The Big Lebowski Is My Favorite Movie... (The Achiever's Thread!)

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EveryDayAmnesiac

Well-Known Member
The Big Lebowski completely changed my life.

As a native Minnesotan, I'm legally required to adore the Coen Brothers (and Bob Dylan). As a stoner, I'm legally required to adore The Big Lebowski. As a mid-leveler of the mid-level FC'ers, I'm legally required to quote The Big Lebowski as often as possible.

So, tell me, FC'ers, why the fuck is there not a thread devoted to our Holy Grail of films?

I don't know about you, but even though I'm a well-schooled film buff who prefers foreign films and golden era Hollywood films more than any other, I'd be lying if I told you that any film gave / gives me more enjoyment than Lebowski.

I have seen it an estimated 511 times. Possibly twice as many. :ko:

The first time I saw this movie, I was not a stoner. Walked away thinking, "That's the first Coen Bros. movie I haven't liked. What the fuck was that?" I had no idea what had seeped into my subconscious.

Next time I saw it, I was with my new stoner friends. And I was stoned out of my gourd. I got it. Oh lord, how I got it. Been quoting it religiously ever since.

These days ... I *AM* The Dude of the Southeast. And proud of it.

I'm not going to post any quotes in the first post, in order to give everyone else a chance. But rest assured, if it has to do with Lebowski, then it belongs in this thread. Feel free to quote away. :brow:

But I will tell you this: I have a framed poster of Nixon bowling behind my toilet. :tup:

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Mr. Gweilo 420

Mr. Gweilo 420

Dude
Has anyone read Jeff Bridge's book, The Dude and the Zen Master (co-author Jeff Glassman)? Its very interesting. They talk a lot about the Zen nature of The Dude.

I also have a deep love for The Big Lebowski. I can get pretty uptight at times and I find it is a movie that helps me re-centre myself in a sense. We could all benefit from being more like The Duder.
 
grokit

grokit

well-worn member
There's a few quotes in here!

20 “Big Lebowski” Facts That Will Make You Love This Movie Even More
All of these are Dude approved, and best served with a White Russian.

1. The Dude is secretly an heir to the Rubik’s Cube fortune.
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todaysdrinker.com
In an early draft of The Big Lebowski, it was revealed that The Dude’s income came from his status as an heir to the inventor of the Rubik’s Cube. But Joel Coen cut that detail out, deciding it was best to keep the audience guessing.

2. Because Steve Buscemi’s character in “Fargo” didn’t know when to shut up, Walter constantly tells Donny to “Shut the fuck up!”
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m.brobible.com

3. The character of Walter was inspired by writer-director John Milius.
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m.brobible.com
The self-proclaimed Zen anarchist is obsessed with guns and penned the first two Dirty Harry films, Apocalypse Now, and Red Dawn, among others.

4. Johnie’s Coffee Shop was not only the setting for Walter and The Dude’s coffee scene, but it has also appeared in American History X and Reservoir Dogs.
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gutenfilm.wordpress.com
It’s also appeared in the music videos of Sean Kingston and Reba McEntire.

5. The Dude is never shown bowling in the movie.
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blogger.com
Even though he’s a legit member of the bowling team.

6. The Jesus’ hilariously obvious bulge is thanks to a large bag of bird seed shoved down his pants.
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wordpress.com
Awesome.

7. Singer-songwriter Aimee Mann made a cameo in the film.
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virginmedia.com
She plays a nine-toed nihilist at the diner.

8. The character of The Dude was based off of Jeff Dowd, an independent film producer.
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ifc.com
He met the Coen brothers while helping them secure distribution for their first feature, Blood Simple.

9. The F-bomb is dropped 292 times.
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wonderfulworldofwebdesign.tumblr.com
That’s more than in The Departed and Scarface.

10. You’ll hear the word “dude” around 161 times in the movie.
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perfectionholic.tumblr.com
It’s uttered 160 times, and we see it as text in the credits for the Gutterballs dream sequence.

11. And The Dude says “man” 147 times overall.
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thisrelatestomeme.tumblr.com
That’s nearly 1.5 “man”s a minute.

12. Number of White Russians The Dude drinks: 9
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imgur.com
One is lost when The Dude drops it at Jackie Treehorn’s mansion. RIP, that White Russian.

