What is a Big Lebowski?

This takes us to The Big Lebowski. This Joel and Ethan Cohen production marks their seventh movie, and perhaps their most confusing. The movie follows “The Dude” a laid back bowling pot head played by Jeff Bridges (fun fact, the Cohens based this character on a real person they know who even calls himself “the dude”) who by virtue of his last name, Lebowski, is thrust into an absurd intrigue.

Joined By Walter Sobchak (john Goodman) and Donny (Steve Buscemi), The Dude must face German Nihilists, an avant-garde feminist artist, a big time porn producer, and a host of eccentric characters as they attempt to solve the kidnapping of millionaire Jeffery Lebowski’s wife

There’s a lot I’m skimming over and in time I might do a singular review on The Big Lebowski, but for now I’m just going to summarize what makes it a movie you should check out.

Jeff Bridges’ The Dude has spawned countless parodies, all in my opinion failing to capture the true “laid backness” of The Dude. He stumbles through the world with no real sense of urgency, reacting to the world around him rather than being a proactive protagonist. He makes no real drastic decisions in the movies, which allows for Jeff Bridges to simply be a stoner. The various “dudeisms” and sayings The Dude shares with the characters he encounters have become so iconic that “Dudeism” has become an official religion. His performance is simple and masterfully stupid, something worth praising.

This is perhaps John Goodman at his most ridiculous. Literally any scene with Walter is both quotable and iconic. He carriers himself with a level of seriousness that is perfectly contrasted by his complete ignorance of what is actually happening. He has full confidence pulling a gun on someone during a bowling match for even the closest semblance of cheating, and believes that whatever his outlook is has to be correct. His constant lamentations over the Vietnam war combined with the fact he has to watch over his ex-wives pomeranian show how seriously he carries himself, despite his absurd circumstances

Minor characters like the nihilists or Jesus Quinata serve to flesh out the world of The Dude yet also muddle it. They clarify to the audience with hilarious certainty that we are witnessing a imbecilic world. Yet, this idiotic place feels natural for the characters that live in it. The L.A. of the Big Lebowski is off the rails out of pocket and I can’t get enough.