Summary:
Slacker ‘The Dude’ navigates LA trying to untangle a mess of a conspiracy.
My Thoughts:
The Stranger: Sometimes there’s a man… I won’t say a hero, ‘cause what’s a hero? But sometimes there’s a man- and I’m talking about the Dude, here- sometimes, there’s a man, well, he’s the man for his time and place. He fits right in there, and that’s the Dude in Los Angeles. And even if he is a lazy man- and the Dude was most certainly that- quite possibly the laziest in Los Angeles County, which would place him high in the running for laziest worldwide. But sometimes there’s a man, sometimes there’s a man… Aw. I lost my train of thought here. But, aw hell, I’ve done introduced him enough.
It’s extraordinarily rare for a movie to forever change the landscape of pop culture with a single blow, but “The Big Lebowski” did just that. I can’t speak to the nature of how this was received when it came out- I was only eight when it hit theaters- but I can speak to the nature of how myself and many of those close to me feel about it, and I can speak to its increasing relevance of it today. This movie is a masterpiece that has no equal simply because there is absolutely nothing else like it under the sun. The Dude (Jeff Bridges, “The Fisher King”) abides; he has since 1998 and he will until movies no longer are relevant.
I feel like everyone who sees this movie develops a relationship with it. The first outing (viewing) is like an awkward first date where you just kind of see what the other person is all about- myself, I didn’t think the Big Lebowski was that funny the first time I saw it (though I mistakenly watched it by myself at one in the morning)- I thought it was interesting, weird, but not that funny. My second viewing, like a second date, I started to understand the humor of the film a bit more, and I realized I might really like this unusual little flick. By the third and fourth times, I was in love. Now, I can probably quote 80% of the scenes, I laugh in anticipation of the funny things to come, I love every nuance and quirk of the characters, and I still to this day find new things that I never noticed before. I think it is pretty close to the perfect 20th Century comedy. You might say to me, “well, hey, that’s just like, your opinion, man,” and I would completely agree with you: I’m sure there are people that will see this film and think it is nothing more than a celebration of stupidity, and I understand that.
“This aggression will not stand, man!”
This film revels the stupidity that its characters mire about in. The LA that Lebowski navigates is a muddled bog of frauds, nihilists, wannabe rockers, pornstars, nymphomaniac artists, crazy bowlers, and PTSD-ridden war vets; in short, its just like the real LA. To try to describe this plot of this film is nigh impossible (it’s possible, but to do so would ruin the fun)- really this film is about that confusion. The viewer feels like were being pulled everywhere all at once and never really making any headway: that’s the point: to not know the point of it all. I think it was about the third rewatch that I finally put together every single little piece of how the money went where and who did what with it and who did or didn’t kidnapped whomever. It took me three times to understand the plot because that’s not the point of the movie, and that’s not why I keep coming back to this movie either. This is a movie about characters and spending time with those characters. Now, almost every time I watch this movie, I feel like I’m reuniting with friends I haven’t seen in a while. The plot is secondary in a film like this because it really wants you to just give yourself over to the chaos, and in that way, this film becomes somewhat of a metaphor for life too…
I’ve been watching this movie for more than ten years now, but only recently have some of the themes started to peer through the hilarious dialogue and ridiculous situations to reveal insights as to how the Coen’s might view the chaotic nature of life in general. This is a movie about a bunch of people who don’t care (nihilists, pacifists, and frauds) trying to figure out the answer to a question that doesn’t really have a clear meaning to begin with. Every time we think we know what’s going on, the rug gets yanked out from under us and we realize we had no idea what was going on in the first place. All the while, the frauds keep on complaining that the ‘bums’ are destroying the world, while the frauds themselves have nothing real to show for it. I feel like the Coen’s are just trying to get us to take a step back and appreciate the chaos, confusion, and otherwise ridiculous state of existence that is life. No matter who you are in this world, you’ve still got no clue as to what secrets the universe holds beyond your small little personal world - you might think you do, but you’re just as ignorant as the rest of us. We’re all children in the dark; clueless as to what’s out there. Instead of being afraid of the unknown and terrified by the inevitability of death, just relax. Life, like this movie, is better if you just hold on and enjoy the ride, man.
In the words of the Stranger:
‘I guess that’s the way the whole durned human comedy keeps perpetuatin’ itself down through the generations. Westward the wagons, across the sands of time until we- ah, look at me… I’m rambling’ again…’
Verdict:
This movie gets better the more that I see it. I honestly think this is one movie that I could never tire of: there’s simply nothing else out there like it. I’ve got to say, if you don’t like this movie the first time, don’t give up, try again; watch it with people who already love this movie. This movie has become so a part of my life that I bet it’s been years since I’ve gone a day without making some reference to this movie.
It’s far out, man, that’s all I’m saying. You gotta check it out.
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