Saturday, April 07, 2012

The Big Lebowski live read recap

I hadn't been able to attend the last few live script reads at LACMA due to work conflicts, but I did get to see the last read of this first six screenplay arc and it was a doozy: The Big Lebowski. First of all, the screenplay by Joel and Ethan Coen is amazing all by itself. I've seen the movie a bunch of times and yes, the cast are pretty much perfect in it. But, it's the screenplay! After seeing a group of actors read through it raw, the film still comes alive due to what the Coens have crafted on the page.

Here was the cast of the live read: Sam Elliott [as what else? The Stranger], Christina Hendricks [Maude], Rainn Wilson [Walter], Seth Rogan [The Dude], Hank Azaria [Donnie, nihilist], Catherine Reitman [Bunny], Nick Kroll [Jesus, nihilist], Fred Savage [Brandt, nihilist] and Jason Alexander [Lebowski].

The best: Alexander [in an unfortunate and ridiculous toupe!], Wilson [it's hard not to kill as Walter] and yes, Mr. Sam Elliott.

The worst: Hendricks. She was monotone and seemed bored on the stage, never cracking a smile at anyone else's performance.

3 comments:

hidden staircase said...

sam! remember saying hello and shaking his hand and getting one of those nice big handshake combo arm hugs from him?! we saw him in the line to pay for parking down in the bottom of the pacifc 'palace' at SIFF...some year. i remember you saying that you highly enjoyed and respected his work, or something and he was sincerely appreciative and warm in response.

toupe! terrible! was it just for that reading...or? weird.

Tatermash said...

Maybe Hendricks was just staying in character.

Joshua Blevins Peck said...

Staircase--We'd just seen him in OFF THE MAP or OFF THE GRID. He was really nice. No, I've seen Alexander don that toupe before. Not sure why as we all know he's bald!

Unknown--if her being in character means reciting every line in a flat, uninflected monotone, then she was definitely in character!