John Turturro reprises his role as Jesus Quintana in the trailer and poster for his Big Lebowski spinoff, The Jesus Rolls. As famous as the Coen Brothers’ 1998 crime comedy has become, it’s easy to forget it earned mixed reviews and modest box office returns upon its initial release. It was only after that the film (which is essentially the Coens’ comedic version of a Raymond Chandler noir detective story) came to be regarded as a cult classic and was eventually added to the National Film Registry in 2014. That was the same year Turturro revealed he’d received the Coens’ blessing to reprise his character from the movie.
Originally titled Going Places, The Jesus Rolls is a loose remake of the 1974 French sex comedy Les Valseuses. (For those confused, it was renamed Going Places in the U.S.) The movie picks up with Turturro’s bowler Jesus as, having gotten out of prison hours earlier, he embarks upon a series of criminal escapades and romantic entanglements with fellow miscreants Petey (Bobby Cannavale) and Marie (Audrey Tautou). After being slow to develop, The Jesus Rolls eventually made its global premiere last fall at the Rome Film Festival. It’s since been picked up by Screen Media Films and will begin its domestic run next month.
The Jesus Rolls teaser trailer is now online, along with the official U.S. poster for the film. You can check them both out in the space below.
Beyond Turturro recreating the infamous Big Lebowski moment where Jesus licks his bowling bowl before chucking it, there’s not a whole lot of actual footage in this Jesus Rolls teaser. The movie is a decidedly R-rated comedy, though, so there’s probably not a whole lot that could be included in a green-band preview anyway. In addition to starring, Turturro also wrote and directed The Jesus Rolls, bringing him back behind the camera for the first time since his 2013 sex worker comedy Fading Gigolo. The remainder of the film’s cast is rounded out by Oscar-winners Christopher Walken and Susan Sarandon, Jon Hamm, and SNL’s Pete Davidson (as are listed in the teaser and poster).
Reviews for The Jesus Rolls have been mixed to negative so far. Despite the film’s attempts to flesh out the Jesus Quintana character and make him, well, less problematic (in the movie, it’s revealed he’s not actually a pederast, but was presumed to be one after a cringe-worthy misunderstanding), critics mostly agree The Jesus Rolls lacks the clever dialogue and absurdist humor that made The Big Lebowski a cult hit in the first place. That also explains why the film is being quietly released next month, just four weeks after its marketing began. Still, for those who’re curious what the Big Lebowski universe looks like without the Coens, it could be worth a glimpse at some point in the future.
The Jesus Rolls opens in select theaters on Friday, February 28.
Source: Screen Media Films
