John Goodman

In the bowling-alley exchanges in The Big Lebowski (1998), John Goodman's Walter Sobchak applies himself to conversation with far more conviction than the occasion deserves. Jeff Bridges's Dude would prefer to get through it with considerably less fuss. Goodman makes that difference funny without asking us to agree with Walter, or even to want him nearby. We laughed at his insistence, then felt grateful that the Dude was the one who had to put up with him.

The Coen brothers began working with him on Raising Arizona (1987), before Roseanne (1988) brought him broad recognition as Dan Conner. The dialogue-heavy work of Barton Fink (1991) is a useful reminder that his precision deserves as much attention as his physical presence. His later work includes voicing Sulley in Monsters, Inc. (2001) and the leading role of Howard in the contained thriller 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016). Moving between animation, thrillers and continuing television work makes it hard to reduce him to the imposing man in the corner.

What we particularly value in The Big Lebowski is that Goodman does not have to make Walter likeable. He gives him the conviction to keep arguing, and Bridges supplies a man unwilling to put in anything like the same effort. Steve Buscemi's Donny helps the exchanges breathe; Walter's insistence would be tiresome if everybody matched it. The Coens know how to use Goodman's intensity without asking the whole cast to compete with him. Describing this simply as a big performance misses how much its success depends on his colleagues being allowed to do less.

The caveat is that good company cannot repair everything around it. The film's mystery is slack, and some of its diversions outstay their welcome even with these actors to return to. We recommend it warmly, but the pleasure is in spending time with the bowling-alley regulars rather than seeing the crime story neatly managed. Start there for Goodman, and do not expect Walter to make the evening restful.