Boviosity!

I can't believe you don't love the Big Lebowski. Everyone I know who's seen it loves it. I think it's freakin' hilarious.

Yeah, that's what I was trying to get at: I love nearly every one of these quotes, and they get funnier every time I see the movie. And that's not to mention some of the unforgettable visuals (the bowling ball lick, the VW crash, the powdered milk mustache, the music videos.) But...

The flat parts of it seem especially egregious somehow. What's the Hollywood party with Ben Gazzara doing there? And Donny's funeral. Other parts I can't think of right now. I seem to see a desperation there and it bothers me for reasons that I can't quite put my finger on. And the interlude with the money-stealing kid and the smashed sports car is *less* funny to me every time I see it.

But I'll definitely keep watching it. This was the movie that convinced me of John Goodman's genius, that's for sure.

I thought the hollywood party bit was one of the better bits in the film, as well as a truly inspired bit of casting. I love the idea that this low rent character - the dude - ends up in all these completely surreal situations, and most of the time he's just too dumb or out of it to see how much he's getting played.

The Donnie's funeral bit is less funny than the rest of the film, but, I think important to understanding Walter's character. It shows the way all of his bluster about Vietnam is an outlet for his dispair.

The bit with the kid - again, Walter's character. The way that he completely flies off the handle with the kid without even having any idea of what's really happening. (Oddly, this bit is funnier in the edited for TV version, where Walter is bellowing "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FIGHT A STRANGER IN THE ALPS!")