quirks that informs his opinions of films is that he seems to love to hate things that are popular that aren't totally impeachable, and loves to defend films that are largely unpopular. Understandable, but kind of annoying.
The Big Lebowski is a film much like, say, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It's not any sort of technical or artistic triumph, but it's incredibly effective with its basic premise: aging burnt out sardonic hippie placed in the middle of a Dashiell Hammett novel.
It's a movie that's pulpy, witty and genuinely funny and I'm glad that Kermode at least gave it another look; because, it's down there somewhere.
@thanatogenos Or it's a bit like Withnail and I, it's not very plot driven but it's a succession of truly hilarious scenes and great comic performances.
This review echoes my personal experience with the movie. I very much disliked the movie when I first watched it, sitting on the sofa with a bunch of friends who've hyped up the movie for the very reasons you've mentioned.
The only reason I revisited the movie after 10 years is due in part to the number of positives from various people I've met over the years and their high praise of Jeff Bridges' character. I'm glad I did, but only for the set pieces in the movie.
@kermodeandmayo you say that the film doesn't come together as a coherent whole.
To you I say; All The Dude wanted was his rug back. It really tied the room together.
Are you upset because The Dude didn't get his rug back in the end?
This film has everything. Comedy, tragedy, violence, mutilation, porn stars/hookers, kidnapping, double and triple crosses, nihilists, nudity and Steve Buscemi,
Then there's the dialogue. I don't know of any other film with as many quotable lines as it (cont...)
@chanceie12 how many films have done? How many times have they moved you to tears? How many times have they made you laugh (john Goodman doesn't count lol)? How many times have they came up with a clever plot?
@keflar5 yeah true they havent moved me , but they have done the rest , Fargo , Big L , Rasing Arizona , NCOM, those our some of my fav films , just because you dont like it dosent make you right.
most overrated films of all time 1. The Lion King 2. Apocolypse Now 3. Lost in Translation 4. The Big Lebowski 5. Fargo 6. Toy Story 2/3 7. Return Of The King 8. Dances With Wolves 9. titanic 10. Bladerunner 11. Any other boring Coen rubbish
"A movie of moments". Exactly Kermode. Not a great film, just a bunch scenes put together. So much to love, though. The first time I watched it, I was negative about it but overtime it became one of my favorite flicks. It is so rewatchable just for the Dude and Goodman.
Raising Arizona and Burn After Reading are some of the Coen Brothers' best movies. Whereas I'd say that Barton Fink was (by Coen Brothers standard) one of their lower points.
Some people love Fargo and some really don't like it at all and I think the deciding factor is whether you recognise that it's a joke. If that passes you by then it actually comes off rather miserable and depressing.
By comparison the humour of Big Lebowski is more accessible and that's why so many people love it.
Also, how are Barton Fink and Fargo NOT quirky movies? Barton Fink ends with John Goodman running with a shotgun down a hallway which sets itself on fire shouting Biblical verses at a detective, for fuck's sake!
mark looks amusingly smug as he exits the showing and summons the camera to the steps, i love the lebowski but i do agree with his view about it's structure. although it's much better than the not very good 'burn after reading'
I like the film, he doesn't like it much. Doesn't bother me a jot. I still rate his reviews above any one else - we don't always have to agree on EVERYTHING
I dont agree with this fella.Burn After Reading was a very smart movie.No country for old men and The big Lebowski are one of the best movies i have ever seen
The whole point is that it's an anti-plot. It spoofs Chandler-esque hard boiled thrillers and the joke is that the entire narrative revolves around a red herring- no real crime has taken place. For me, that made it even funnier.
It's so nice to see someone as intelligent and knowledgeable about films give a verdict against the mainstream that is the same as mine. For years everyone's been going on at me that it's the best film ever made and how amazing it is. I've seen it quite a few times, I enjoyed watching it, I laughed a lot, I own it on DVD … but it's nowhere near as good as films like No Country for Old Men.
@jamiewindsor i saw No country for old men. i guess it has parts in it that were tense, but i didn't really enjoy it. i felt it was too violent and didn't really have a story worth telling, but it was not a bad film :) certainly better than Transformers and the like :P
@ec123456789able I mention No Country for Old Men because I went to see a double bill of that with The Big Lebowski at Riverside Studios and it was very clear seeing them in direct comparison like that.
Didn't you feel let down by the ending of No Country for Old Men? I don't mean the bad guy getting away. I mean before that when we don't even get to see what happens to the protagonist and after that when the movie ends with Tommy-Lee Jones sharing some barely relevant twaddle about a nightmare.
The ending felt very anti-climactic to me. (In fact, I think bringing up the credits the moment the bad guy ran off would be more satisfying.)
@Fatpie42 I really liked the end. Thought it was possibly the best part of the film. Really interesting point about how its our perception of the world rather than reality that shifts. Very intelligent and very subtle.
My favourite reviewer reviewing my favourite film, I was not looking forward to this. Thankfully, the Doctor conceded some points and his review is alright. Obviously, The Big Lebowski is not just funny, it's brilliantly funny, and the plot of the movie, is not Bunny or the rug, it is the dialogue itself. That's the real plot, self-referential and chock full of callbacks, it's an absolute joy.
