The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 18, 1998, Page 6, Image 6
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gamecock critic ROB UNDSEY
THE BIG LEBOWSKI
(out of five stars)
The Big Lebowski is a compound
fracture; so mangled that even super
glue, spackle and six months in a cast
couldn't put Humpty back together.
Joel and Ethan Coen (the infamous
Coen brothers) have tried to create a
quirky, satirical look at such genres as
burnout buddy movies, kidnapping rancnm
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In the hands of the usually fabulous
Coens, this sort of mix should be clever,
witty anjl well crafted, but Lebowski
falls far short, appearing as a conscious
attempt to follow (or to avoid following)
the widespread critical success of 1996's
Fargo. Attempting to push the envelope
of quirkiness, they simply tear it
to shreds.
Even with the inherent incongruity
of the pieces of this puzzle, a dominant
central character, a foil against which
the quirkiness could play out, could
have pulled the mess together.
"The Dude" (a lackluster Jeff
Bridges) should have been that charflrtpr
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load of strangeness as the rest of the
film. As for the rest of the characters,
none come close to possessing the enTown
Thee
gamecock critic JENNIFER STANLEY
Despite some weak points, the Town
Theatre's production of Cole Porter's
"Anything Goes" was still de-lovely, to
quote one of the play's famous songs.
The play, which runs until March
28, is the stoiy/musical of Reno Sweeney,
a red-hot evangelist turned nightclub
act, and honest but resourceful Billy
Crocker, who in turn loves moderately
poor socialite Hope Harcourt, who is
state's ipub
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vski, flops beca
dearing qualities fans have come to expect
from the Coens.
There's Walter (John Goodman) as
the stereotypically over-the-top Vietnam
vet, the "Big Lebowski" (David
Huddleston) as a perpetually yelling
paraplegic businessman, and Maude
(Julianne Moore) as his pointlessly
eccentric daughter. Also, muddling
up the plot are a group of nihilists, a
producer of porn videos, and the Big
Lebowski's smarmy yes-man.
itre show en
engaged to a wealthy, titled Lord Evelyn
Oakleigh, who in turn loves Sweeney
without knowing it.
Crocker stows away on the S.S.
American to be near Hope, much to the
consternation of his boss, Elisha Whitney.
The plot livens up even more when
Public Enemy No. 13 and his side-kick
Erma are aboard the ship.
The music includes Cole Porter
tunes such as Anything Uoes, rnend\
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As for the plot, it's much too con- ;
trived and virtually unimportant, prob- 1
ably the least important part 01 the him.
The characters are supposed to hold 1
the audience's interest, but they are so
outrageous they offer little to relate to,
much less to care about.
The ever-confused and extremely
under-used Donny (Steve Buscemi) ,
comes close to engendering some feelings
of sympathy, as he continually tries
to figure out what's happening. But,
ijoyable des]
ship," "I Get a Kick Out of You" and
"Blow, Gabriel, Blow."
While the songs are catchy, the
three-man band provides the bare essentials.
With percussion and keyboard
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on the stage-sized boat, the keyboardproduced
saxophone music was too
cheesy and seemed more like a shortcut
than a real rendition of the saxsolo.
The music selection offered a combination
of humor, jazz and romance.
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just as the audience, his attempts are
continually thwarted.
If Donny indeed represents the audience,
his eventual demise speaks volumes
about the Coens' mentality after
the success of Fargo. Instead of simply
making wonderful movies as they did
applic
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before they gained the attention of
the mainstream critical world, they are
now conscious that they are and will be
watched. In trying to ignore these eyes,
the quality of their storytelling has faltered.
Quirkiness only works to an expite
casting
But, most of all, the quick dance numbers
stand out. Most of the cast delivered
an excellent, applause-deserving
dance performance that showed hard
work and lively fun.
The boat was a good point of the production,
showing real effort on the part
of the set designers. The two-story S.S.
American, which has "sneak peaks" into
the guest cabins, makes the production
more believable and definitely
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Wednesday, March 18,1998
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SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
(left) From right to left, Walter,
Donny and The Dude talk to a
fellow bowler about the upcom- A
ing championship games, (top)
The Dude and Maude appear
together in a dream.
tent, but the movie has to work, too.
And this one doesn't.
The high point of the film is Joel Coen's
beautiful direction. The scenes in
the bowling alley (with a hilarious John
Turturro cameo) are the best in the
movie. If nothing else, the Coen
brothers should be applauded for their
fearlessness in tiying new things. Per- ^
haps they don't always succeed in creating
a coherent vision, but at least it
can be fun to watch them fail.
I problems
brings that big, Broadway feeling to the
small, but comfortable Town Theatre.
The cast works for and against the ^
success of guest director Jim E. Quick's
production. While Leah McNeeley-Tudor
(Hope) is talented, she did not fit
the picture of a 20-year old debutante,
and I did not see any chemistry
or any "pretend" attraction between McNeeley
and Moon (Crocker).
ANYTHING GOES page seven
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