Poster © Gramercy Pictures. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
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GenreComedy & Crime
RatedR
Runtime1 hr 57 mins
ReleasedApril 24, 1998
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorJoel Coen
StarringJeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore
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The Big Lebowski (1998)
| ▶Stream It | ★The Numbers |
| 🎫Get Tickets | ✎Edit History |
| iIMDb Profile | %Rotten Tomatoes |
| WWikipedia | LLetterboxd |
| TTMDB | +Add to Top 8 |
| The Big Lebowski's Details | |
| Genre | Comedy & Crime |
| Rated | R |
| Released | 01/18/1998 (Sundance); 03/06/1998 (U.S.); 04/24/1998 (U.K.) |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 1 hr 57 mins |
| Budget | $15M (reported) |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Country | United States, United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| The Big Lebowski's Interests | |
| General | Bowling, bathrobes, half-and-half, a really nice rug, and taking it easy. |
| Music | Carter Burwell, plus Bob Dylan, Kenny Rogers and Creedence. The Dude has strong tape deck opinions. |
| Movies | Fargo (1996). Same Coens, much colder weather. |
| Television | The Joy of Painting. The only show as relaxed as the Dude. |
| Heroes | The Stranger (Sam Elliott). Narrates in a cowboy drawl, orders a sarsaparilla. |
| The Big Lebowski's Crew | |
| Director | Joel Coen |
| Writers | Ethan Coen, Joel Coen |
| Producers | Ethan Coen |
| Cinematography | Roger Deakins |
| Music | Carter Burwell |
| Edited By | Roderick Jaynes, Tricia Cooke |
| Production | Working Title Films |
| Distributed By | Gramercy Pictures (U.S. & Canada), PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (International) |
Nobody in The Big Lebowski solves anything, and the movie is kind of smug about it. The kidnapping plot is a pile of loose threads, characters show up and vanish, and if you go in wanting answers you’ll walk out annoyed. That’s the catch. The fix is to stop caring and hang out, which is exactly what the Dude would tell you. Jeff Bridges plays him in a bathrobe and jelly sandals with total commitment, like a man who has never once been in a hurry. John Goodman’s Walter is a human fire alarm who turns every bowling night into a war story. Steve Buscemi barely gets a full sentence out, and that’s the joke. John Turturro is on screen as Jesus for a few minutes and people still quote him. It made $19.5 million domestic and then became a whole lifestyle. A 9.0 because it’s a mystery with no point and a hangout with every point. $21.49 says you start ending your sentences with man by Thursday.
What works: Jeff Bridges and John Goodman are a perfect odd couple, and almost every side character is instantly quotable.
What doesn’t: The plot is deliberately a loose mess, so anyone who needs a mystery to pay off will feel cheated.
Who it’s for: People who want a movie to hang out with more than a story to follow, and anyone in a bowling league.
Spoilers
There was never a real kidnapping. Bunny just left town, the big Lebowski was pocketing the ransom money himself, and the briefcase he handed the Dude was empty all along. Donny dies of a heart attack after a scuffle, and when the Dude and Walter scatter his ashes, they blow right back into the Dude’s face.
Jeffrey Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) would prefer you call him the Dude. He lives in Los Angeles, takes life extremely easy, and keeps his schedule clear for bowling. One night two thugs barge into his place, having mixed him up with a millionaire who shares his name, Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston). Before they leave, they ruin the Dude's rug, the one thing that pulled his whole living room together. His bowling buddy Walter (John Goodman) says he deserves compensation. Donny (Steve Buscemi) is just happy to be there. The Coen brothers direct. One hundred seventeen minutes, no rush.
Anyone with a free lane and no plans. The Dude has plenty of the second one.
Jeffrey "The Big" Lebowskiphoto: Trailer to "Breakheart Pass" (1975), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
| Jeff Bridges | Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski |
| John Goodman | Walter Sobchak |
| Julianne Moore | Maude Lebowski |
| Steve Buscemi | Donny Kerabatsos |
| David Huddleston | Jeffrey "The Big" Lebowski |
| Philip Seymour Hoffman | Brandt |
| Tara Reid | Bunny Lebowski |
| John Turturro | Jesus Quintana |
| Sam Elliott | The Stranger |
| David Thewlis | Knox Harrington |
| Ben Gazzara | Jackie Treehorn |
| Peter Stormare | Uli Kunkel/"Karl Hungus" |
| Flea | Kieffer |
| Torsten Voges | Franz |
| Jon Polito | Da Fino |
| Philip Moon and Mark Pellegrino | Treehorn's thugs |
| Jimmie Dale Gilmore | Smokey |
| Jack Kehler | Marty |
| Dom Irrera | Tony |
| Harry Bugin | Arthur Digby Sellers |
| Jesse Flanagan | Larry Sellers |
| Leon Russom | the Malibu Police Chief |
| Warren Keith | Francis Donnelly |
| Marshall Manesh | Doctor |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 17 October 2026 DataBot +400 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $48.3M; Domestic box office $19.5M; Opening weekend $5.5M; Profit / loss (est.) +$1.6M; Rotten Tomatoes 80%; box office chart updated; RT 80% (191 reviews); Metacritic 71 / 100; IMDb users 8.1 / 10 (926,425 votes); movie.guru score 8.4.
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 17 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.