I thought the idea of it being all over the place was to parody the often convoluted and needlessly complicated plots of the film noir films that inspired it.
Fair play for re-watching it though. Now onto Breaking The Waves.
Hah, I didn't know anyone said that it's their best work. Jeeze, people. I *love* The Big Lebowski like a brother and seen it at least a dozen times, but I would never call it their best movie or even close to it. I love it for, as Kermode put it, anarchism. It's careless, free, a funny series of moments circling around a rug. It's a big giant Why? And I love that about it. But jeeze, just from a technical standpoint it's no where near their best. It's a great film in its own vein.
@TheRaysimon Sorry, I wasn't very clear. The POV device was my second point, not the main one. Also, I mispelled Pi. That's the film my main point was about. When the "unreliable narrator" is our only window into the world of the film, that world will be as distorted as their POV. In Pi, he's also disturbed, so the film is too. "The Dude" is freewheeling, the film follows him, so the film is also freewheeling. I hope that's clearer.
@TheRaysimon I'm refering to a literary technique. I see no reason why it can't also work for cinema. In fact, I can think of a superb example where it works perfectly: Pie. That film only makes sense when you realise that the narrator is delusional and we're only seeing the world as *he* sees it. In a novel, the narrative is the only window we have into the world of the story. The Dexter series of novels is a perfect example of this. The TV version uses multiple-perspective for obvious reasons.
@martincrodgers Ah, but now you're talking about point-of-view, not the lack of structure that Mark talks about. I'd say that the film's 'messiness' is hardly an expression of the Dude's warped point-of-view. That just seems like a feeble way to justify lax story-telling.
Why is being a "right old mess" such a problem? I think it has plenty of structure - the kind that matches "The Dude"'s lifestyle. The film's structure is an expression of its subject's personality.
@martincrodgers could you be any more pretentious? This is the sort of bullshit you'd use in a GCSE English exam. So by the same logic you're saying that every film that is tightly structured and well-paced is a reflection of its main character's ... not-so-messy(?) personality.
@woodbell67 You are mate if you think a film can be all-over-the-place just because its protagonist is. To scrap plot and structure isn't cool or interesting; it's just lazy. You pretentious twerp.
Well hey, good on him for giving it another shot. Of course it's a mess, and whether you love it or not is a subjective thing. I think his Blues Brothers comparison is right on the money, and I adore both films.
I gotta agree with Kermode, this movie always felt like odds and ends. Like a casserole made from the Coen Bros' Thanksgiving leftovers. Though Turturro is pretty good.
I agree. To be honest it's all down to opinions. It has it's unique sense of humor but i sadly didn't get it unlike burn after reading which to me was brilliant!
You're wrong. You are, sorry Kermode, I like you but you have missed the point. It's meant to be plotted the way it is because it's loosely based on Raymond Chandler (The Big in the title is a reference to the Big Sleep) and Chandler's stories are famously meandering and wander from one scene to another, red herring here, loose plot strand there. The fact they were able to fill the film with such great character moments as well as the Chandleresque plot only elevates the film further.
@joncross26 I'd say that it comes down to whether you like that fairly aimless style of filmmaking. I do, but I can see why someone wouldn't, if you get my meaning. The Coen brothers always fill a film with interesting one-shot characters, but sometimes that can happen at the expense of narrative coherence, other times because of the slack style of the source material. In all, I agree with Mark; The Big Lebowski's more a sketch show than a film. Whether that's bad or not is entirely up to you...
@leaguesmanoframsgate But that's my point I don't think it's aimless, I think it's intentional and actually if you follow the plot, much like you might with a Chandler story, every scene, no matter how 'quirky' does have a point. I think it's clever how they pulled off what seems like a dopey comedy about an aimless slacker embroiled in these farcical events when really there is more to it than that and far from being a mess actually weaves everything together nicely and with some intricacy.
@joncross26 Whilst I agree with you that Chandler can do this, I question as to whether the Coen brothers pulled it off in The Big Lebowski. Literature is a much better medium to be aimless - and please understand, I mean this in a good way - in, because with film you don't have the time, especially in a comedy. This is more a problem with the medium rather than the film. I like The Big Lebowski, but I can see it has flaws. Nothing is perfect, no film is perfect, and I like it that way.
I'm proud of you Kermode! You swallowed your critics' pride and went some way to getting the Dude. Now you just have to reappraise My Own Private Idaho with an open mind. Hey, you like Udo Kier! He's got a mind blowing cameo in it.
As much as I liked The Big Lebowski and I think I'm more positive than the doctor I think he is right, it is all over the place. I love the first hour of it and then the second hour I was like, "WTF?" But its still good though, although I think Barton Fink is the brothers best work.
the chaos and incoherence comes from the character no? isn't that the point ? he bumbles his way through 'the case' in his stoner way oblivious to whats going on . . .
Thanks for another great opinion post and explanation of your thinking. Kindly remind your cameraman that your face should be in focus, not the background, nice though the Southbank is...
