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The Big Lebowski is a minted comedy classic renown for its insanely quotable dialogue, slew of hilarious situations bound together by a neo-noir template, and, of course, its cast of eclectic characters. One of those characters was the iconic purple-clad pederast, Jesus Quintana (played by John Turturro). To say he was a standout in a movie bursting at the seams with memorable characters is an understatement. This was made all the more impressive by the relatively short amount of time he's actually on screen. Despite this, he seemed prime material for a vehicle of his own, should anybody get the urge to expound. And so someone did. The Jesus himself, in fact.
With Turturro himself at the wheel as writer, director, and, naturally, lead actor, The Jesus Rolls screamed of passion project and instant classic. Alas, when the film finally dropped, critics and audiences alike agreed that they shouldn't have fucked with The Jesus. And so it came and went with none too eager to champion it and most ready to forget it. Being a huge Lebowski fan (an "achiever", to those uninformed in such matters), I was in a constant tug of war about watching this. The woeful reception didn't bode well but, of course, I wanted to see what came of it anyway. Well, it took a while, but I finally indulged.
There comes a certain burden when following up a movie that is universally loved but that burden multiplies exponentially when the film in question is the subject of slavish cult loyalty. The Jesus Rolls was not in an enviable position from the get-go on that front alone. Add to that the fact that the Coen Brothers were not involved with it (though they gave Turturro their blessing to elaborate on the character) and the passage of time and you have a surefire recipe for disaster. Disclaimer: Anyone going into this expecting something to the level of The Big Lebowski will be horribly disappointed. Hell, barring a few superficial similarities, this one is a different kind of beast.
The film follows Jesus Quintana being released from prison after one of his repeated offenses. Not long after, the delightfully careless but destructive nature of his unscrupulous outlook drags a friend and a disaffected hairdresser into a mounting whirlwind of chaotic situations that, much like in The Big Lebowski, end up feeding into each other. Humor is drawn as much from seeing him being reckless and quick to return to his baser qualities as it is from the irony of his abject fear of returning to prison. Unlike The Big Lebowski, though, humor doesn't take the front seat. Instead, we have a quirky (at times downright bizarre), surprisingly sweet drama of a man inadvertently finding purpose and a form of appreciation for what he has through the course of his misadventures.
The movie also has a very distinct European aura to it courtesy of it basically being a remake of the French movie Going Places (itself an adaptation of the book Les Valseuses). It actually sticks to the beats of Going Places pretty closely, only recontextualizing and reinterpreting them to fit Jesus' personality and story arc. Going Places, however, was a notoriously sexual story and, given what we knew about Jesus from The Big Lebowski, you could see that going some uncomfortable places. However, The Jesus Rolls retcons The Big Lebowski's claims about Jesus' deviances in an amusing way early on. Instead, we get a pleasantly open-minded view of the often complex relationships between men and men, men and women, polyamorous relationships, etc. Not only does this supply ample opportunities for whimsy but it also proves to be the primary means through which Jesus most begins to redefine the meaning of his life and objectifying outlook. This is especially true after a particularly jarring experience that is best experienced than spoiled here.
Some will find the film meandering and I've read a few reviews that even call it plotless but I beg to differ. Sure, Jesus seems to go from one strange encounter to the next without rhyme or reason but each situation pulls back the curtains on his character. He proves oddly charming with his strange mix of amoral and moral qualities but soon encounters unshakeable revelations and concepts about life that take him to newer depths. There is much purpose to The Jesus Rolls and, to the right audience, it will be a very satisfying experience. Pre-loading this movie with a character like Jesus Quintana had the downside of turning off Lebowski fans that didn't get more of that world they love so much but it also had the benefit of forcing the creative mind behind it to create a more nuanced growth arc for such a defined and obstinate character. This is largely told through those that surround him, either by the way he views them or how they affect his worldview.
You won't find the fine-tuned dialogue of The Big Lebowski here but that is more the result of Jesus and those in his sphere aren't exactly the pinnacles of eloquence. An affably goofy ex-felon, an apathetic French woman, ex-cons with little concern for change, and, more tragically, those with a cold realization of the fleeting nature of stability and happiness in a post-prison life are the types of people that Jesus encounters and, if you let them, you'll see exactly what Jesus takes from meeting them or how he learns to embrace those he already knew.
Make no mistake, this is not a movie whose themes pound the humor out of everything. There is much humor throughout, it is just of a very different ilk from The Big Lebowski. Lest we forget, Lebowski's humor itself is not the status quo. The Big Lebowski was not a box office hit and critics were largely confused by it when they first came across it. In the wake of Fargo, a lot of them saw it as a step down for the Coen Brothers. It didn't take long for a cult to form and for opinions to change. Now it is one of the most well-regarded comedies of all time, deservedly so.
The Jesus Rolls will probably never have that type of turnaround BUT I hope it does begin to see at least a bit of appreciation because it deserves far better than the one it got. Put aside expectation if you're a Lebowski fan and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised. It is, at the very least, something different than the mainstream but, dare I say, it is also a fantastic and greatly fulfilling watch. I might be going against the grain here but I give The Jesus Rolls a 7 out of 10. I suspect that grade will appreciate as time passes, too.
