Why we dig The Big Lebowski

This film has changed my perspective on myself and my life.

Had a long list of good stuff about this flick, but can’t find it now. Am going to rest for awhile, but will probably get back to you later on this.

Abide!

I know people like the characters of the story and love them dearly.

It brings together the men of our generation…the Vets and the ones that stayed home in a Buddy movie! We are healed at last!

Also the Dude showed me the true beauty of wool and and how well a rug can really tie a room together.

Fuck it. I don’t care if I win;. Thank you the Dude above for Dudes like you that give Dudes like me the opportunity to say just how much I love the Big Dude all mighty , the big and beautiful Lebowski.

Take it handy,

take it easy.

stay beautiful.

X

The oddness of the different plots , the oh so quotable script, and extremely ridiculous yet still relate-able characters simply sucked me in and kept me there.

I own the DVD now and watch it as often as I can.

It just, you know, encompasses everything our world is, was, and possibly may become.

…In a good way of course.

Through the telling of this, the story of the Dude…

Um. My train of thought left the station.

Oh! Yeah! By telling the story of the Dude, perhaps we can all you know, “become one”, and learn to take it easy and just relax.

Take it easy,

James D.

There are several messages to this movie: Don’t worry about the small stuff, and life is all small stuff. Go with the flow of life, and you won’t be stressed.

The dude is far out.

Abide,

Devon Gilpatrick

When I watch the film now, I see the subtle references and I see something new each time.  I’ve probably watched The Big Lebowski over a thousand times in these near thirteen years, and it never gets old, it never loses any value to me.  For me, this is a childhood film that will stick with me for the rest of my life.

The Dude teaches us that there is nothing to worry about.  There are strikes and gutters, ups and downs but The Dude still abides.

2. Showed a much younger, sexier, non-alcoholic version of Tara Reid….never to be seen again!

3. It helped create Dudeism, and I can now officially say “dude, call me reverend Hunter, please”

4. John Goodman….best performance I have, and will probably ever see of him…..kuddos to his performance.

5. It showed in life that money, big homes, and young wives don’t always bring happiness.  But a rug, some Creedance, and a J is sometimes the only thing you need!!

6. If it wasn’t for the show, I would have just looked like a stoner wearing a bathrobe for Halloween…instead, I won “Best Costume”.

7. I was on a reality television show in 2010, and refused to turn my “The Dude Abides” t-shirt inside out…and the producers couldn’t say no, because they loved the movie that much.  Unfortunately, I was never aired with it on, but it was still a win.

Peace, love, and abide.

All hail the latterday dude!

First off and foremost, The Dude is in it! Plus three of my favourite actors are in it, Jeff Bridges, John Goodman and the wonderful Steve Buscemi!! The chemistry between these three is feckin awesome!

Let’s see, what else…..white russians? slutty second wives? bowling? nam flashbacks? Julianna Moore being a nut job artist? Doobs? Rugs? The soundtrack!! Gutterballs? A drawing of a guy with a huge nob?? lol

Seriously though, a thoroughly well thought out, mellow, funny and at times really sad piece of comedy genius that has inspired thousands to become Dudeists – me and my partner, my brother-in-law, and one of my best friends included!

simple facts.

But thats just like, my opinion, man.

reality for some people.

Any ho….it’s a fine watch all the same.

firstly, the cast is comprised of big name Hollywood actors and clearly spotlight their talent in this film.

Secondly, the Coen brothers are simply artists at their craft. The Big Lebowski is a funny yet very serious film that takes the viewer on an interesting and strange journey through L.A.

Thirdly, The sound track is amazing! It is comprised of Bob Dylan, to Kenny Rodgers. I bought a copy and listen to it often because it is so dynamic.

Finally, The story line is pure genius! It is merely a story about a regular lazy guy that is mistaken for a millionaire with the same name. In the process his rug is urinated upon. The rest of the story is about Jeff Lebowski trying to get a new rug! The dialogue is also filled with hilarious and memorable quotes. for example: “that rug really tied the room together!” or “Nobody fucks with the Jesus!”

In conclusion, The Big Lebowski is one of the best movies because of the cast, the directors, the soundtrack, the storyline and dialogue. Amazing movie!

Cheers

Watching the movie should be the first rite of passage to becoming a true dude.

I wish peace to all the dudes who were. Profound respect to the dudes who are. A promise of a better land to the future dues.

