“The Dude abides…”
This month marks the 20th 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 8th 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 8th 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.
*
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.”
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