The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski (1998) is a crime comedy film by the Coen brothers.

Jeffrey 'The Dude' Lebowski's life is turned upside down when two men break into his apartment and demand money. The men soon realize that they have mistaken the Dude for his millionaire namesake Jeffrey Lebowski - the other Lebowski. The Dude's rug is ruined during the altercation. After consulting with his friends Donny and Walter, The Dude decides to meet with the millionaire Lebowski to seek financial compensation for the rug.

The Dude does not receive any compensation from the other Lebowski, but decides to walk out with a rug he found inside the house. On his way out he meets Bunny - the other Lebowski's young wife. Some time later, Bunny is kidnapped and the other Lebowski convinces the Dude to drop off the ransom money. The Dude suggests to his friends that Bunny may have arranged her own kidnapping in order to take her husband's ransom money for herself. The same night, another pair of men break in and steal the Dude's new rug.

The Dude's friend Walter gives the kidnappers a fake briefcase so that he and the Dude don't have to part with the money. The Dude's car is later stolen. The briefcase is still inside. This begins a quest during which The Dude and his friends search for the missing briefcase.

The Dude meets the other Lebowski's eccentric artist daughter Maude as well as a group of German Nihilists, and the search for Bunny, as well as the missing car and briefcase full of money continues and leads to a series of adventures and strange encounters with characters such as Jackie Treehorn and a fight with the German Nihilists.

Review:

The Big Lebowski is a cleverly-written film that features sharp wit and a fast-paced storyline. The laidback Dude 'abides,' and this film is about friendship, adventure and experiencing life. The Big Lebowski is a film that can be watched more than once. Jeff Bridges stars as the easygoing, laidback Dude who tends to get involved in many events while talking to his friends at the bowling alley between these random events. The Big Lebowski is a film for the discerning viewer of comedies, and it's classic one-liners are sure to be remembered by fans.

Main cast members:

Jeff Bridges - Jeffrey 'The Dude Lebowski'

John Goodman - Walter Sobchak

Steve Buscemi - Donny Kerabatsos

Julianne Moore - Maude Lebowski

Tara Reid - Bunny Lebowski

David Huddleston - Jeffrey 'The Big' Lebowski

Philip Seymour Hoffman - Brandt

John Turturro - Jesus Quintana

Sam Elliott - The Stranger

Trivia:

"Dudeism, a religion devoted largely to spreading the philosophy and lifestyle of the film's main character, was founded in 2005. Also known as The Church of the Latter-Day Dude, the organization has ordained over 220,000 "Dudeist Priests" all over the world via its website." [1]

"A journal article by Brian Wall, published in the feminist journal Camera Obscura, uses the film to explain Karl Marx's commodity fetishism." [2]

"In That Rug Really Tied the Room Together, first published in 2001, Joseph Natoli argues that The Dude represents a counter narrative to the post-Reaganomic entrepreneurial rush for "return on investment" on display in such films as Jerry Maguire and Forrest Gump. It has been used as a carnivalesque critique of society, as an analysis on war and ethics, as a narrative on mass communication and US militarism and other issues." [3]

Quotes

"The Dude abides."

References

1, 2 and 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Lebowski