And so…..let there be Dudes.

we identify with the dude…except for the rug pissing

Additionally, the movie is a reminder to just take ‘er easy. It’s a lesson easily forgotten in today’s society. Sometimes when I am at work, I get completely stressed out. But then I remember he’s out there. The Dude. Takin ‘er easy for all of us sinners. Anyways, yeah, the movie demonstrates the absolute crazy world out there and what can go wrong at the worst time. Yet, all throughout the movie, the Dude keeps his composure (save one angry phonecall to Walter; but you have to admit, for what the Dude went through, going that easy on him was quite a restrained reaction).

Finally, I love bowling, and it is a central part of the movie. That is actually what attracted me to it in the first place.  Strikes and gutters, man.

The way the movie was shot is phenomenal as well, with the artistic ‘dream’ sequences and shit.

Honestly, John Goodman’s character, Walter, made the movie exponentially better as well! I have always loved Goodman as an actor but Walter was the perfect co-star character I have ever seen!

Buscemi is also a great actor and even though his part is small his character adds to Goodman’s performance by being a target for him.

The Big Lebowski is also one of the rare films that I can watch over and over and never tire of it. I can watch it from the start and stop whenever or jump into the middle of it and it always makes me laugh.

Hands-down one of my top 5 movies of all time!!!

what?

In English.

And also I like rugs!!

See you on the trails.

One has only to view this masterpiece to fully understand the significance of its social, cultural, environmental, and Dudal impact.

One has only to Relax, Abide and Take it Easy.

R.A.T.E.

Male, female, nihilist, pacifist, marmot, it doesn’t matter. We all have to deal with the ins, outs, and what-have-yous that life throws our way. The Dude and rest of the gang help us smile and realize that we need to work on sitting back and enjoying the ride a little more than we tend to do.

Am I wrong?

Also.. coitus?

He fixes the cable?

And I also take back a lot from the Dude, I owe him a lifetime of happiness and joy. Here I am, takin’ her easy, all the way down, in thick and in thin.

That’d be me summing up as to how much I am obliged after watching The Big Lebowski, it’s an experience on cannot forget, that strand of memory that, well…that…lost my train of thought there!

You haveta ask?

hope dies last!

First, everything Walter says basically comes true in the end – like he is some sort of soothsayer.  It is only later that you realize he is steering the Dude into all these interesting situations because of his own Megalomania.

Second, the Dude borrows quotes from earlier scenes throughout the whole film and spins them as his own.  As President Bush says – the Dude will not stand for this agression and do you mean coitus?

And I could go on and on about this amazing film…

Cinematographic Masterpiece

We need to accept the diversity of life, as exemplified by the friendship of the Dude, Walter, and Donnie, three distinct personalities with different life philosophies, but who accept one another for what they are.

Also, though Walter is a macho blowhard war veteran, it is the laid-back, lovable Dude who, when a crisis occurs, rises to the occasion as the man who sets things straight.  The Dude abides!

If you know of the bible its easy to see that the Dude was Tested like Jobe and has the patience and love of Buddah.

The movie is simply put, g good guide to a good guide.

The Dude abides.

What a character! The Dude abides with me, and makes me smile because I GET IT!!!

And besides that it has:

a great story, lot’s of filosofy, humor, bowling, constant nagging about a rug, best one-liners ever, great characters beside the Dude, Flea as a German, great halucinations, White Russians, sarsaparilla drinking Cowboy that only the Dude can see, gigling homosexuals, wonderful dance-act and great music by the Eagles ;-)

And since I regretably cannot afford it to come over to the States for the day of the Dude, can you throw in a T-shirt?

Thanks, man!

Hans

However, unlike most capers, the details of the subterfuge really isn’t all that important.  I’m still not even sure exactly what happens in the film.  Oh well, my revolution is over.

the Dudes from the sixties were right all along, despite being treated like buffoons by the scientific-materialist drugged young Republicans, who bought the Reaganomics & Bush bullshit;  that sacked the U.S. infra-structure, put the working class out of work and the world into George Orwell’s 1984 nightmare of perpetual war, global ecological clearcut & economic gridlock.

I only mention it because sometimes theres a film, sometimes theres a film thats just right for it’s time and place.  And that was the Big Lebowski…

There is the plot, a twist filled tale of betrayal, kidnapping, and men who treat objects like women. This is a film noir P.I. movie for a modern generation. Instead of a bum in a fedora skulking street corners, here is a bum who wanders the roads of LA getting baked and looking for Bunny.

The dialogue? I need not discuss some things man. You already know.