No Country for Old Men has no ending. Burn after Reading was terrible. the big Lebowski was okay. But he's right. The mob mentality that tires to make 2001: A Space Odyssey a immortal movie does the same to this.
along with o'brother where art thou, Lebowski, arizona and burn after reading gave me the biggest laughs, and i always have a preference to the quirky coen brother films, and much more likely to watch again on dvd as oppose to no country or barton fink. i hope the coen brothers keep on making the random quirky films!
Burn after reading is a strange one as it has some really excellant performances from Clooney, Pitt, Malkovich, jk simmons, mc dormund but still it doesnt quite work
I think its a matter of enjoyment personally, Apocalypse Now is an excellent, high quality film but I can't enjoy it again and again, whereas The Big Lebowski for all it's faults can be watched dozens of times and enjoyed immensely every single time.
Kermode has encapsulated what I feel about this movie. It's anarchic and the scenes are funny in of themselves, but don't connect well in the long run.
But I still love the film.
I can not say the same for No Country For Old Men. I saw absolutely no redeeming qualities in that film
Ah man, "Burn After Reading" was the first movie I'd seen in the cinema in years. Haven't seen one in the cinema since. It was absolute bloody rubbish.
The best Coen films for me would be the Pre / Post war fims : Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, O Brother Where Art Thou?, The Man Who Wasn't There. Outside of those then it would be Fargo followed by The Big Lebowski
In my opinion, the Coen's best film is "O Brother, Where Art Thou?". I recently watched The Big Lebowski and it's ok. Nothing amazing, and nothing terrible.
I like the movie. But I have to give Kermode credit on this. He's absolutely right! The movie is pretty much... a big bag of quotes. Delightful quotes. Lulz.
If the Coen Bothers are like Christopher Nolan where its is one for the studio and then one for me. Can we put films like Intolerable Cruelty and The LadyKillers into the "What is the best Coen Brothers film" debate or can we leave them out as being films to make great other films?
I think Kermode is going to have to do the same thing again in around 10 years or so and have another look at BURN AFTER READING. I think B.A.R. is not that bad a film at all, but hey... maybe I'm wrong huh?.
I know Mark Kermode's favourite Coen Brothers film is Barton Fink, the fans' favourite is The Big Lebowski and the critics' favourite, by and large, is Fargo. However, none of these are right. The Coen Brothers' best film is Miller's Crossing.
The Big Lebowski is a great film and many directors would like that film to be their greatest work . But I would agree with Mark its not their best work but its also not their worst work. It just fits nicely in between the both .
You don't know what you're talking about, Kermit. This aggression will not stand, man.
ashikmlakonja 20 hours ago
The Coen Brothers weakest film is The Ladykillers...end of story.
brogin 2 days ago
Well how could you not love that film with such little built up to it and a passive happy demeanor going in?
MrsPlaidpants 4 days ago
This has been flagged as spam show
the film is pretty good but it loses its way half way through
frogtastic1000 5 days ago
Comment removed
frogtastic1000 5 days ago
The Coens' weakest film in my opinion is Intolerable Cruelty.
In terms of their "quirky" [as kermode puts it] films, The Big Lebowski is by far the best......nowhere near as good as Fargo [obviously] but much funnier than Raising Arizona. I wouldn't comapre it to Blue Brothers because, for me, Blue Brothers is much more disjointed and ramshackle.....
WAAAAAAAAAAAY 1 week ago
The Coens weakest film is arguably The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), which really isn't terrible.
TheMorningcoffee001 1 week ago
agree it isnt there best , but it is there most fun movie.
chanceie12 2 weeks ago
kermode you are hilarious lol
frogtastic1000 2 weeks ago
I really liked Burn After Reading. It's not their best, but I think it's a much underrated film.
ThePsilocypher 1 month ago
Oh, God.... well.... this was funny. This was the closest thing to actually being out there with the guy, waiting for him to go into the movie theatre and then come out and sit down with him in the back alley to listen to him.
mrpossibilities 1 month ago
Kermode, The Coens have said themselves that The Big Lebowski is a story of an unlikely character being put into a story that you would find in a Raymond Chandler novel, and these novels have always been very 'episodic' as the Coens said themselves in an interview. The 'series of moments' is done on purpose.
Brewmaster757 1 month ago
Your description of the film is equally applicable to the lead character himself. THAT's why it's great.
Paullove89 1 month ago
Its not the Coens best film, but it is an awesome film. :-)
Peace and love <3
MrJol2000 2 months ago
Mark, I disagree with you saying it's disjointed. It's supposed to be that way, it's part of their characters. Like as soon as the dude's life gets really screwed up, they are not crying about it, they get some coke and have a drink. It's like they don't give a fuck. They are slackers unable to comprehend the gravity of their situation. I didn't think it was as great as it was when I first saw it. However the more you watch it, the better it gets. It's about Desert Storm and who are the heros.
Kombaiyashii 2 months ago
Being compared with "The Blues Brothers" - no bad thing :) Probably agree with all his points to be honest - still one of my favourite films.
spoonlamp 2 months ago
i just think its funny Marks fans made him see a movie he obviously didnt wannna see again.. lol Good sport.
