Mistakes in The Big Lebowski

[Walter in Walden]

I was just watching the Big Lebowski for about the seventeenth time, and I couldn't help but notice that around 11:05 when the Dude is looking at the picture of the Little Lebowski Urban acheivers, Bryant seems to fuck up his line? He says "without the necessary means for a necessary means for a higher education". He says "necessary means for a" twice. Is that just a normal mistake a character might might make when explaining something? I mean, we all stall and repeat ourselves like that when we're trying to find the right word, but it seems to me like a mistake. Why would they script that?

[DigitalBuddha]

Brandt always seemed to be somewhat nervous, and an ass kisser, when in the service of the big Lebowski. More than likely the actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, made a mistake in that scene and the directors, the Coen brothers, decided to leave it in believing the botched up lines sounded natural.

[Rev. Ed C]

The Coens are notorious for crafting their films with meticulous vision.  The scripts are just so and add-libs are extremely rare as they are perfectionists and only choose actors who they know can deliver exactly what they want, as they want it.

It could be a designed trait by them int he script, or it could have been a mistake that made them laugh enough to believe it should stay in and fitted so well.

Well, dude, we just might never know

[Busmum]

"the necessary means for the necessary means..." i don't think it was a mistake-- it's rich person double speak, referring to the idea that one must have money to make money... same with a "quality" education. you have to have the right chinos and blazers to get into the right schools...

or that's how i took it. JMO 

[hannahdude]

it's in the script, not that that means anything, but i have a couple of differing scripts and it's in them both.
its also my favorite line in the movie, though rarely quoted by me or anyone else i know.

[Hominid]

It's amazing what some people pick up on...  check out http://www.moviemistakes.com/film159

[DigitalBuddha]

It's amazing what some people pick up on...  check out http://www.moviemistakes.com/film159

This is from dudes with perhaps too much time on their hands. Or, maybe they're just damn good at slacking!

[TulsaDudeistChick]

The one I caught....The Dude writes his check on September 11, 1991....but then the landlord mentions that it's "almost the 10th"

[cckeiser]

It's just like my opinion dude, but I believe The Dude did write the check on Sept. 11 and Marty the landlord said it was "almost the 10th" in October or maybe even later. There is nothing in the movie that says the scenes all happen in the same month...or even the same year. In bowling the Semi Finals are usually in March or April.

[TulsaDudeistChick]

Very wise....thank you!

[cckeiser]

Very wise....thank you!

You are very welcome...that's pretty much what I come here for.   

[Tao Dude]

I thought it was a post dated check

[cckeiser]

I thought it was a post dated check

A whole lot of people assumed it was post dated too. I am not one of them...I say The Dude wrote the check for $0.69 on Sept 11 and Marty saying "tomorrow is already the 10th" came in a later month. The tv broadcast of Bush saying This Aggression Will Not Stand was a Reboardcast of that speech for a Late Night news documentary about the war with Iraq.

There are a lot of things in TBL people assumed were mistakes, but are not...they just didn't happen when people thought they did.
Consider that there are no Holiday decorations in the windows of the Family restaurant, none in the bowling alley or any houses in the street scenes. That pretty much eliminates the end of Oct, Nov or Dec. for much of the remainder of the movie. Also take note of what they are all wearing during the day and during the night and match that with the weather in LA when it is warm enough during the day to go out in shirt sleeves, but you need a sweater or jacket at night. And as I said above, in USBC sanctioned league bowling the semis usually that place in March or April for most local sanctioned leagues and USBC sanctioned tournaments...at least they are here on the East coast.

Unless someone can Prove otherwise I will continue to maintain The Dude wrote the check on Sept 11...and everyone just assumed wrong. They are basing their assumption on Marty saying tomorrow is already the 10 when there is no evidence that he asked for the rent in the same month The Dude wrote the check...it makes more sense, and fewer assumptions, if the rent was due in a later month.

[Judd Dude]

The entire film has these little ins and outs and what have yous. The Coens seem to bring things around full circle by the end of the film,  And I agree, Brandt was a nervous ass kisser so it was probably for that reason too that they wrote it in.
Just my opinion, man.

[Hominid]

Blah blah blah...  dude would just say "Fuck it man"...