And the message. Unlike other movies, this film offers the message without banging you over the head with it. The best part is, you can take away whatever you like. Lebowski is taking it easy for us sinners and just enjoying what he wants in life. He wants to abide and relax and live his life on his terms.

It’s funny, it’s brilliant, it’s just everything you could ever want in a film, and I love every minute of it.

A mind limbering drug regimen depicted in detail.

And a rug that really tied the room together.

What else is needed?

to earth in spring, but always

does the dude abide.

The Dude represents the human race, man!

Secondly, The Big Lebowski is just a great guide for living a simple and entertaining life, even if it’s filled with very un-dude schemes and shenanigans.

You know?

Plus it provided me with many quotes and ideals that I’ve worked into my own vernacular and life.

For example, never be at a loss for words when someone says the most outrageous thing and you’re, like, too mellow to do some research. Always go to the Dude and your answer will be apparent.

But for me it’s the easyness. After watching this movie there is no guilt in being lazy for some time.

Oh and the movie introduced me to White Russian, my favorite drink now.

. . .

I like the magnificent contradiction of these characters being very much of their time and place, and yet all in some ways anachronisms, obsolete and clinging to a perception of the world that has long since moved on.

I like that, a couple years after ‘Fargo’, my favorite American filmmakers again pay homage to their favorite Kurosawa movie -‘High and Low’- by having two aspects of humanity, one down-and-in-&-outer dharma bum, and one on high-and-mighty meretricious human paraquat. Oh, and a kidnapping plot for ransom (sort of, this time the kidnapping part is more like the “ghost story” aspect of ‘Vertigo’.)

And that Walter and the Dude play two aspects of the same character, one up tight and reactionary, the other half easygoing and -in his way- introspective (and a little woolgathering Donnie / Steve Buscemi, as third wheel and audience empathy figure, helps point out the whole complexity thing: “a lot of ins, a lot of outs, a lot of what-have-yous.”)…and as a truism, the reality of everyday relationships and their developing (and elusive) quicksilver complexity, and how we chose to perceive and ride ride out that storm, is quite the whole dang point.

“Fun with the very idea of complexity. Fun with the concrete and mountainous evidence of complexity. And one of the richest sources of fun, played off in the sharpest contrast to complexity, is the glorious spectrum of stupidity on exhibit”, as the feller said, that feller being the longhair critic Duncan Shepherd, who’s also from Minnesota, like the Coen’s.

I love that, as in the best Hawks, Kurosawa, or Mamet (not marmot) movies, there is a roistering, contained yet invigoratingly strange and dangerous world to contend with, and we are invited to keep up or drop out along with the characters, never for a moment feeling above or ahead of them. We get a true sense of what friendship and teamwork means. The sociological and even psychosexual dynamics of it, but…. I’m rambling again.

It’s an odessey not unlike their next picture, and the lines of homer are equally a propos:

“Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story of that man skilled in all ways of contending, the wanderer, harried for years on end…”

A journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step. Remember the man who said that? Remember him? There are a dozen other men right now picking up where he left off. They’ll be remembered. So will you.

To tie this rumination together, some random acronyms of similar Coen classics, as well as this particular great, great, great movie:

O Brother, Where Art Thou? = A Hebrew Hero Root Truth

Miller’s Crossing = Sings Crime, Rolls

Intolerable Cruelty = Belittle a Crony Rule

The Ladykillers = Earthly Skilled

Fargo = A Frog

Burn after Reading = Aberrant Rug Fiend

The Big Lebowski = Bible Woke Sight

—

P.S.:

Coen Brothers = Born To Cheers!

Shit’s funny as fuck. What else can I say?

No, but seriously…  as of late, when I watch it, I am particularly impressed with the way every single note of music is synched up perfectly with the film.

Also, Brandt SLAYS ME!!  :D

The idea that you cant take life too seriously, and should just chill out once in a while!

do I even need to give a reason?…

Weeelll if you really feel like you need one. The Big Lebowski as good as any White Russian, pretty fucking good.

Besides how can a movie about a bunch of guys bowling and getting a rug sorted out be bad.

Also Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro and Flea.

Abide with me.

DUDEISM  4EVER

I identify with The Dude.  Pensive and mellow, “fuck it, man, let’s go bowling” outlook on life.  Do as little as you have to do, but do what you want to do whenever you can, and don’t sweat the petty stuff – rather pet the sweaty stuff.

Plus, Day of the Dude is on my Birthday – how can I not celebrate with a White Russian in my hand and some C.C.R. on my iPod?

Yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, my opinion, man.

For me the movie symbolizes the hope for a rug that really ties the room together, a great white russian, and a love of bowling.

No greater line will ever be uttered when life is just too much … “Fuck it Dude, let’s roll…”

Words of wisdom; words to live by.

For me, the message of The Big Lebowski is that mellow is better than most other alternatives.  Be good to each other, enjoy life, abide and let others abide, too.  Being a Dudeist reminds me to get back to that.  I am an attorney and a mom, and I acknowledge that I tend to be a bit too uptight some of the time.  Whenever I see a reference to The Big Lebowski or Dudeism, it puts me in touch with my inner dude.  White Russians, bowling, nice rugs that really tie the room together, mellowness; these are all good things.

There is also the whole laid back dude vibe of it.  White Russians, candlelit baths, bowling.

Plus it’s just so freaking funny!

And there’s that great carpet too.  It really ties the room together if you know what I mean.

The spot on comedy and chemistry between Walter and the Dude is very refreshing.

2. There may not be enough capacity within the bounds of the internet for all of the answers to this question.

3. There may not be enough capacity within the realm of human understanding for all of the answers to that questions.

do you mind if I spark up?

It just IS..

And Jeff Bridges simply IS the Dude, not just an actor portraying him…he already got me from the starting scene in the supermarket..

i first saw it at age 12 in the theater with my dad uncle and 8 year old brother

But that’s just, like, my opinion man.

That confusing you yet.  Just think this way “The cast abides, the cast abides”

I love Lebowski the most because it reminds me of a Vonnegut novel and Vonnegut is like a father to me.  I even named my son after him.

Whatever. it’s cool.

~Bo~

Although the Chinaman is not the issue, I think the linguistic aspects of the film are the most zesty and natural portions of this work.  Certain portions of social studies have been validated by shit coming to light during this film, although I did earn a D in Social Studies in grade school. Bummer.

[It’s a socially intriguing film through the witty use of cliches and language.]

Ten pins and a ball

A couple of old soads

Taking it easy

The Dude, however, is a symbol that life does not revolve around these things.  Life is nothing more than exchanging the short time you have with things that bring whatever joy or happiness is possible.

The Dude gets pulled into the world that many of us have found ourselves in, however, he does not accept it as they way it should be.  He simply tries to gain what he can from it.

Throughout it all, he still remains The Dude and, as we all know, The Dude takes her easy.

That’s a lesson we should all learn to avoid toiling our lives away in a sheetrock box, performing tasks you don’t truly care about and hoping that, one day, you’ll be able to have this or that.  Some people have hopes so diminished that their greatest ambition is to get a sheetrock box with a window.

The Dude needs no such things.  Just a little half and half will suffice.

Mainly though, there is a laugh out loud moment every four or five minutes.

It just is, man.

Steve

It’s a little bit about bowling, it’s bit about finding a cash machine, and it’s kind of about carpet pissers, but most of all it is about fun and laughs, and a few good friends and a strange adventure.

No matter how many times I watch the Big Lebowski it is just as funny as the first time.  It is a classic!

That is all.

I also love the movie for the humor. My boss does, too – it’s probably the only place I could say ‘Nothing’s fucked here? The goddamn plane crashed into the mountain!’ at work and get away with it.

And most of us know what it’s like to get swept up in a situation (or 2 or 3) that we have nothing to do with- except for a small commonality (like one’s name).

Every time I see this film (10+ and counting), I see new interpretation possibilities in EVERY scene.  It’s genius.

I laugh until my cheeks hurt and my makeup runs from crying from laughing.

And the Lebowski Fest that I attended in LA?  Absolutely the nicest bunch of dudes in the city and more fun in 5 hours than in an entire year combined!  I absolutely adore this film and those who “get” it!

1. Jeff Bridges is HOT!

2. Great Camera-ing

3. John Goodman

4. Ashes in the beard

5. The Coens are freaking geniuses.

B. It connects with a generation of wanna be loners and grifters who have been bamboozled into college degrees and minivans.

C. The cast is phenomenal.

D. The more you watch the more new things you find about the plot line and characters mentalities.

E. Jeff Bridges was born for this part.

F. Try to show me another movie that is anything like it. I dare you.

G. It is the “shit”. And by shit I mean, the bee’s knees, cat’s pajamas, awesomsauce 5000, the Goodman to our Bridges, and fan-friggin-tastic.

But you know, that’s just like… my opinion man…

P.S. if every entry doesn’t end with that line I feel the entrant should not be eligible for the prize. Just how I feel about the whole thing.