TankMacnamara81 2 months ago
WHAT!? Raising Arizona is their best film :O
dogarmyrecords 2 months ago
There is so, so much being said in the Big Lebowski. That's not the reason I love it, I love it mainly for the reasons Mark points out, but he's completely wrong to say it's a 'right, old mess.' It's probably the most political movie they've made and it's disappointing that a professional reviewer like Kermode didn't access that level. It's also a fantastic take on masculinity and emasculation in particular. This isn't why I fell in love with it, but those things are there.
MrHennessy30 3 months ago
I didn't like it the first time either. Switched it off after 40 minutes or so. Second time I watched it thought it was one of the funniest films I'd ever seen!
czgibson 4 months ago
It's not funny at all. And the Coens are complete rubbish.
Also this video blog didn't really say much in four minutes did it.
Schlockenspiel 4 months ago
I couldnt agree more, i watched The Big Lebowski 3 times on a 3 day streak, firstly because i didnt like it the first time and due to its huge following, i thought i must have missed something, the 2nd time i found it a bit funnier than my 1st, and on my 3rd watch i also came to the conclusion that its just an ok movie and its all about its moments. It is a messy structure less film, and id go as far to say theres no story, there certainly wasnt an ending, but, it had its moments
SamHain1031666 5 months ago
I love Kermode. But I rarely agree with him.
Remember, this is the guy who liked every Twilight film. Every.Last.One. Emphatically.
I get the impression one of the biggest quirks that informs his opinions of films is that he seems to love to hate things that are popular that aren't totally impeachable, and loves to defend films that are largely unpopular. Understandable, but kind of annoying.
VirtuesPenumbra 5 months ago
thats just like totally his opinion
PaperMoonMedia 5 months ago 22
@PaperMoonMedia
totally
donnyab 4 months ago
Don't worry Mark, whether you liked it or not, the Dude abides. Taking it easy for all of us sinners.
Bagrah10 6 months ago 2
The Big Lebowski is a film much like, say, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It's not any sort of technical or artistic triumph, but it's incredibly effective with its basic premise: aging burnt out sardonic hippie placed in the middle of a Dashiell Hammett novel.
It's a movie that's pulpy, witty and genuinely funny and I'm glad that Kermode at least gave it another look; because, it's down there somewhere.
thanatogenos 6 months ago
@thanatogenos Or it's a bit like Withnail and I, it's not very plot driven but it's a succession of truly hilarious scenes and great comic performances.
graemeoliver84 4 months ago
This review echoes my personal experience with the movie. I very much disliked the movie when I first watched it, sitting on the sofa with a bunch of friends who've hyped up the movie for the very reasons you've mentioned.
The only reason I revisited the movie after 10 years is due in part to the number of positives from various people I've met over the years and their high praise of Jeff Bridges' character. I'm glad I did, but only for the set pieces in the movie.
Avielse7en 6 months ago
@kermodeandmayo you say that the film doesn't come together as a coherent whole.
To you I say; All The Dude wanted was his rug back. It really tied the room together.
Are you upset because The Dude didn't get his rug back in the end?
This film has everything. Comedy, tragedy, violence, mutilation, porn stars/hookers, kidnapping, double and triple crosses, nihilists, nudity and Steve Buscemi,
Then there's the dialogue. I don't know of any other film with as many quotable lines as it (cont...)
Terryodo2 6 months ago
I enjoyed your review of Freeway II: Confessions of a Trick Baby. Watched it afterwards and loved it.
In saying that, I just can't understand how you don't like The Big Lebowski.
It is, in my opinion, the greatest film of all time.
Terryodo2 6 months ago
@Terryodo2 Like this:
They're in a coffee bar, have a row, Dude walks out.
Goodman's character: 'I ain't movin'. ' Sits there doesn't give a shit. 'I'm finishing my coffee. Just sitting here enjoying my coffee.'
Great delivery. Even that was funny.
terrycharnley 6 months ago
Kermode's gone and got it right again. What a legend he is.
SharkTheBruce 6 months ago
All Coeh brothers films are cooky because they are overrated lightweights, I'm amazed so many people pretend to like their films
keflar5 6 months ago
@keflar5 so who pretends to like they're movies? what because the majoraty of people enjoy them and you dont? idiot.
chanceie12 6 months ago
@chanceie12 Capital letters and spelling.................moron, I don't hate them I just love the hate lol
keflar5 6 months ago
@keflar5 so your opinion matters more then the majoraty? yeah ok then
chanceie12 6 months ago
@chanceie12 how many films have done? How many times have they moved you to tears? How many times have they made you laugh (john Goodman doesn't count lol)? How many times have they came up with a clever plot?
keflar5 6 months ago
@keflar5 yeah true they havent moved me , but they have done the rest , Fargo , Big L , Rasing Arizona , NCOM, those our some of my fav films , just because you dont like it dosent make you right.
chanceie12 6 months ago
keflar5 6 months ago
OKCancel or Post or Create a video response
WTF Big Lebowski is a classic , CULT classic and for a reason , people can watch it over and over again , might watch it again later :)
chanceie12 6 months ago
Comment removed
chanceie12 6 months ago
Sorry but Mark Burn After Reading is still 100 times better than The Ladykillers. What the fuck was all that a bout?
Filmzie 6 months ago
One of the best comedies,and most quotable movies I've ever seen in my life.
