Why the audience rejected Big Lebowski

With Fight Club, Flamingo, and Rocky Horror Picture Show, stoner noir of the Coen brothers The Big Lebowski is one of the cornerstones of cult cinema. Diehard fans around the world quote lines, attend festivals and drink wine of the White Russian in honor of Dude.


But before that The Big Lebowski is a favorite comedy Classic with a huge following, it was a box office disappointment with mixed reviews. When the film hit theaters in 1998, it was dismissed by critics as well as audiences. it’s not a theatrical blockbuster befitting a movie with its own subreddit.

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The guy who considers himself Man of the Year in The Big Lebowski

Today, critics praise The Big Lebowski for quirky tunes, surreal visuals, colorful characters, and unique weeds film noir vision, but contemporary reviews are not so good. Dave Kehr’s Exciting news now titled his review “The Coen Brothers’ Latest Big Letdownski” and called the film “tired” and “dishonest”. He criticized the “multi-episode” plot, which has since been recognized as one of the series’ appeals.

GuardiansThe review labeled the film “angry” and described its script as “a pile of ideas stuffed in a pocket and allowed to flow out at random.” Interesting, this review makes sense The Big Lebowski “Won’t win prizes.” This shows the main reason why The Big Lebowski was initially rejected by critics and Coen fans: they were expecting something very different.



Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson in Fargo

The Coen Brothers have been hailed from the ground up, revolutionizing indie cinema with their 1984 film release. Simple blood, but it took them just over a decade to become mainstream. The duo’s output in the late 80s and early 90s was widely acclaimed, but 1996 Fargo was their first bonafide shot. Fargo was the kind of cinematic twist the Coens needed to really get in Temple of the greatest filmmakers in history. The film was raved by critics, grossed over $60 million on a modest $7 million budget, and earned two of seven Academy Award nominations at the 69th Academy Awards: Lead Actress. Best Original Screenplay for Frances McDormand and Best Original Screenplay for the Coens himself.


Some critics, including Roger Ebert, claim Fargo became one of the best movies of the decade. Audiences were captivated by the film’s unique blend of small-town satire and dark detective story. Fargo recognized for it a sense of humor as dark as ink, but it’s mostly a drama with a poignant message that crime doesn’t come with a price.

Not only are expectations high for the next Coens movie; Fargo The fanatics had a very specific idea of ​​what they wanted that movie to be. As both critics and regular moviegoers sat down in theaters to watch the next Coens beautiful neoclassical image, they were expecting the genre of film to be nominated for seven Oscars.


They are expecting a tense suspense thriller about a man who crosses his head in the criminal underworld. Instead, they have a rambling comedy about an avid bowler who gets caught up in an ultimately pointless Chandleresque mystery plot. In its own way, The Big Lebowski To be unique and brilliant and exquisitely crafted like Fargo – the audience is not ready for it yet.


The guy listening to music on his new rug in The Big Lebowski

Audiences should never go to the movies expecting something specific, because they will certainly be disappointed if the filmmaker has other ideas. This can become a problem with Spider-Man: There’s no way home, because Marvel fans looking forward to seeing Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield and everyone involved in the movie insists they’re not in it. Now, if the other Spider-Mans don’t show up, There is no way home inherently disappointing.


Going in The Big Lebowski expect another one Fargo – or even just a movie whose goal is to “win an award” – is a mistake in itself. But above all, The Coens ‘Filmography has set a precedent for it. They watched their first movie Simple blood, a creepy neo-noir about murderers crossing borders, with Raise Arizona, a goofy, funny comedy about a couple’s parents who kidnap a child to raise as their own. In retrospect, it makes sense for the Coens to follow the dark, dramatic narrative of Fargo with ridiculous antics, nausea about The Big Lebowski.


It’s not characteristic of the Coens to make two similar films. In fact, their entire careers seem to be based around the goal of exploring completely different tones and genres. Their signature humour is always there, but each movie they make is quite a treat of its own. There is no other movie quite like it Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, Hey brother, where are you?, A serious man, inside lewyn Davis, or any of your other untouchable gems. Even their remake The Ladykillers and True Grit have their own style and feel, completely separate from the original material.



Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand and Richard Jenkins surround the computer in Burn After Reading

The same thing happened about a decade later after the Coens’ next big Oscar winner, 2007 There is no country for the elderly. Subversive storytelling, Hitchcockian tension, and Thrilling minimalist genre of There is no country for the elderly brought it four Oscars out of eight nominations.

Once again, critics and fans alike are looking forward to the next, dramatic, Oscar-winning masterpiece the Coens will bestow upon them. And again, they must be disappointed by the blatant tonal shift. Much as The Big Lebowski, spy farce 2008 Write after reading critics were polarized (although a cast of George Clooney, Tilda Swinton and Brad Pitt ensured the film remained a box office success).


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the city sinks the great easter egg lebowski
The Sunken City Has the Big Lebowski Easter Egg

We discovered an easter egg related to the Coen brothers cult classic, The Big Lebowski lurking in the Lovecraftian detective/horror game The Sinking City.

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About the author

https://gamerant.com/why-audiences-rejected-big-lebowski/ Why the audience rejected Big Lebowski

ClareFora

ClareFora is a Interreviewed U.S. News Reporter based in London. His focus is on U.S. politics and the environment. He has covered climate change extensively, as well as healthcare and crime. ClareFora joined Interreviewed in 2023 from the Daily Express and previously worked for Chemist and Druggist and the Jewish Chronicle. He is a graduate of Cambridge University. Languages: English. You can get in touch with me by emailing: clarefora@interreviewed.com.

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