The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoel Coen[a]
Written by
Produced byEthan Coen
Starring
CinematographyRoger Deakins
Edited by
Music byCarter Burwell
Production
company
Working Title Films
Distributed by
  • Gramercy Pictures (United States and Canada)
  • PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (International)
Release dates
  • January 18, 1998 (1998-01-18) (Sundance)
  • March 6, 1998 (1998-03-06) (United States)
  • April 24, 1998 (1998-04-24) (United Kingdom)
Running time
117 minutes
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million[4]
Box office$48.3 million[5]

The Big Lebowski (/ləˈbski/) is a 1998 crime comedy film written, directed, produced and co-edited by Joel and Ethan Coen. It follows the life of Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), a Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler.

The film is loosely inspired by the work of Raymond Chandler. Joel Coen stated, "We wanted to do a Chandler kind of story – how it moves episodically and deals with the characters trying to unravel a mystery, as well as having a hopelessly complex plot that's ultimately unimportant."[6] The original score was composed by Carter Burwell, a longtime collaborator of the Coen brothers.

The Big Lebowski received mixed reviews at the time of its release. Reviews have since become largely positive and the film has become a cult film, noted for its eccentric characters, comedic dream sequences, idiosyncratic dialogue and eclectic soundtrack.[7][8] In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."


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  1. ^ "The Big Lebowski". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "The Big Lebowski". Lumiere. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  3. ^ "The Big Lebowski". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference NUM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference BOM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference The Big Sleep was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference avclub was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference russell was invoked but never defined (see the help page).