I hope the Coen brothers make another Lebowski film.It may look daunting to fans,but they're the talent who can make a possibly better sequel.
sugreev2001 6 months ago
"A movie of moments". Exactly Kermode. Not a great film, just a bunch scenes put together. So much to love, though. The first time I watched it, I was negative about it but overtime it became one of my favorite flicks. It is so rewatchable just for the Dude and Goodman.
skinwalkerxxx 6 months ago
Of course, the best Coen Brothers movie is A Serious Man.
Anyone else agree with that? What are your favourite Coen Brothers films?
Fatpie42 6 months ago
@Fatpie42 Good film! My favourite is Miller's Crossing though.
shawndimery 6 months ago
Raising Arizona and Burn After Reading are some of the Coen Brothers' best movies. Whereas I'd say that Barton Fink was (by Coen Brothers standard) one of their lower points.
Some people love Fargo and some really don't like it at all and I think the deciding factor is whether you recognise that it's a joke. If that passes you by then it actually comes off rather miserable and depressing.
By comparison the humour of Big Lebowski is more accessible and that's why so many people love it.
Fatpie42 6 months ago
P.S. Is it just me, or is Mark actually somehow in 3D at the beginning of this video?
MrVinushka 6 months ago
Also, how are Barton Fink and Fargo NOT quirky movies? Barton Fink ends with John Goodman running with a shotgun down a hallway which sets itself on fire shouting Biblical verses at a detective, for fuck's sake!
MrVinushka 6 months ago
It's the Coen Brothers second best film behind Fargo. It took repeated viewing for me to love it and i think the same can be said for everyone.
gibboanx 6 months ago
mark looks amusingly smug as he exits the showing and summons the camera to the steps, i love the lebowski but i do agree with his view about it's structure. although it's much better than the not very good 'burn after reading'
S1elmx 6 months ago
the focus in the first part is really distracting...
ahadmmahmood 6 months ago
it's one of the best comedies, therefore it's one of coen's best
old country is overrated, there wb blood >>>>
MrFan32 6 months ago
wait ten years then see it for a third time
maybe you'll get it!
theMAXILOPEZpsycho 6 months ago
wrong.
DaveRintoul1 6 months ago
sorry but i always thought the big lebowski was complete crap -_-
AHALambda101 6 months ago
Kermode, you're an ass, and you're wrong. Yes.. That's right, your opinion is flat out just wrong.
darkcowboyhero 6 months ago
I like the film, he doesn't like it much. Doesn't bother me a jot. I still rate his reviews above any one else - we don't always have to agree on EVERYTHING
JimmersThomas 6 months ago
I dont agree with this fella.Burn After Reading was a very smart movie.No country for old men and The big Lebowski are one of the best movies i have ever seen
metalup55 6 months ago
2:03 Am I the only one who just did not laugh at the famous "Buscemi's ashes" scene because you could see that coming from miles away?
Professicchio 6 months ago
The whole point is that it's an anti-plot. It spoofs Chandler-esque hard boiled thrillers and the joke is that the entire narrative revolves around a red herring- no real crime has taken place. For me, that made it even funnier.
Crowmusicuk 6 months ago
@Crowmusicuk
That's the thing about Burn After Reading too, isn't it?
Big Lebowski's all about a stolen rug. Burn After Reading is all about getting cosmetic surgery.
It's a pity that Kermode dislikes both of them.
Fatpie42 6 months ago
Is anyone else thinking, sort your focus out?
KieranMajury 6 months ago
It's so nice to see someone as intelligent and knowledgeable about films give a verdict against the mainstream that is the same as mine. For years everyone's been going on at me that it's the best film ever made and how amazing it is. I've seen it quite a few times, I enjoyed watching it, I laughed a lot, I own it on DVD … but it's nowhere near as good as films like No Country for Old Men.
jamiewindsor 6 months ago
@jamiewindsor i saw No country for old men. i guess it has parts in it that were tense, but i didn't really enjoy it. i felt it was too violent and didn't really have a story worth telling, but it was not a bad film :) certainly better than Transformers and the like :P
ec123456789able 6 months ago
@ec123456789able I mention No Country for Old Men because I went to see a double bill of that with The Big Lebowski at Riverside Studios and it was very clear seeing them in direct comparison like that.
jamiewindsor 6 months ago
@jamiewindsor
Didn't you feel let down by the ending of No Country for Old Men? I don't mean the bad guy getting away. I mean before that when we don't even get to see what happens to the protagonist and after that when the movie ends with Tommy-Lee Jones sharing some barely relevant twaddle about a nightmare.
The ending felt very anti-climactic to me. (In fact, I think bringing up the credits the moment the bad guy ran off would be more satisfying.)
Fatpie42 6 months ago
@Fatpie42 I really liked the end. Thought it was possibly the best part of the film. Really interesting point about how its our perception of the world rather than reality that shifts. Very intelligent and very subtle.
jamiewindsor 6 months ago
Those who don't LOVE this film are dead to me.
woodbell67 6 months ago
My favourite reviewer reviewing my favourite film, I was not looking forward to this. Thankfully, the Doctor conceded some points and his review is alright. Obviously, The Big Lebowski is not just funny, it's brilliantly funny, and the plot of the movie, is not Bunny or the rug, it is the dialogue itself. That's the real plot, self-referential and chock full of callbacks, it's an absolute joy.
dilmao 6 months ago
I thought the idea of it being all over the place was to parody the often convoluted and needlessly complicated plots of the film noir films that inspired it.