The relationships between the characters is written brilliantly. I look forward to the Dude’s first meeting with Maude at every viewing. The quibbling with Walter and Donny…classic. The ‘toe’ conversation in the diner is unbeatable.

There isn’t enough i can say about ‘The Big Lebowski’. Well, actually, I’ve said too much. The Dude would not approve.

The wheelchair-bound Lebowski, the one living in a nest of lies and unhappiness, is the anti-Dude.  He’s what The Dude would be if he wasn’t so Dude.  Naturally, the anti-Dude resents and fears Dude because of what he has been able to attain despite being a classic slacker.  Dude doesn’t need to know what day it is.  Naming the days is for those on a different path.

I could go on about the acting, directing, writing, cinematography, sound, and more–but all of those things wouldn’t have created such a great film and loyal following without The Dude just being Dude.

–Matt Stalter, humble clergyman from The Church of the Latter-Day Dude

– It has 4 of my top 10 favorite actors in it: Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro and John Goodman

– It also has some great cameo

When Pacifism is hidden behind aggression will go unchecked. Am I wrong?

Far out.

or did I?

For reminding us of that alone, The Big Lebowski can be considered great.

Thank Dude for movies like this.

*g*

gwennie.

Plus every single word said on the film just simply rocks.

You can always use quotes on the everyday life and meet someone that is very Walterish, very Maudeish and so on, or even give a “Good night, sweet prince”.

He lives life and tries not to let the “world” influance what he does. This is what we ll should do. Sure society may fall apart but why should you or I work our asses off to keep it together.

And if some one pisses on your rug, Dam straight you should piss on theirs or take it in compansation!

Chill out man

have a drink

Be the ball not the pins

Peter P. Simonsen

“You see what happens, you see what happens when you fuck a grown man in the ass!” John Goodman – The Big Lebowski.

Simple as that.

Anyhow, oh yeah – sorry – I lost my train of thought for a moment. So, Lebowski. The Dude. Listen, I’ve seen it, dozens of times? Hundreds of times? I don’t have that many fingers. I don’t want any more from Walter, man, ’cause that part freaks me out. When I was in ‘Nam they were doing shit like that man, and it really puts me in a bad way.

So, the movie. What can I say? The screenplay. El Lingo Cinematico. It’s par excellence. Man, it’s like I don’t know what the Coen’s were smoking when they wrote that shit, but can I have some of that please? Oh yeah, and I sometimes wish that Bunny would suck my cock (you can’t watch, man).

I like Creedence, man. I don’t know about the Eagles, and nothing against Don Henley, but I must abide by The Dude on that one.

You know, I loved the bowling scenes. L-e-n-i-n and L-e-n-n-o-n – I am the Walrus. Donny. Fantastic.

Throwing the dirty undies over in the bag, man. The Folger’s coffee and the cremation grounds. Man, why does the wind blow in your face by the ocean all the time? It’s a bummer, especially when that kind of shit happens…

Am I rambling? Shucks. I am rambling again. Listen. I dig you guys. I dig what you do. Lebowski is Lebowski. It’s like Marlon Brando. No one like him and no one like it. It’s a true original – not sure if I can say that, as that might be a double positive or something.

Ok. Thanks for listening…

Far out, Man. Far out.

And by that, at the risk of rambling on, I mean to say it is a brilliant capture of of the human spirit in its many facets… greed, sexuality, restfulness and inner peace, law and order, complex problem solving, and patience of 8-year-olds.  We see these things in real life, every day, in one form or another.  The film distills the American experience down to a few thousand frames of celluloid, and gives us a common context in which to share our basic humanity on a level playing field.

Assuming we don’t go over the line.

– Chris

The Dude is the proverbial duck while the ‘water’ of the troubles of the world just wash off his back.  There are so many memorable quotes that can apply to life.  Being a fellow Jew, I love Walter’s statement in regards to “Three thousand years of beautiful tradition, from Moses to Sandy Koufax”.

A film that one can watch over and over for shear enjoyment, but also get more out of with further viewings…

New shit has come to light and uhh. .

It speaks for its self, did that thought ever occur to you man, sir?

Sincerely,

Rudy, the cutest flutist nudist dudeist  on the planet.

I think The Big Lebowski is a great film because it takes ideas that have been around for awhile, well hold on; not just ideas, but ideas people feel are right, while not having them stuffed down their throats (ideas that aren’t mainstream, but strong enough to survive), and it depicts an unlikely “hero” (with quotation marks because what’s a hero?) who guides the audience along with these ideas and applies them to social figures: People we are familiar with, figures who have become ingrained in our society.