13. We see Jackie Treehorn’s thugs twice, and the second time they’ve switched shirts!
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Sneaky thugs, very sneaky.

14. None of Donny’s bowling shirts bear his actual name.
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imageshack.us
Nice to meet you, Austin!

15. Charlize Theron was in the running to play Bunny Lebowski.
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But Tara Reid got the honor of saying, “I’ll suck your cock for a thousand dollars.”

16. Bunny’s license plate says “LAPIN,” which is French for rabbit.
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imcdb.org
Rabbit, bunny, same diff.

17. The photo of Bunny’s farm is from Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood.
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blogs.walkerart.org
Coincidentally, Philip Seymour Hoffman, who played Brandt, would go on to star as Truman Capote in the 2005 film Capote.

18. There’s a 9/11 conspiracy theory surrounding the film.
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zeropaid.com
That’s because The Dude writes a check for half and half, dated September 11, 1991, and while he’s writing it, George Bush can be heard on the TV in the background.

19. Walter’s famous line, “This is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass!” was edited down so it could air on TV.
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diylol.com
The line was changed to “This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps!”
Totally makes sense.

20. A lot of The Dude’s clothes came from Jeff Bridges’ closet.
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beardedbrain.blogspot.com
Including those fab Jellies sandals.

:party:
 
CG420

CG420

Over the horizon u can see the edges of the Earth
My films art professor played this before in class. Funny movie but you definitely want to be stoned watching this. Otherwise it will seem like an incredibly WTF did I just watch type of movie. I didn't get it at first but watched it over because there was a test coming up for it.
 
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EveryDayAmnesiac

Well-Known Member
I think the best part about The Stranger is when, after talking to The Dude, he decides to exit by using the left side of the screen, then stops for seemingly no reason and goes off to the right side instead.

First time I saw that, I about busted a gut.

He also gets a little too close to The Dude's face as he leaves... :uhh:

You can see it at the end of the clip here:


What the fuck is he doing? :lol:
 
Enchantre

Enchantre

Oil Painter
"The Stranger" is a deity/god/character of some old, traditional, or pagan belief systems. Usually signifying death, conflict, or, um, yeah, death. Major change of life circumstance. in this instance, he seems to be the roving conscience.

I thought his inclusion in the movie was brilliant. And, haven't you ever started walking the wrong way out of somewhere, and then corrected your course?

Reminds me a little of George Burns playing God...
 
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EveryDayAmnesiac

Well-Known Member
Enchantre said:
"The Stranger" is a deity/god/character of some old, traditional, or pagan belief systems. Usually signifying death, conflict, or, um, yeah, death. Major change of life circumstance. in this instance, he seems to be the roving conscience.

I thought his inclusion in the movie was brilliant. And, haven't you ever started walking the wrong way out of somewhere, and then corrected your course?

Reminds me a little of George Burns playing God...
Click to expand...

I thought Donny was the roving moral conscience of the movie?

I usually have no idea where the fuck I'm going, so I do indeed correct my course as necessary, but I sure hope that whatever "god" The Stranger represents usually has a better idea where it's going... ;)

I guess I always thought of The Stranger as more of The Dude's Fairy Godmother... :shrug:

And one thing I do want to mention here is that you (all) have to remember WHEN The Big Lebowski was made. This was right after The Coen's had made Fargo, which was their biggest critical and commercial success at that point in their career. They were the toast of Hollywoood at that point - geniuses that made movies that idiots or snobs or realists could like. They could have made ANY movie they wanted to, after the success of Fargo.

And what did they decide to do? In typical Coen Bros. fashion, they did what they wanted to do, what no one expected them to do... they made the biggest budgeted, most gorgeous-looking, most well thought-out, most ingenious stoner movie EVER.

To me, that is what it is, at its core: the most amazing stoner movie, ever. And it absolutely epitomizes what the Coens are: filmmakers who will never make the film you could ever expect.

Yes, there's so much more to it than that. The Raymond Chandler connections, the in-jokes, the brilliant dialogue / acting ... but boil it down, and it's a stoner movie. The kind of stoner movie only the Coens could do.

No one on Earth makes movies even remotely like the Coens.

:2c:
 
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