Fair play for re-watching it though. Now onto Breaking The Waves.
MrVinushka 6 months ago
@MrVinushka Exactly. I also agree that he got Breaking The Waves completely wrong.
TheDensley7 6 months ago
I wonder what Kermode thinks of the Hudsucker Proxy
pacmansays 6 months ago
Hah, I didn't know anyone said that it's their best work. Jeeze, people. I *love* The Big Lebowski like a brother and seen it at least a dozen times, but I would never call it their best movie or even close to it. I love it for, as Kermode put it, anarchism. It's careless, free, a funny series of moments circling around a rug. It's a big giant Why? And I love that about it. But jeeze, just from a technical standpoint it's no where near their best. It's a great film in its own vein.
TheUTFilmCommittee 6 months ago 8
Kermode must of had a major humour lobotomy on 1st viewing this flick, as The Big Lebowski is still one of the Coen Brothers finest cinematic works.
pypeworld 6 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
go see it again!
conortalbot 6 months ago
Mark, you're out of your element.
BigBoss7777777 6 months ago 3
The people saying No Country for Old Men didn't have an ending should kill themselves.
ehmazin 6 months ago
@ehmazin You absolute maggot.
booster330 6 months ago
Well, The Big Lebowski has a lot of redeeming qualities, but I still think that you shoud MARK IT ZERO!
boretrk 6 months ago
@TheRaysimon Sorry, I wasn't very clear. The POV device was my second point, not the main one. Also, I mispelled Pi. That's the film my main point was about. When the "unreliable narrator" is our only window into the world of the film, that world will be as distorted as their POV. In Pi, he's also disturbed, so the film is too. "The Dude" is freewheeling, the film follows him, so the film is also freewheeling. I hope that's clearer.
martincrodgers 6 months ago
blues brothers is a masterpiece. period.
mm091540 6 months ago
@TheRaysimon I'm refering to a literary technique. I see no reason why it can't also work for cinema. In fact, I can think of a superb example where it works perfectly: Pie. That film only makes sense when you realise that the narrator is delusional and we're only seeing the world as *he* sees it. In a novel, the narrative is the only window we have into the world of the story. The Dexter series of novels is a perfect example of this. The TV version uses multiple-perspective for obvious reasons.
martincrodgers 6 months ago
@martincrodgers Ah, but now you're talking about point-of-view, not the lack of structure that Mark talks about. I'd say that the film's 'messiness' is hardly an expression of the Dude's warped point-of-view. That just seems like a feeble way to justify lax story-telling.
TheRaysimon 6 months ago
Burn after Reading is one of their best. I have lost all faith and interest in this man. He can go back to his Twilight.
booster330 6 months ago
Stick to your guns Kermode. Lebowski sucks.
13evilpriest13 6 months ago
Personally, I like Anarchy.
Jcolinsol 6 months ago
yeah, I liked it better the second time around as well. Why's that?
danthemango 6 months ago
Well... if I'm in the neighbourhood... and have to use the john...
terratrema 6 months ago
Obviously you're not a golfer..
Pboneill 6 months ago
The Chinaman is not the issue here!
CookieCrumble47 6 months ago
Re-review of Burn After Reading is needed. I felt the same way the first time on that one too.
brokenstyx 6 months ago
I agree with him, it is definitely an imperfect film just happens to have some of the finest ingredients ever
dvc0987 6 months ago
Why is being a "right old mess" such a problem? I think it has plenty of structure - the kind that matches "The Dude"'s lifestyle. The film's structure is an expression of its subject's personality.
martincrodgers 6 months ago 23
@martincrodgers could you be any more pretentious? This is the sort of bullshit you'd use in a GCSE English exam. So by the same logic you're saying that every film that is tightly structured and well-paced is a reflection of its main character's ... not-so-messy(?) personality.
TheRaysimon 6 months ago
@TheRaysimon Martin is right and who's being pretentious here ?
woodbell67 6 months ago 2
@woodbell67 You are mate if you think a film can be all-over-the-place just because its protagonist is. To scrap plot and structure isn't cool or interesting; it's just lazy. You pretentious twerp.
TheRaysimon 6 months ago
@TheRaysimon Not just because, "mate".
woodbell67 6 months ago
@woodbell67 alright then buddy.
TheRaysimon 6 months ago
@martincrodgers Mr Kermode I believe you have been, what they call, schooled by this gentleman.
andymc32 6 months ago 2
you should watch raising arizona again
ZAFARCAKE 6 months ago
i love raising Arizona!
ZAFARCAKE 6 months ago 2
Well hey, good on him for giving it another shot. Of course it's a mess, and whether you love it or not is a subjective thing. I think his Blues Brothers comparison is right on the money, and I adore both films.
TulseLuper 6 months ago
I gotta agree with Kermode, this movie always felt like odds and ends. Like a casserole made from the Coen Bros' Thanksgiving leftovers. Though Turturro is pretty good.
marlboroman1985 6 months ago
I never got THE BLUES BROTHERS or THE BIG LEBOWSKI. Both were mildly amusing, but for me, not cult worthy.
