NEW YORK—Fans dressed in character screamed “Maude” and “Dude” to get the attention of Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore as they arrived on the red carpet at the 10th annual Lebowski Fest in downtown Manhattan on Tuesday, Aug. 16.
“The Big Lebowski” is a neo-noir film by the Coen brothers that gained enough popularity to start a cult following. The film’s most dedicated fans observe the annual festival, usually dressed as their favorite character, and jokingly observe a pseudo-philosophy—“Dudeism.”
The Lebowski legacy began with Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1998 motion picture based on a story about Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski, an unemployed Los Angeles man who is mistaken for a millionaire with the same legal name. The debut of the movie received much criticism and little profit.
Over the years, however, fans all over the world have idolized the laid-back “Dude” and eulogized catch phrases from the movie, like “You’re out of your element!” and “The dude abides.” Other lines such as “Special lady friend,” “Abide,” and Bridges’s head shots were symbolic reminders from the movie on the fans’ shirts, hats, and bodies.
Fans Bowl at the Lebowski Fest Pre-party
Dozens of Dudes, Walters (John Goodman’s character) and other dressed-up fans packed bowling alleys at the 300 New York bowling complex at Chelsea Piers on Monday night, Aug 15. One fan, however, went for a somewhat less popular choice of character impersonation.
“[Marty] is ... a meek, shy character, but his performance is just amazing. ‘The Cycle,’ it’s incredible,” joked Lyle Crilly, referring to Marty’s line in the movie.
Crilly drove all the way from Toronto with friend Michael Howard, who himself started his pilgrimage from Calgary. Crilly had a green-leafed wreath on his head and was dressed in a white leotard, like the character when performing his dance quintet in the movie, which he called “The Cycle.“
During the bowling party, Lebowski followers filled out trivia for contests and prizes and awaited midnight, when the limited Blu-ray “The Big Lebowski” DVD went on sale. Those who scored tickets looked forward to the following evening, when their movie heroes John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, John Turturro, and Jeff Bridges walked the red carpet and then sat down for a Q&A.
Jeff Bridges Goes Solo
On Tuesday, Jeff Bridges also performed songs from his new self-titled album. “This album is a natural extension of the love of music I’ve had all my life,” said Bridges in the press release by Blue Note Records, his recording label.
Bridges collaborated with his long-time friend T Bone Burnett, known for his work on the soundtracks of “The Big Lebowski” and “Crazy Heart.” Burnett shared an Oscar with songwriter Ryan Bingham for Best Original Song for “The Weary Kind” from “Crazy Heart.”
Alongside Burnett and Bingham, songwriters John Bruton, Greg Brown, and John Goodwin, who all worked on the music in “Crazy Heart,” also collaborated on the album.
The songs in the Jeff Bridges album parallel his role in the 2009 film “Crazy Heart,” in which he stars as a worn-down country music singer. Bridges won the Oscar for Best Actor for the role.
