A Reel 20: THE BIG LEBOWSKI

“The Dude abides…”

This month marks the 20^th anniversary of Joel and Ethan Coen’s THE BIG LEBOWSKI.

A dark comedy with elements of a crime novel, LEBOWSKI followed an adventure by Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski; a laid-back, White Russian-drinking, pot-smoking, unemployed bowling enthusiast who has the bad luck of sharing a last name with a local millionaire involved in a kidnapping plot. Dude is joined by his friends and bowling teammates Walter, who is an aggressive Vietnam veteran, and Donny, a neutral fellow who never understands what’s going on. The three casually try to unravel the mystery of the kidnapping, which may or may not be real, in a film that unspools in a series of episodes involving ransom money, bowling rivals, the porn industry, performance art, wacky dreams, and the theft of Dude’s beloved rug.

THE BIG LEBOWSKI was the 8^th film by the producing, writing, and directing sibling team of the Coens, and their first follow-up to their Oscar-darling FARGO from 1996. The beginnings of the film go as far back as 1991, when the Coens began writing the script before abandoning it to work on BARTON FINK. When they revisited the project, the script was written with John Goodman (Walter), and Steve Buscemi (Donny), in mind, who had worked with the Coens before. The central character of The Dude was inspired by two acquaintances of the brothers, who had all of the traits from White Russians to going by “Dude”. That role would eventually go to Jeff Bridges. The rest of the outstanding cast would include Julianne Moore, David Huddleston, John Turturro, Sam Elliott, Tara Reid, David Thewlis, Peter Stormare, Flea, and the late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

With the city and culture of Los Angeles being so prominent in the script, shooting took place on location over a period of eleven weeks, with Dude’s dream sequences shot in a converted airplane hangar. Sam Elliott, acting as a narrator and making two cameos, shot for only two days. Famed cinematographer Roger Deakins gave the film a colorful look which popped off the screen.

THE BIG LEBOWSKI was not a hit financially and did not score well with critics, but over the years has earned a massive cult following. Fans hold festivals and the characters are the inspiration for cosplay at conventions across the country. There are over 450,000 ordained priests practicing a pseudo-religion called Dudeism, and the film has inspired competitions ranging from trivia, White Russian contests, and academic treatments. Entertainment Weekly ranked it 8^th on their Funniest Movies of the Past 25 Years list, and the late, famed movie critic Roger Ebert added it to his list of Great Movies in 2010.

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It took this Blogger several years to really appreciate the art of THE BIG LEBOWSKI. As a film it is a joy to take in through its twists and turns, the dialogue is instantly quotable, and the chemistry between Bridges, Goodman, and Buscemi is pure magic. The three characters benefit from holding to classic archetypes; the passive, the aggressive, and the neutral…and are executed so well that the film should be played and studied at every Film 101 class. It has elements of a Western, or even a Greek adventure through a series of perils and encounters…all while maintaining a sense of fun with a barrage of laughs (the gag with Donnie’s ashes cracks up this Blogger every time). After 20 years, The Dude is the role that the world relates Jeff Bridges to, and offers an important lesson; just take ‘er easy.

“All The Dude wanted was his rug back.”