InfiniteWhizBang 6 months ago
Kermode is wrong, The Big Lebowski rules.
drplbiftin 6 months ago
I agree. To be honest it's all down to opinions. It has it's unique sense of humor but i sadly didn't get it unlike burn after reading which to me was brilliant!
Breslaunt 6 months ago
this film is like "chill it out in anarchy, dude".
Regenmacher175 6 months ago
You're wrong. You are, sorry Kermode, I like you but you have missed the point. It's meant to be plotted the way it is because it's loosely based on Raymond Chandler (The Big in the title is a reference to the Big Sleep) and Chandler's stories are famously meandering and wander from one scene to another, red herring here, loose plot strand there. The fact they were able to fill the film with such great character moments as well as the Chandleresque plot only elevates the film further.
joncross26 6 months ago 3
@joncross26 I'd say that it comes down to whether you like that fairly aimless style of filmmaking. I do, but I can see why someone wouldn't, if you get my meaning. The Coen brothers always fill a film with interesting one-shot characters, but sometimes that can happen at the expense of narrative coherence, other times because of the slack style of the source material. In all, I agree with Mark; The Big Lebowski's more a sketch show than a film. Whether that's bad or not is entirely up to you...
leaguesmanoframsgate 6 months ago
@leaguesmanoframsgate But that's my point I don't think it's aimless, I think it's intentional and actually if you follow the plot, much like you might with a Chandler story, every scene, no matter how 'quirky' does have a point. I think it's clever how they pulled off what seems like a dopey comedy about an aimless slacker embroiled in these farcical events when really there is more to it than that and far from being a mess actually weaves everything together nicely and with some intricacy.
joncross26 6 months ago
@joncross26 Whilst I agree with you that Chandler can do this, I question as to whether the Coen brothers pulled it off in The Big Lebowski. Literature is a much better medium to be aimless - and please understand, I mean this in a good way - in, because with film you don't have the time, especially in a comedy. This is more a problem with the medium rather than the film. I like The Big Lebowski, but I can see it has flaws. Nothing is perfect, no film is perfect, and I like it that way.
leaguesmanoframsgate 6 months ago
Man down!!!!!
MrHiltonCubit 6 months ago
Is this your homework Larry?
southerndandy89 6 months ago
I'm proud of you Kermode! You swallowed your critics' pride and went some way to getting the Dude. Now you just have to reappraise My Own Private Idaho with an open mind. Hey, you like Udo Kier! He's got a mind blowing cameo in it.
allaboutdmagic 6 months ago
Never seen it, don't really want to either.
DannyBoy777 6 months ago 2
....Eight-year-olds dude.
GAM0H0l1C 6 months ago 2
Are you asking questions to your self like Simon Cowell? ...YES!
Morrgore 6 months ago
As much as I liked The Big Lebowski and I think I'm more positive than the doctor I think he is right, it is all over the place. I love the first hour of it and then the second hour I was like, "WTF?" But its still good though, although I think Barton Fink is the brothers best work.
Hyman74Roth 6 months ago
I agree with the doctor, very overrated. Its no where near Millers Crossing or Barton Fink
shawndimery 6 months ago
Never seen it.
TheInfinityParadox 6 months ago
Nothing casts doubt on Kermode more than his opinion on this film.
woodbell67 6 months ago
@woodbell67 do calm down woodbellend
Kr8mer 6 months ago
@Kr8mer (slow clapping)
woodbell67 6 months ago
TBL is the Citizen Kane of comedy.
woodbell67 6 months ago
@woodbell67 Yes and No.
Hyman74Roth 6 months ago
@woodbell67 no, it's not.
Kr8mer 6 months ago
The doctor is right people. Suck it down!
ExtremeBogom 6 months ago
It's a shit film, admired by pseuds.
JimmypinJimpin 6 months ago
@JimmypinJimpin that describes all coen bros films.
Schlockenspiel 4 months ago
the chaos and incoherence comes from the character no? isn't that the point ? he bumbles his way through 'the case' in his stoner way oblivious to whats going on . . .
BettyBoolean 6 months ago
Thanks for another great opinion post and explanation of your thinking. Kindly remind your cameraman that your face should be in focus, not the background, nice though the Southbank is...
bsms1385 6 months ago
hmmm well i thought he was quite kind. good on the doctor
woolforddavid 6 months ago
I had a feeling he'd at least like it a little more the second time round. That's how it is with people who watch The Big Lebowski.
Neonman78 6 months ago
Agree also. It's one I've been wanting to watch again for a long time to try and change my mind.
MsKDvlog 6 months ago
Completely agree with Kermode. In fact, this movie put me off of the Coen's for a long long time as it was the first movie of theirs that I saw.
It felt like it was a movie specifically written for film students. And those films are always irritating because they're pandering to a demographic.
MegaMrDjango 6 months ago
I agree with you Mark and your comparison with the Blues Brothres is a very good one.
MartinusSatanicus 6 months ago
OMG of all the Cohen's movies Fargo is the most overated, yet Kermode places that over a modern classic like TBL?
