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The Big Lebowski

Play trailer 2:33 Poster for The Big Lebowski R 1998 1h 57m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
79% Tomatometer 190 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Jeff Bridges plays Jeff Lebowski who insists on being called "the Dude," a laid-back, easygoing burnout who happens to have the same name as a millionaire whose wife owes a lot of dangerous people a whole bunch of money -- resulting in the Dude having his rug soiled, sending him spiraling into the Los Angeles underworld.
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The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski

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Critics Consensus

The Big Lebowski's shaggy dog story won't satisfy everybody, but those who abide will be treated to a rambling succession of comic delights, with Jeff Bridges' laconic performance really tying the movie together.

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Critics Reviews

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Jonathan Romney Sight & Sound The Big Lebowski is at once utterly inconsequential and a blow for a cinematic slacker aesthetic. Jun 8, 2023 Full Review Adam Kempenaar Filmspotting 25 years later, the movie where every detail matters and doesn’t matter at all, is as hilarious as ever – and more poignant, man. Rated: 5/5 Mar 23, 2023 Full Review Desson Thomson Washington Post With their inspired, absurdist taste for weird, peculiar Americana, the Coens have defined and mastered their own bizarre subgenre. No one does it like them and, it almost goes without saying, no one does it better. Jan 24, 2023 Full Review Mark Jackson Epoch Times Bridge's thespian mastery, via the slacker zeitgeist of our time, converts The Dude's funniest lines into a readily-understood language of everyday desperation. This ultimately begat the religion of Dudeism. Which makes 'Lebowski' an important movie. Rated: 4/5 Apr 21, 2023 Full Review Stephen Silver Tilt Magazine The Coen Brothers introduced the world to The Dude, Jesus, Walter, Maude, and a fantasia of burnt-out ex-hippie in a Raymond Chandler plot. (25th anniversary) Rated: 5/5 Mar 19, 2023 Full Review Noah Gittell Washington City Paper The Dude becomes an aspirational figure, chill in the face of increasing absurdity, and ever able to express himself in perfectly quotable ways. Mar 10, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alex K. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!! THE THEATER WAS FULL OF PEOPLE!!! THE BEST COMEDY EVER!!! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/07/23 Full Review David M A classic and a must-watch at least once a year. First time seeing in a theatre! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/23/22 Full Review Marc C The only way to possibly explain how professional movie critics (what a job!) didnt like this movie is to assume they are too robotic to enjoy something this brilliant. I teach English. James Joyce sucks. I am not saying he sucks because I want to be rebellious. He just sucks. I am also damn sure not gonna pretend he doesn't suck in order to look cool with the dorks. This movie is brilliant. Anyone who doesn't think so is either ignorant or so mired in stodgy self righteousness that they cant admit when an out of the box masterpiece hits one over the fence Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/11/25 Full Review Brian S A slacker’s odyssey where every rug, bowling ball, and absurd detour becomes a cosmic joke about how little control we really have; the best film ever made. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/27/25 Full Review David M This most-loved of the Coen Brothers' films is surprisingly warm-hearted when I revisit it for the first time in a very long time. That heart comes from performances - especially Jeff Bridges, but not forgetting the terrific supporting cast - , and script, the deft direction and pretty much everything else, a whole film where the constituent parts are all doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing. It also benefits from less of the wilful, unhinged weirdness that infects their less great work; all in all, it's hard not to love, and hard to imagine the person who would talke against it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/23/25 Full Review Jacopo D Certo interessante, ma infine è un'enorme buffonata che pretende di essere un capolavoro solo grazie alle sue performance attoriali Rated 2 out of 5 stars 09/19/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Joel Coen

Director

Jeff Bridges

Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski

John Goodman

Walter Sobchak

Julianne Moore

Maude Lebowski

Steve Buscemi

Donny

Peter Stormare

Nihilist (Ulee Kunkel)

Movie Clips

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The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - Bunch of Amateurs The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - Bunch of Amateurs 2:12 The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - These Men Are Cowards The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - These Men Are Cowards 2:47 The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - Donny's Ashes The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - Donny's Ashes 2:14 The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - The Bereaved The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - The Bereaved 1:41 The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - I'm the Dude The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - I'm the Dude 2:57 The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - Is This Your Homework, Larry? The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - Is This Your Homework, Larry? 2:25 The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - You're Entering a World of Pain The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - You're Entering a World of Pain 2:21 The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - He Peed On My Rug The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - He Peed On My Rug 2:12 The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - Nobody F's With Jesus The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - Nobody F's With Jesus 2:22 The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - Where's the Money, Lebowski? The Big Lebowski: Official Clip - Where's the Money, Lebowski? 1:48 View more videos

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The Big Lebowski

Meet "The Dude" and the Wildly Chill Religion Based on 'The Big Lebowski' Meet "The Dude" and the Wildly Chill Religion Based on 'The Big Lebowski' 10:05 The Big Lebowski: Trailer 1 The Big Lebowski: Trailer 1 2:33 View more videos
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The Big Lebowski

(Left to right) The Dude (JEFF BRIDGES) listens to the mysterious 'Stranger' (SAM ELLIOTT). (L TO R) SMOKEY (JIMMY DALE GILMORE) ANNOYS WALTER (JOHN GOODMAN, FAR RIGHT) BY DEBATING AN OVER THE LINE CALL, AS DONNY (STEVE BUSCEMI, MIDDLE LEFT) AND THE DUDE (JEFF BRIDGES, MIDDLE RIGHT) WATCH. JULIANNE MOORE STARS AS MAUDE LEBOWSKI. JOHN TURTURRO STARS AS JESUS QUINTANA. (LEFT TO RIGHT) JEFF BRIDGES AND JOHN GOODMAN. JEFF BRIDGES STARS AS THE DUDE. (Top left) JEFF BRIDGES stars as The Dude, (top right) JOHN GOODMAN is bowler Walter, (bottom left) STEVE BUSCEMI as Donny and (bottom right) JULIANNE MOORE as artist Maude. Top: (Left to right) The Dude (JEFF BRIDGES) has a vivid dream that includes Maude (JULiANNE MOORE) as a bowling goddess. Bottom: (Left to right) JEFF BRIDGES and JOHN GOODMAN. WALTER (JOHN GOODMAN) SURVEYS THE PINS. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Jeff Bridges plays Jeff Lebowski who insists on being called "the Dude," a laid-back, easygoing burnout who happens to have the same name as a millionaire whose wife owes a lot of dangerous people a whole bunch of money -- resulting in the Dude having his rug soiled, sending him spiraling into the Los Angeles underworld.
Director
Joel Coen
Producer
Ethan Coen
Screenwriter
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Distributor
Gramercy Pictures
Production Co
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Rating
R (Drug Content|Brief Violence|Pervasive Strong Language|Sexuality)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 6, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$17.4M
Runtime
1h 57m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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