Classic Movie Info Dump: The Big Lebowski

Let me introduce you to yet another semi-regular feature for GeekZenith: The GeekZenith Classic Movie Info Dump.

As you might be able to deduce from its title, this feature will take a GeekZenith-approved classic movie (or what GeekZenith considers to be a classic movie) and give you a complete rundown of what you need to know, our favourite quote from the movie and our own personal take on the flick (which, admittedly, will mostly be favourable).

The aim of this feature is to either educate folk who have yet to see these classic movies (shame on you!) to what they’re missing out on or to remind those who have seen the selected movies about the sheer awesomeness they contain.

This week, we have the entirely fantastical, The Big Lebowski.

The Plot

When Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski, an easy-going bum with a passion for bowling, light drugs and White Russian’s is mistaken for a seemingly wealthy millionaire of the same name, “The Dude’s” carpet is desicrated by hired thugs too stupid to determine between the two. Wanting to be re-emburst for the carpet by the Jeffrey Lebowski the thugs were really after, “The Dude” is thrust into mystery, adventure and intrigued as, with the help of his bowling buddies – the innocent Donny and the damaged Vietnam Vet Walter – he’s hired by the millionaire of the same name to help get his wife, Bunny, back who has been kidnapped and held for ransom. However, thanks to the tightly wound Walter, things don’t go as planned and things get all kinds of weird, all kinds of fast.

Primary Cast & Crew

• Directed By: Joel Coen
• Written By: Joel & Ethan Coen
• Jeff Bridges as “The Dude”
• John Goodman as Walter
• Steve Buscemi as Donny
• Julianne Moore as Maude Lebowski
• David Huddleston as Jeffrey Lebowski
• Philip Seymour Hoffman as Brandt
• John Turturro as Jesus Quintana
• Tara Reid as Bunny Lebowski

Trivia
via IMDB.com

• A lot of the Dude’s clothes in the movie were Jeff Bridges’s own clothes.
• In the Movie, The Dude never actually bowls.
• The word “dude” is used around 161 times in the movie. 160 spoken and once in text in the credits for “Gutterballs” the second dream sequence.
• The reason Steve Buscemi’s character, Donny, is constantly being told to “Shut the fuck up!” by Walter (John Goodman), is because Buscemi’s character in Fargo (1996) would not shut up.
• The Dude says “man” 147 times in the movie, nearly 1.5 times a minute.
• Before filming a scene, Jeff Bridges would frequently ask the Coen Brothers “Did the Dude burn one on the way over?” If they said he had, he would rub his knuckles in his eyes before doing a take.
• SPOILER: Everything Walter says to do with Bunny’s kidnapping comes true. The fake kidnapping, the fake severed toe and the lack of ransom money.

Favourite Quote

Walter Sobchak: You want a toe? I can get you a toe, believe me. There are ways, Dude. You don’t wanna know about it, believe me.
The Dude: Yeah, but Walter…
Walter Sobchak: Hell, I can get you a toe by 3 o’clock this afternoon… with nail polish. These fucking amateurs…

Our Take

Both one of the best Coen Brother movies around (closely followed by Fargo, Miller’s Crossing and Raising Arizona for me) and the best comedy movies around period, The Big Lebowski puts together an enticingly intricate and clever plot, then seemingly smashes it to pieces with entirely incompetent, yet hysterically funny characters. You have arguably the most laid back stoner character to grave the silver screens on one side (The Dude), a highly-strung, over the top, Vietnam Vet on the other (Walter) and an innocent, but clueless character at the centre as the heart of the “tribe” (Donny – poorly crafty pun intended).

You can’t get around the fact that this movie just works on every level, an all round master class of plot, humour, characterisation and acting to make such a stand out movie. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it. If you haven’t seen it then go watch it, if you have seen it then still go watch it.

GeekZenith is awarding this movie 4 1/2 merits of awesomeness out of 5.

Bargain Price

Wanna grab ahold of the flick AND support the sheer awesomeness that is GeekZenith? Then take a look at the amazing bargain below!

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