Bizarre in the extreme...
JRHartly1984 6 months ago
I think Ebert said it best in his positive review with "It's more about an attitude than a plot."
RockBottomRiser21 6 months ago 14
It can't be worse than Fargo. That movie was dire.
weejockpoopongmcplop 6 months ago
No Country for Old Men has no ending. Burn after Reading was terrible. the big Lebowski was okay. But he's right. The mob mentality that tires to make 2001: A Space Odyssey a immortal movie does the same to this.
TheTruth006 6 months ago
along with o'brother where art thou, Lebowski, arizona and burn after reading gave me the biggest laughs, and i always have a preference to the quirky coen brother films, and much more likely to watch again on dvd as oppose to no country or barton fink. i hope the coen brothers keep on making the random quirky films!
bluth78 6 months ago
The Dude abides
The Good Doctor does not
Kermode your out of your element
Burn after reading is a strange one as it has some really excellant performances from Clooney, Pitt, Malkovich, jk simmons, mc dormund but still it doesnt quite work
TheHappydead 6 months ago
I think its a matter of enjoyment personally, Apocalypse Now is an excellent, high quality film but I can't enjoy it again and again, whereas The Big Lebowski for all it's faults can be watched dozens of times and enjoyed immensely every single time.
dominictemple 6 months ago
i agree with kermy. big lebowski never grabbed me
cuntscab555 6 months ago
Kermode has encapsulated what I feel about this movie. It's anarchic and the scenes are funny in of themselves, but don't connect well in the long run.
But I still love the film.
I can not say the same for No Country For Old Men. I saw absolutely no redeeming qualities in that film
mrchoochoohead 6 months ago
was there is a reason why Mark was filmed out of focus and the cinema behind him was filmed in focus? Artistic?
simonh505 6 months ago
Praise Kermode!
MrsMasterZ 6 months ago
No Country for Old Men is also an incoherent mess.
The diffrence between that and this, is that this is actually fun.
MrBoBoTom 6 months ago
Ah man, "Burn After Reading" was the first movie I'd seen in the cinema in years. Haven't seen one in the cinema since. It was absolute bloody rubbish.
Lilja124 6 months ago
No Country for Old Men
Fargo
The Big Lebowski.
It's a funny mess. It flows without structure. How could a day in the life of those people not be a mess?
YEAHYEAHYEP 6 months ago
@YEAHYEAHYEP
This.
ehmazin 6 months ago
The best Coen films for me would be the Pre / Post war fims : Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, O Brother Where Art Thou?, The Man Who Wasn't There. Outside of those then it would be Fargo followed by The Big Lebowski
MrHiltonCubit 6 months ago
Comment removed
ehmazin 6 months ago
I, like many others, know what it's like to doubt previous convictions. I'm glad to see that you've stuck to it Kermode.
bfoley47 6 months ago
Fargo is by far the best Coen Brothers film, theres no doubt about that.
reservoirdog666 6 months ago
@reservoirdog666
No Country, easily
ehmazin 6 months ago
I love the film, never take it seriously as other Coens films because its not... well maybe more seriously than Raising Arizona which is gash
ehmazin 6 months ago
In my opinion, the Coen's best film is "O Brother, Where Art Thou?". I recently watched The Big Lebowski and it's ok. Nothing amazing, and nothing terrible.
illocon 6 months ago
I like the movie. But I have to give Kermode credit on this. He's absolutely right! The movie is pretty much... a big bag of quotes. Delightful quotes. Lulz.
sinbysin666 6 months ago
Why do people hate Burn After Reading?! I loved it. And not because Clooney had a stasch, but because it was funny.
santosbl01 6 months ago
If the Coen Bothers are like Christopher Nolan where its is one for the studio and then one for me. Can we put films like Intolerable Cruelty and The LadyKillers into the "What is the best Coen Brothers film" debate or can we leave them out as being films to make great other films?
MrHiltonCubit 6 months ago
I think Kermode is going to have to do the same thing again in around 10 years or so and have another look at BURN AFTER READING. I think B.A.R. is not that bad a film at all, but hey... maybe I'm wrong huh?.
petertyson2 6 months ago
How can you not like Lebowski? Get over yourself Kermode.
townsjim 6 months ago
@townsjim Did you not just listen to everything he just said?
wonderfulwomp 6 months ago
@wonderfulwomp yes, and it's obvious that he still doesn't like the film as a whole. He said it's "a mess".
townsjim 6 months ago
@townsjim Well, then that must be how he couldn't like like it ;)
wonderfulwomp 6 months ago
Nice try Mark, we all know you didn't go see it, it's an editing job, you just walked around the corner and then turned back j/k
thedynamitekidd 6 months ago
I know Mark Kermode's favourite Coen Brothers film is Barton Fink, the fans' favourite is The Big Lebowski and the critics' favourite, by and large, is Fargo. However, none of these are right. The Coen Brothers' best film is Miller's Crossing.
padraic2001eire 6 months ago
The Big Lebowski is a great film and many directors would like that film to be their greatest work . But I would agree with Mark its not their best work but its also not their worst work. It just fits nicely in between the both .
MrHiltonCubit 6 months ago