The Big Confusedski

(Prescript - I am aware that this movie achieved cult-like status in record time, and I know that there are many, many people out there who claim it as one of their favorites. I have seen it only once, and plan on viewing it as many times as it takes for it to become one of my cult favorites, too. So go easy on me, k?)

Huh.

I'm not sure where to begin.

The Big Lebowski was strange, but I was aware of its Coen Brothers pedigree, so I was prepared for that bit of weirdness. And because of that pedigree, I also expected brilliance.

It's just...

I wasn't able to pinpoint a moment where I was supposed to care.

Jeffrey Lebowski (The Dude), becomes entangled in a kidnapping scheme because he feels that another Jeffrey Lebowski (the "Big" one of the title) owes him a new rug.

That's the plot. It gets twisted a bit, and more and more characters are thrown in the mix, but that's it.

I guess must pose this question: Had the rug not "tied the room together," would any of this have happened?

We're introduced to Walter and Donny, the Dude's bowling buddies, early in the film. I liked them both, even though they were obviously flawed. Well, Walter definitely was. Whoa.

Maybe I should have been sad when a character died, but as we never learned a single thing about his character, why should I care? Because I never got to know him, I was able to believe that he was the most pure, and his death was preventable. That the situation in which he died was no fault of his own. Tragic.

But was it? Look who he associated with: a happy-go-lucky layabout with very little ambition and a Vietnam vet with a short fuse and a warped mind. Donny was a quiet, mild-mannered man. Who was he supposed to represent? Was he really as fragile and gentle as he was portrayed?

There are so many questions and so few insights. It's a toughie. I thought that Fargo was infinitely more insightful and meaningful, and while its real theme wasn't immediately apparent, it wasn't completely hidden from view, like in Lebowski. The Coen Brothers are famous for their character development (among other things, obviously) and their films are recognized as being important insights into the human condition. So. While the characters in Lebowski were original and entertaining, I just didn't get it.

Would I be more attuned to this film if I'd have ever smoked pot? Because I haven't.

Whatever.

Amanda, Jen, and many, many others have informed me that Lebowski is a film that requires more than a few viewings before its brilliance surfaces, so I promise that I will give it the chance(s) it deserves.

Oh. And who the hell was The Stranger supposed to be? God? A prophet?

Okay, I clearly need to see it again.