The Big Lebowski (Paperback, Main)

The Big Lebowski begins with a case of mistaken identity which escalates when Jeffrey Lebowski, alias The Dude, attempts to seek recompense for the despoliation of his cheap old hallway rug, and then finds himself entangled in a kidnapping caper as a bagman—a situation that goes from bad to worse due to the interference of his hapless bowling partners. In this typically smart, funny, engaging, and well-written film, the Coen brothers give the world of Raymond Chandler a decidedly postmodern spin, while at the same time leaving Philip Marlowe's ethos intact as The Dude wanders through the fractured Los Angeles of the 1990s trying to do the right thing. Like the brothers' award-winning Fargo, The Big Lebowski is suffused with a droll humor and a verbal felicity that are both delightful and startling.