Plot: What’s it about?
Jeffrey Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), better known simply as The Dude, is not having good luck these days. His leisure lifestyle is designed to avoid stress and complications, but when two thugs bust into his place, rough him up, and piss on his rug, even The Dude succumbs to the pressure. He knows he isn’t the Jeffrey Lebowski the thugs were after and since he feels a replacement rug is in order, he sets off to confront the other Jeffrey Lebowski. That man happens to be a wealthy, hard nosed man who feels no sorrow for The Dude and the loss of his rug, no matter how it might have tied the room together. But when his young, flamboyant wife Bunny (Tara Reid) is kidnapped, he enlists The Dude to handle the situation. But The Dude just wants his rug and a return to the bowling lanes where he and his friends kick back. As he faces all sorts of unusual situations, will The Dude ever find peace again and if so, how much will he have to endure to reach that point?
If I was stranded on a tropical island and only allowed to take a few movies, The Big Lebowski would be one. This is just one of the most fun to watch, quotable, and insane films ever created. I could quote a line from this movie to fit any situation, it has that much memorable dialogue. The writing is sharp, though it seems out of control at times, able to combine the off the wall with the sane to formulate a creative, unique cinematic experience. Good dialogue is fantastic, but you need great delivery and thankfully, this film has both remarkable characters and a gifted cast to bring them to life. Jeff Bridges has the title role and is perhaps the most dynamic, charismatic slacker of all time. But he isn’t alone, as John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, Julianne Moore, and numerous others all turn in fantastic performances. This is one of those movies you never forget, even if you hate it, its that well written and executed. This HD-DVD provides a substantial improvement in terms of video, enhanced audio, and the same extras as before, so there’s no reason not to upgrade.
Video: How does it look?
The Big Lebowski is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. I did side by side comparisons with both the standard disc and the high definition digital cable broadcast, so I am confident when I say this HD-DVD looks terrific. I found color and detail to be much improved over the standard release, while even the high definition digital cable broadcast couldn’t boast quite this level of overall detail. The image isn’t as eye popping as the very best high definition transfers, but this looks very good and provides fans with the best home video version, by a landslide. I was impressed with how bright and bold the colors look, while as stated before, the subtle details really come to life.
Audio: How does it sound?
The upgrade in the audio department isn’t as remarkable, but the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 option does seem to provide an overall better experience than before. The film has rather creative audio presence at times, but this track handles it all with ease, even the musical inspired dream sequences. The movie’s fun musical soundtrack is alive and has good depth, while the precious dialogue is loud and clear. This might not be the track to showcase your home theater with, but it is good and marks a step up from previous editions. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The main draw here is a behind the scenes piece, which runs just over twenty minutes in duration. This isn’t in depth, but it has some good interviews and is worth a look. I normally prefer in depth, insightful featurettes, but to be honest, The Big Lebowski is one of those movies that I’d just want to speak for itself. This disc also includes the uproarious introduction from Mortimer Young, as well as photos taken from the shoot by Jeff Bridges.
