Posted on 09/14/2009 8:37:21 PM PDT by Saije
So there’s this guy named the Dude, and some dudes break into his apartment and pee on his rug, so the Dude, an LA burnout whose real name is Jeffrey Lebowski, goes to find the other Jeffrey Lebowski, a rich guy the intruder dudes were actually looking for, so he can get him to replace the soiled rug, which totally tied the room together.
That’s the basic premise of “The Big Lebowski,’’ the Coen Brothers’ 1998 stoner caper, which also involves bowling, nihilism, a kidnapping, and many, many White Russians - a cocktail whose parts combine more cogently than the film’s plot points.
To the uninitiated, “The Big Lebowski’’ probably doesn’t sound like the sort of cinematic watershed that would translate to an enduring cultural phenomenon. But the movie has become just that. And we’re not talking about action figures and keychains, although they’re yours for the ordering.
The film - which was released to mixed reviews and spent all of six weeks in theaters, barely recouping its $15 million budget - has spawned a vibrant subculture that draws both scholars and slackers to the fold. The Dude has been cited in hundreds of doctoral dissertations and academic papers over the past decade. There is a religion called Dudeism, boasting more than 50,000 ordained Dudeist priests, and a publication called the Dudespaper, “a lifestyle magazine for the deeply casual.’’ Film producer Jeff Dowd, the actual person on whom the character of the Dude is based, has launched a second career making personal appearances as The Real Lebowski. This weekend an annual convocation called Lebowski Fest rolls into Boston for the first time, to rally the faithful with a film screening at the House of Blues and a bowling party at Kings Lanes.
Clearly, the Dude abides. The question is: Why?
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
It really tied the room together, man.
It went over my head though I thought Bridges sorta nailed his role.
I like RA better but the real Cohen masterpiece is Millers Crossing.
See my tagline.
Yep.
I’m sick of this movie being described by the press as a “stoner movie.” I’m Mr. Square and I loved this movie, saw it opening day (the theater was empty).
Call it what it is, neo-noir comedy. Some people might appreciate this cinematic masterpiece but would be turned away by the idea that it’s just another dumb comedy about pot-smokers. Only the main character smokes pot. It’s more of a bowling movie than a pot movie.
I own exactly 2 movies, and one - the Godfather Trilogy - was given to me as a gift. I guess that counts as 3 so technically I have 4. But The Big Lebowski is the only movie I’ve ever purchased. To my mind, it’s the greatest comedy ever made.
I have to resist the temptation to watch it as often as I want to....so I’ve probably only seen it about 15 times.
It’s difficult to describe the appeal. For me it’s the dialogue, which manages to be stupfyingly doltish and really clever at the same time. If you’re turned off by cursing, though, don’t even think of seeing it. At one time it held the unofficial record for most instances of the “F word.”
I’ve really, really wanted to go to a Lebowski Fest ever since they started having them. The only thing stopping me is that it would make me one of those guys who goes to movie conventions....and who wants to be one of those guys?
Oh, and the guy who talked about the soundtrack was right. An interesting thing is that most songs are covers, not sung by the original artists. Like Viva Las Vegas by Shawn Colvin, Dead Flowers by Townes Van Zandt (I think that’s been discussed), and my favorite - Hotel California by Los Lobos.
The characters and events are outrageous to the point of being ludicrous and truly unique. I could babble about it forever. But if the cursing doesn’t turn you off...check it out!
Hank
“I’ve really, really wanted to go to a Lebowski Fest ever since they started having them. The only thing stopping me is that it would make me one of those guys who goes to movie conventions....and who wants to be one of those guys?”
So who has to know you went?
The Big Lewinsky is probably even better, especially for Bostonians like Bawney Fwank, whether giving or weceiving.
Donnie!! You're out of your element!
Well...I would, I guess. It just makes me think of those poor, sad Trekkies and that chastens me. Of course, I've never in my 49 years ever even SEEN an episode of Star Trek, so I DO have that to fall back on. ;-)
But this is our concern, dude.
Hank
Steve Buscemi dies in almost every movie he’s in, but at least he didn’t get axed in the head and shoved into a woodchipper in “The Big Lebowski”...so it’s got that going for it...
That whole sequence with the slo-mo and the flamenco music and him pulling up his purple socks has got to be one of the most brilliant ever. And remember — no one f***s with The Jesus.
I’m pretty squaresville myself and I think it’s a great movie, although I didn’t realize it the first time I saw it.
And the Walter Sobchak character (John Goodman) was supposed to have been based on John Milius.
I would love to have the TV edit soundtrack as an option on the DVD. (Maybe it is? I haven’t checked.) Finding the stranger in the Alps takes the whole film to new levels of surreal metahumor.
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