The Big Lebowski

Joel and Ethan Coen gave the world a magnificent gift when they released their modern noir bowling adventure The Big Lebowski — but the world failed to accept it, at least at first. Denser and yet more wide-open in structure than its predecessor, Fargo, Lebowski is the sort of film that goes right over your head the first time you see it. The more times you watch it, the more you glean. This mystery about a kidnapped woman whose husband is the insanely wealthy Jeffrey Lebowski turns on the fact that the kidnappers approach Jeff "Dude" Lebowski for the ransom and the Dude is a hard-core, Zen-hippie, bowling guru. The Big Lebowski is the shaggiest shaggy dog story of all time, and it also has one of the most devoted cult followings. It's only right and natural that the Strange Brew film series would present a screening of it — it's part of their ethos, Dude. The film starts at 8 p.m. Wednesday, October 3, at the Urban Chestnut Grove Brewery (4465 Manchester Avenue; www.webster.edu/film-series). Admission is $5.