Jeffrey Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), aka the Dude, is a laid-back Los Angeles stoner who spends much of his time chatting with fellow bowling fanatics Walter (John Goodman), a motor-mouth Vietnam veteran, and Donny (Steve Buscemi). The Dude and his pals soon find themselves in a Raymond Chandler-style plot involving mistaken identity, kidnapping and the mistreatment of a beloved rug (it tied the room together).

The complicated story is amusing in itself, but the real pleasures of the film have more to do with the terrific characterisations (Bridges and Goodman are iconic), the imaginative flights of fancy, and the Coens’ sharp observations on the zanier aspects of 1990s American culture.

Not many films can claim to have inspired both an annual festival and a religion, but The Dude’s unique take on life, as well as his misadventures, have proved to be an enduring winning combination. But that's just, like, our opinion, man.

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