End result? A message people happily receive without the prodding of having their face dunked in a toilet or their car killed. And, who doesn’t like a message that gives the green light to take ‘er easy?

The Dude will be recorded as one of the coolest movie characters ever, hands down.

Relax & take it easy, just keep breathing

For an added bonus I will be relaxing Mar 6th from partying down at the Grand Funk Rail Road concert, the before.

It is a simple story. A story of one mans quest to find his “Holy Grail”, his rug, which will tie his room together, and hence his life. He is supported by his loyal friends and listeners, and deals with turmoil along the way, yet never loses sight of his vision. He doesn’t get csught up in the small things of life. Sometimes he eats the ‘bar’, sometimes, well, the ‘bar’ eats him.

It is pure perfection.  I abide!

The rug ties the whole film together man.

In short, it is a great film, it needs no explanation.

peace, jo

And green is good

I am the walrus

That’s my answer. That’s my answer for everything. I have it tattooed on my for’ead.

I know the script back and forward , and even my wife quotes from it .

Take her easy , later on down the trail.

Abide, brother, and i’ll abide with you.

But seriously….

Because every time I see it, I find something new that makes me laugh. And I have seen it ALOT.

When I was 3, my dad and all his friends were old burnout stoners, always calling each other “Dude” all baked to beat all hell. One day I was over at his friends house (also named Scot, who I’m named after) and randomly started calling him Dude, and since then he’s been Dude and I’ve been able to retain the title of Scot.

This is the funny thing:

My dads other best friend, Dave, was a spitting walking image of Jeff Bridges. The hair, the beard, the mannerisms, even the sound of his voice, that was Dave’s life. He used to sleep on Dudes couch and it would be a miracle if he put on something other than sweatpants. It was weird, because if Dave was the person there when I started throwing the word Dude out, the entire world would have changed (keep in mind, this was 1993). Instead, Dave is known as Uncle Bob (again, I was 3).

What makes the Big Lebowski such a great film? It’s one guy with his fucked up friend and buddy with a heart of gold, thrusted into the world head on with nothing but a piece of shit car and good intentions. They’re all such a small piece of the world, so easy to overlook, yet all of a sudden they experience such a shitshow of emotions that make them realize its almost time to grow up, but after one more game. Also, anything with Sam Elliott is guaranteed badass as hell.

Amen…

The Dude is like the Dali Lama of movie characters. The absolute best.

Really shows how much of what happens around you isn’t worth taking notice of…

Wait, that was like, the Matrix. Awww, fuck it.

and one off lines that have joined the lexican…

“shut the fuck up, Donnie”

“the dude abides”

Sharon Krieger

A better view of how the world, umm, works, and how to deal with all of… Hey, do you mind if I make myself a drink while we talk? No? Good.

Anyways, I just really, uh, I think it helps the masses… Understand how to just chill, man. Just take it easy. Like the dude, man.

The Dude: Walter, what is the point? Look, we all know who is at fault here, what the fuck are you talking about?

Walter Sobchak: Huh? No, what the fuck are you… I’m not… We’re talking about unchecked aggression here, dude.

Donny: What the fuck is he talking about?

The Dude: My rug.

Walter Sobchak: Forget it, Donny, you’re out of your element!

The Dude: Walter, the chinaman who peed on my rug, I can’t go give him a bill, so what the fuck are you talking about?

Walter Sobchak: What the fuck are you talking about? The chinaman is not the issue here, Dude. I’m talking about drawing a line in the sand, Dude. Across this line, you DO NOT… Also, Dude, chinaman is not the preferred nomenclature. Asian-American, please.

The Dude: Walter, this isn’t a guy who built the railroads here. This is a guy…

Walter Sobchak: What the fuck are you…?

The Dude: Walter, he peed on my rug!

Donny: He peed on the Dude’s rug.

Walter Sobchak: Donny you’re out of your element! Dude, the Chinaman is not the issue here!

But, that’s just, like, my opinion, man.

dedication to one beliefs

the high road ….the low road …..the balance of justice just swinging in the breeze and checks and balances….

and a great dream sequence lets not forget that ….

M. Winslade Dudeist,

Other than that, its a big, great, overstuffed film noir.  But fun.  And with the Dude.

