The Dude Abides: The Big Lebowski

An acquaintance in high school loved this movie, and I knew it was already part of our movie collection, so I figured that "The Big Lebowski" was a decent place to start.

Wow.


For starters, I was incredibly unprepared for this. The only things I knew about the movie were that Jeff Bridges plays a guy called "The Dude," and that stoners love it. Really, I had no idea what was about to happen.

The movie starts out with a monologue about the upcoming story and following the journey of a tumbleweed. This goes on long enough that I turned to Hubbs, and said, "Are you sure this is the right movie?" He looks over...


Alright, alright... This isn't what I imagined, that's all.

So focus on this guy, The Dude, whose house is being broken into by some pissed off mobsters, who then proceed to pee on this rug. On a quest to replace his rug, The Dude meets a guy with the same name (Lebowski) who he believes owes him a rug to replace the original rug. Really, it's all about a damn rug.


Getting past the introduction of a character's double life as a porn star, the multiple sidetracks regarding who knows what, and a ferret thrown in a bathtub with a naked man... I don't even know what to think. Does the viewer need to be high to enjoy this? The end seems mashed together, like the director hoped that the audience would be too baked by the end to realize that the "end" was sort of a cop out.

A few places where the director/writers/producers succeeded: Making Walter an ass. Making Donnie pitiful. Wishing Walter would shut up about Vietnam. Casting Jeff Bridges as The Dude. How awkward Phillip Seymour Hoffman was the whole time.


Damn right, it is.

Long story short, I am not a fan. I can see why it appeals to some, and I can understand its status as a "cult classic," but I personally do not like it.

Would I recommend it: Not unless you plan to engage in activities which are legal in Colorado, Alaska, and parts of other states.

Would I watch it again?

Probably not.

           (Sorry, The Dude.)


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