More than two decades after The Big Lebowski, the cult movie finally hatched a standalone-spinoff film, The Jesus Rolls (originally titled Going Places), which is a “a bit of a racy movie. It shows how stupid men are.” That’s according to star John Turturro, who was bestowed with the right (by the Coen Brothers) to use and continue his role as Jesus Quintana. He’s also written and directed this spinoff, and let’s just say that the spirit of Jesus is alive and well, even if The Dude does not abide his way into this movie.
The trailer gets rolling with Jesus taking center stage after being sprung from prison. He picks up with Bobby Cannavale’s Petey, and they embark upon a life of petty crime and romance with fellow misfit Marie, portrayed by Audrey Tautou. Along the way, their free-wheeling adventures meet obstacles posed by a gun-wielding Jon Hamm, along with characters played by Susan Sarandon and Pete Davidson (who’s all over the place now, so get used to seeing his face). Turturro also described the picture as “a comedy but a very human comedy” that mostly aims to explore Jesus’ readjustment to life on the outside. From the synopsis:
[A] film about a trio of misfits whose irreverent, sexually charged dynamic evolves into a surprising love story as their spontaneous and flippant attitude towards the past or future backfires time and again, even as they inadvertently perform good deeds. When they make enemies with a gun-toting hairdresser, their journey becomes one of constant escape from the law, from society and from the hairdresser, all while the bonds of their outsider family strengthen.
With acting turns from Christopher Walken (as “Warden”), Tim Blake Nelson (as “Doctor”), and J.B. Smoove (as “The Mechanic”), well, it’s sure to be something for completists, even if the few reviews that have surfaced so far aren’t rave ones. The Jesus Rolls strikes into theaters on February 28.