1. The Chinaman is not the issue

2. This aggression will not stand

3. Find a cash machine

4. Don’t roll on Shabbos

5. You can’t board a Pomeranian

6. There are a lot of ins, lot of outs, lot of what-have-yous

7. Don’t be undude

8. The beauty of the plan is its simplicity

9. Hold out hope for the Credence

10. If you don’t like it, get your own fucking cab.

11. Jerk off manually

12. Metallica are a bunch of assholes

13. It’s ok, Nihilists are cowards

14. This isn’t ‘nam. There are rules

15. The bums lost

16. Don’t be fatuous

17. The rug really tied the room together

18. Eight-year-olds, dude

19. Fuck it, let’s go bowling

20. Don’t fuck with the Jesus

Catch you a little later on down the trail.

The first charming layer is the story itself; an absurd tale of coincidence and calamity (yet featuring many elements drawn from real life incidents) starring a man who cannot in any way be said to be a traditional Hollywood hero, and in some ways isn’t even that likeable, but who is nevertheless harmless, simple, and easy to relate to. All he really wants is a rug to tie the room together, some time at the bowling alley, and a White Russian. It is an uncomplicated life in a world full of scheming, violence, and nihilists, and in that way it is an admirable one.  In the face of drama and needless complexity, sometimes the wise thing to do is to just say “Fuck it.”

The next reason The Big Lebowski is such a treat is the dialogue.  The Dude and all those he encounters have fluid conversations filled with interjections and rants and asides, much like any real-life conversation.  The dialogue isn’t simply there to give the characters something to do between explosions or provide exposition and as it is in so many other movies.  Each character has a unique manner of speaking — from Donny’s perplexed interjections to Walter’s constant aura of dignity, affront and outrage — which requires great effort from the writers and the actors both.  Finally, as we all know, the movie is stuffed with wonderful quotes and bon mots, and the humour and wit make it a film that can be watched again and again.

And then there are the visuals of the film.  On the one hand, there are surreal and wonderful dream sequence episodes such as the “Just Dropped In to See What Condition My Condition Was In” trip that the Dude took, but there are also small cuts and minor visual details that further the story. For instance, the pan downwards to Bunny’s 10 perfectly painted and intact toes, making it clear that she was never kidnapped. Or the simple visual of the normally cocky and aggressive Jesus meekly going door to door to let the neighbourhood know he was a convicted sex offender.

Finally, there’s the brilliant soundtrack.  It ties the whole film together, man.

Good or bad, strikes and gutters, ups and downs. No matter what lane we find ourselves bowling on in the roll of life, it has to be fun. And helps to be funny.

Dudeist Master Sigh

I’ve watched it like 20 times so far. Far out.

However, the biggest reason why The Big Lebowski is such a great film is the sense of brotherhood around the film. If I meet a new person and they love the movie I instantly know that I have made a new friend that is as awesome as I am.

How many films can tap into your soul and give you a whole new perspective on life it’s self?

That’s just like my opinion dude but if I win or not I’m blessed by seeing it.

I think

Plus if your lucky you’ll even get laid and have a few free drinks on the way.

No other movie (at least to my knowledge) has a cult following, festivals dedicated to it, numerous book written on it, and a religion formed from it. This speaks a lot of it’s content, actors and writing.

In short, I really do love this movie and everything that steams from it!

With a great cast of actors and actresses and er, what in God’s holy name am I blathering about? … oh yeah … with a great cast and awesome writers it’s a move that can be watched over and over again. Not only do you not get bored of it but you notice something you didn’t the last time!
By far the greatest thing about TBL though is the fact it has inspired The Church of the Latter Day Dude. Without Dudeism 100,000+ people would never have come together to show their appreciation for TBL, Dudestock 2011 would never have been born and The Lebowskifests that take place all over the world would never have come to fruition.

Thank you Coen Brothers!!!

ADoY Kristian Lewin

That about wraps her all up.

Someone with severe anxiety issues can come away from The Big Lebowski, figuring Donny as the tragic hero of the film; the moral but quiet centre around which everything else revolves. Men in high castles can see it as a glittering exposé of the emotional sides their roles forbid them from expressing. Maude might come off as pretentious to any outsider, but fellow modern artists might see her as an aspirational paradigm; a sort of “screw you” to people who don’t take the more esoteric forms of art seriously. And nihilists… well, maybe we’ll keep quiet about the nihilists.

