A Coen brothers’ film is more than a tag line – it’s a guarantee. A guarantee to all fans they will see something weird, interesting and very stylish.

Sometimes it works, as in Raising Arizona and Fargo. And sometimes it doesn’t, as in Barton Fink and The Hudsucker Proxy.

The Big Lebowski rests on middle ground. It definitely has its moments – mostly in the first half – but it drags in the second and stumbles under the weight of its plot.

Jeff Bridges plays Jeff Lebowski, or as he prefers to be called, The Dude. He is caught in a kidnapping plot that spins out of control thanks to the incompetence, or just plain stupidity, of his partner, Walter (John Goodman, “Roseanne.”) The Dude gets roughed up by some tough guys who mistake him for someone else. So he decides to go see The Big Lebowski, a local millionaire, for some retribution.

The best part of the film is watching the characters interact, mostly in the bowling alley. The Dude and Walter are on a team with Donny (Steve Buscemi, Con Air). In one scene, Walter sees an opponent step over the foul line. Walter tells the competitor to put down a zero for the score. He eventually does write down a zero, encouraged by the loaded handgun Walter aims at his head.

Later, the audience hears a message from the frightened bowler on The Dude’s answering machine. It’s a funny scene that works by itself, but it doesn’t really add anything to the film.

The Coens had some great characters to work with, and maybe they had a good story. But the two didn’t work well together. It would be interesting to see what would happen to a character like The Dude if he were to come upon unexpected success or notoriety.

Bridges is an actor who inhabits his characters so completely he becomes hard to recognize. This ability makes him a talented actor, but it also may be why he is under-appreciated.

Music plays a big part in The Dude’s life. He floats through a few dream sequences with a look of such ecstasy in his eyes, one can’t help but smile. Usually he’s grooving to “The Man in Me,” an obscure Bob Dylan song. During a cab ride he asks the driver to turn down the music. “I don’t like the Eagles, man,” he protests. The driver pulls over and drags him out of the car.

The loving respect The Dude has for his warped little world is one of the sweeter aspects of the movie. He makes no apologies for his lack of direction. He just doesn’t want anyone getting in his way.The Big Lebowski is now playing.3 hatchets