1998. 117 Minutes. Rated-R
It’s pretty simple. Jeff Bridges is the dude. He always was, and he always will be. Very recently (like oh, the last 8 years) everyone loves Jeff Bridges, and he FINALLY got his due props, and an Oscar for one role even. I, for one, think it’s about time. For me though, it’s The Big Lebowski, then the rest of his career.
Quote: Also, let’s not forget – let’s *not* forget, dude – that keeping wildlife, an amphibious rodent, for uh, domestic, you know, within the city – that ain’t legal either.
I’ve been a diehard fan of Bridges since the good ole days (since Star Man in 1984) and I’ve long enjoyed several great unknown masterpieces of his, namely: Blown Away and Arlington Road, little movies without much fanfare, where his acting was just stellar. Total dedication to roles, big character arcs, he sells them well too. Definitely go check out the True Grit remake sometime, he was great there too. I digress though, it’s The Big Lebowski for me, his greatest role.
The film enlists a slew of top notch pros who turn up and decimate their performances, mostly with very short screen time. The story is fine and it almost doesn’t even matter what it is, to be honest; what really puts this film in the upper echelon of sparkling comedies is this incredible hippie character, The Dude (Jeff Bridges): many say the most perfect hippie ever portrayed.
The story is a walkover. This is the tale of this hippie on the quest to replace his rug, which was wrongfully disgraced by some thugs. These fellows, in fact, are looking to shake down another man with the same name for some money he owes to their boss. The adventures of The Dude include, but are not limited to:
- Participating in a heated bowling league playoff bracket
- Frequently visiting a seemingly wealthy troglodyte with the same name as him, who causes him nothing but discomfort
- Handling some jerky meat heads who work for a high profile pornographer
- Constant trouble thanks to his best friend, a Vietnam vet whose utterly delusional (and utterly hilarious)
- A pack of nihilists threatening castration, armed with a ferret and a low tolerance for brain power
The Dude’s real name is Jeffrey Lebowski. He is an excellently unemployed, pot smoking hippie who enjoys himself a few frames of bowling and a White Russian on the rocks. He glosses over the fact that he was an author of the original Port Huron Statement as well as being one of the Seattle Seven, this is just a nice little icing on the cake of The Dude’s clear political interests.
Jeff Bridges brings together his own experiences as a 1960’s art focused pot smoking hippie, to inform how he’d portray The Dude. He wore a lot of his own clothes in the film too, and blended together men he’d had as friends 30 years older with elements from the script and character design. Bridges once said when asked about his own similarities to the character:
“Well, I think our basic philosophies are the same. I bet the Dude is into some Eastern philosophy. You know he’s got some Buddhist books on his shelf. But it’s kinda like realizing that the more open you get, life keeps challenging that openness to open you more, and so, at some point, you say, “Well, that’s the game. I’m just gonna sit back and dig the way it is.”
For many of us on the left side of the aisle, we wish we could conform less to the social norms put on us by society, but life is life and I for one get up each day, put on a tie, and play the game more than I thought I would in my youth. That aside, when I want to kinda melt away into a world of “damn the man” or “don’t tread on me”, this is the character I turn to.
John Turturro, Julianne Moore, and Flea all support an already legendary cast of great actors in this film too, let’s take a look at who really shined.
THE LIST: Great pairings, just great
- Walter and Donnie
The first time we see Donnie (Steve Buscemi) he misses the story of the rug, and that pretty much sets up what he has to deal with for the rest of the film. He can’t open his mouth once ever again, without 5 magic words from Walter (John Goodman) being hurled at him.
It gets more and more vicious as the film presses on. It’s a love/hate relationship if I have ever seen one. Buscemi had only had a few big roles before this, Reservoir Dogs comes to mind, but more and more doors opened for him after this film. He ended being a really seasoned talent, and I now consider him one of the most underrated actors out there.
Without going on and on, I’ve mentioned before that I really like John Goodman, and I feel he is really underrated too. The best acting of his career I feel, was his stint on The West Wing, but The Big Lebowski was his best role in a film bar none, I mean damn… one of them anyways. Walter Sobcheck is awesome, I used to have a T-shirt with his face on it and I wore it out. He is aggressive, witty, paranoid, and usually right on the money. He’s an emotional rollercoaster coming out of a volcano. A Vietnam vet totally paranoid, and awesome. He wears a fishing style vest, carries a gun, and babysits his ex wives show dog Pomeranian. Highlight for me is when he targets a teenager as the evil mastermind who might be behind all their troubles. He has some amazing lines in this film too like “Smokey this is not nam, this is bowling, there are rules” or “Dude, come on, you’re being very un-Dude”. Here’s some more.
- Brandt and The Big Lebowski
Brandt (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is an uptight assistant, professional, and perfectly out of place in the business of his employer Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston). Huddleston has been previously BURNT into my brain when I was a child for portraying Santa Claus, so what can I say… he can do no wrong. Let’s not mince words though, he obliterates this role. There is a reason they named this movie “The Big Lebowski” instead of calling it “The Dude.” The reason is David Huddleston.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is incredible too. This guy portrays tough guys and sissies both impeccably. He can play the coolest con man you’ve ever seen or an awkwardly gay teenager. He won an Oscar for portraying Truman Capote. He also brought legendary rock journalist Lester Bangs to life in Almost Famous. Later nominated again for playing a cult of personality in The Master. This guy’s got it all. In any case, Brandt is a simple character, entrusted with assisting and caring for The Big Lebowski. Hoffman knocks it out. He’s stellar. No shocker.
- The Writer and Director
There should be no surprise when told who the brains were behind this treasure trove of quotable lines. Joel and Ethan Cohen are genius film makers. They have yet to let me down, and continue to break barriers while extending our thoughts on what a good film can be. The list is distinguished to say they least, most notably Fargo, No Country For Old Men, O Brother Where Art Thou?, and Raising Arizona. Their ability to tackle so successfully both comedy AND drama is a feat no other filmmakers have done so masterfully. They now have eight Oscars between the two of them and 28 nominations. This film is arguably their most beloved film to date. (end of THE LIST)
There have been some timeless portraits of hippies painted over the years. They easily can be identified as follow: Brad Pitt in True Romance, Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused, nobody gets close to “The Dude” though. If you haven’t seen this you’re crazy, and if you have it’s time to watch it again. Jeff Bridges abides. Enjoy.
Instead of a trailer, here’s a scene I just dig a lot. Don’t watch it if you don’t like bad words though (Mom).
