Jeff Bridges: The Dude Abides

Jeff Bridges came from a show business family, with his father Lloyd and brother beau finding success in the movies, but he never really showed any interest early on. Admittedly lazy, and inclined more so to other artistic areas such as music and painting, Jeff somehow has made his name in pictures as one of the most likable and identifiable of all Hollywood stars. In this retrospective, family members, coworkers including Cybil Shepard, Peter Bogdanovich, Taylor Hackford, and Robin Williams, and The Dude himself look back on his remarkable career beginning with his iconic supporting work in "The Last Picture Show", the career reviving "Starman", and his quintessential performances in "The Big Lebowski", "Crazy Heart", and "True Grit". "The Dude Abides" is what you would expect from a documentary on Jeff Bridges: laid back and amiable. I thought it could have been a little more focused and some of the interviewees aren't as compelling as others (I didn't really care what his nephew thought of his career). Still, this is a warm portrait of one of the most magnetic and seemingly down to earth performers working today.