Of course, the merits of a great film aren’t entirely based around how well they speak to people, but it’d be foolish to say that it isn’t an important factor. It’s everything else that sets it at ease – a lead character who refuses to judge on a whim, and a plot that meanders and takes its own time, rather than hitting home with some hardcore political or existential message. This is what makes The Big Lebowski such a great film for me – not the Dude, the inspiration that I took away, but the the fact that inspiration can be taken from it in more than one way.

Secondly Dude, the writing is fantastic, with more QLF (Quotable Lines per Film) than any other piece in history or atleast the parlance of our times.

Lastly, it just, uh, you know man, it just is a great film man.  It keeps the mind limber.  Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what have yous.

That’s what makes this such a great piece.  Well that’s just like, my opinion man.

WHAT WOULD THE DUDE DO??? KICK BACK WITH A TASTY BEVERAGE AND LIGHT UP A “J”…

Joe Allen- CAMARILLO, CA..USA

I stood an that particular bridge, on that particular day, and watched as the leaves floated toward me from some place upriver, and took their individual ways down the watery path.  Some bobbed and weaved, being tossed this way and that, falling victim to the various eddies and courses that the obstacles in the river took.  Some got hung up on a low overhanging branch, just to be tugged free moments later by a random drop of water off a nearby submerged rock.

And I got think about my own life… how sometimes, I myself get hung up on low lying branches, and get caught in endlessly swirling eddies.  And sometimes, I just sort of flow along with the other leaves in the river; sometimes just watching them go by, sometimes linking up, and letting our stems touch a while.

I realized, that day, gazing into the flowing water beneath my feet, that I like taking it easy. I like letting the river decide where I go, and who I am lucky enough to enjoy the ride with.

And  that’s why I love the Dude. And that’s why I love the Big Lebowski.

‘the fuck are you talking about, man? How could it not be a great film.

This contest is too hard!

Well… it is a good film, but on the other hand, it is just my opinion …

And it’s a fucking hilariously funny film, Jesus’ speech, the red-herring that is the mention of ‘Johnsons’, Jackie Treehorns doodling and a Shamus on the Dudes tail; inspired!

The huge well of catch-phrases that sink into your consciousness, the community which has been created around the Dude, its a film for the people and should be on a syllabus somewhere.

Peace, out.

That and on every re-watch I appreciate its simple brilliance just as much as I did the first time. Likable characters, humor, sadness, memorable phrases to repeat in a variety of social situations… THOSE are the things that make The Big Lebowski great.

The dude, walter, donny, bunny, white russians, bob dylan to kick it all off and a classic acid flashback with see what condition my condition is in for the soundtrack. Dont “mark it a zero”, mark it ten out of ten.

Being an autistic man in a normie world means that I don’t understand or see life in the way that other people do. The Big Lebowski was a life-changing movie for me.

The Dude was different than any other protagonist. His bathrobe and flip-flops was a direct representation of his ongoing quest for comfort. He wasn’t afraid to be comfortable in situations in which many others would have been stressed about being well dressed and represented in a more typical fashion.

Even when things got really bad, The Dude kept calm and I love him for that. By following his example, I’ve been able to live a much more relaxing, fun, and fulfilling life. This was, of course, supplemented by Dudeism and the community I’ve found here.

Now when something unfortunate happens, I don’t get mad, but that rug really tied the room together, man.

It clearly shows how  those who make out to be huge do-gooders & money makers can have a dark side (Mr. Lebowski) & take advantage, lie & cheat i.e. I can see Wall St scandals written all in that character. Yet you have the polar opposite in The Dude who enjoys each day and moment as it comes with no desire to cheat people like Mr Lebowksi. Perhaps this dualistic view on life–greed vs “Zen,” not only illustrates todays scandals but also is a view of this battle that has taken place for a millennia.

Whether the underlying tone of this is a Zen attitude or not, but it makes sense why fans have rewritten the Tao De Ching into the Dude De Ching, a code that I live by, certainly a lesson for many–I also love when a film or a book brings people together. The effect it has had on fans–some of which may have had a low view of themselves, or have been oppressed by bullies –it changes them, not all fans are like this but in my own experience the fandom of this film are a highly creative group of people, and are vastly different and more laid back than a number of other fan (non Lebowski) communities that I am involved in.

And, every single one of them are Achievers.

In his honor a least once a month I go bowling with my friends, drinking white russians!!

dudeism is my religion!!!!!

Extreme use of the “F” word, (which is always funny)an acoholic beverage as a co-star, & the lesson of it’s ok to just be chill.

But a few things remain constant, abide, take ‘er easy, and above all else, sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes the bar well, uh… lost my train of thought there.