Rewind, Review, and Re-Rate: ‘The Big Lebowski’: Celebrating 25 Years of the Dude

Mark Jackson
3/22/2023
Updated:
1/5/2024

It’s the 25th year anniversary of “The Big Lebowski.” I’m pretty sure you’ve seen it already, but this noir/stoner comedy/western has the following premise: There are two Jeff Lebowskis living in Los Angeles: First, a wealthy guy in a wheelchair living in a Pasadena mansion (David Huddleston), and the other, the king of slacker heaven, known to friends and acquaintances as “The Dude” (Jeff Bridges, in what may end up being the defining role of his career).

Jeff Lebowski, aka The Dude (Jeff Bridges), drinking and driving, in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)
Jeff Lebowski, aka The Dude (Jeff Bridges), drinking and driving, in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)

Who’s the dude? He was apparently a roadie for Metallica at one point, and also dabbled in some intellectual pursuits, but mostly he’s a weed-addled beach bum who lives perpetually in a 1970s’ vibe.

The Dude wears bathrobes to the supermarket, surreptitiously opens containers of half-and-half in order to sniff them and ascertain whether they pass non-curdled muster for the enhancement of his drink of choice, a white Russian, to which he assigns the nomenclature: “Caucasian.” And he goes bowling constantly.

The Dude (Jeff Bridges) listening to tunes prior to the besmirching of his favorite rug, in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)
The Dude (Jeff Bridges) listening to tunes prior to the besmirching of his favorite rug, in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)

The Setback

But suddenly goons invade the Dude’s pad, mistaking him for the other Lebowski, shake him down, dunk his head in the toilet, and wee on his rug. His favorite rug that “ties the whole living room together.”
And so this lesser Lebowski, a victim of circumstance, seeks out the big Lebowski to get reimbursed for said uric-acid befouled carpet. Shenanigans ensue. This is all bookended by a delicious cameo by Sam Elliott as “The Stranger,” who, much like Coyote Angel of Robert Redford’s “The Milagro Beanfield War,” breezes into town like a tumbleweed, dispersing clouds of nostalgia and Americana via his rumbling basso profundo narration.
The Stranger (Sam Elliott) and The Dude (Jeff Bridges) trading philosophies of life, in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)
The Stranger (Sam Elliott) and The Dude (Jeff Bridges) trading philosophies of life, in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)
And there you have it. “The Big Lebowski” doesn’t quite achieve the brilliant farce of “Fargo,” but, with its cast of oddball characters, it comes close.

The 25th Anniversary of ‘The Big Lebowski’

Released 25 years ago this past March 6th, “The Big Lebowski” was considered a disappointing follow-up to “Fargo,” the previous film by co-directors Joel and Ethan Coen, but it’s had a powerful afterlife. It quickly developed a cult following to rival “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” with midnight showings and enthusiastic fans hollering memorized dialogue at the screen.
Then came the annual Lebowski Fest, which featured a costume contest, a plethora of white Russians, and unlimited bowling. It even spawned a religion—Dudeism—with thousands of internet-ordained priests spanning the globe, the primary objective of which is to promote a modern form of Lao Tzu’s Taoism, blended with concepts from ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus. The symbol of Dudeism is the Taoist Yin-Yang symbol,  but instead of one black or white dot in the middle of the black and white paisley shapes, it has three. Cough—bowling ball—cough.
Dudeism is mostly regarded as a mock religion, but its founder and many adherents take the underlying philosophy somewhat seriously. And of course, March 6 is the annual sacred high holy day of Dudeism: The Day of the Dude; the same day the film was released in the United States.
(L–R) The Dude (Jeff Bridges), Walter <span class="sc-bfec09a1-4 llsTve">Sobchak</span> (John Goodman), and Theodore Donald "Donny" Kerabatsos (Steve Buscemi) engaging in a bowling-rules dispute, in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)
(L–R) The Dude (Jeff Bridges), Walter Sobchak (John Goodman), and Theodore Donald "Donny" Kerabatsos (Steve Buscemi) engaging in a bowling-rules dispute, in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)

So, the reason for all this 25 years of Lebowski brouhaha is compliments of the film’s immense quotability; it’s got an endless supply of Dude-quotes that have invaded the American lexicon over the years. It’s jam-packed with lines that sync well with everyday life, my favorite being (in response to getting insulted): “Yeah, well, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.”

A couple more examples: If you get overcharged on a cremation urn at a funeral home, you say, “Just because we’re bereaved doesn’t make us saps!”

When a very annoying friend makes an excellent point, you say, “You’re not wrong, Walter, you’re just an -------.” And so on so forth. Granted, it doesn’t look like much on the page ...

Performances

Maude Lebowski (Julianne Moore), the eccentric artist daughter of the Big Lebowski, in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)
Maude Lebowski (Julianne Moore), the eccentric artist daughter of the Big Lebowski, in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)

“The Big Lebowski” contains a classic roster of Coen brothers weirdos, but the outlandish character’s common plight is relatable and their reactions are understandable.

Walter <span class="sc-bfec09a1-4 llsTve">Sobchak </span>(John Goodman) is a Vietnam veteran who's converted to Judaism and who's also not playing around, in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)
Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) is a Vietnam veteran who's converted to Judaism and who's also not playing around, in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)
Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) is a Vietnam vet version of know-it-all Cliff from “Cheers.” Brandt (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the rich Lebowski’s sycophantic butler, strains to achieve perfection in his lowly calling. And The Dude just wants his rug back.
Brandt (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is an obsequious manservant of the Big Lebowski, in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)
Brandt (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is an obsequious manservant of the Big Lebowski, in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)

As mentioned, the Dude’s funniest lines don’t look like much on the page but are memorable because of how they engage with life’s banalities. It’s Bridges’s thespian mastery that converts them into the universal language of everyday desperation, channeled through the slacker zeitgeist of our time; an ability to be more or less chill and unconcerned in the face of the staggering set-backs of life, like a peed-on rug.

Jesus Quintana (John Turturro), bowling for a rival team, "rolls a mean game," in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)
Jesus Quintana (John Turturro), bowling for a rival team, "rolls a mean game," in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)

“The Big Lebowski” does resolve the central mystery, but its real lesson is to showcase Dudeism at work, as our hero stumbles around Los Angeles, trying to ascertain, through a pot-haze, who’s speaking truth and who’s playing him for a fool, while seeking only to recover a small measure of justice.

And so “the Dude abides,” (that’s a quote) exuding an aspirational Taoist unflappability in the face of increasing absurdity, expressing himself in perfectly quotable ways, and every so often getting slightly frazzled and hysterical. Because, like all spiritual paths, one can’t be perfect all the time.

The Dude (Jeff Bridges) abiding in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)
The Dude (Jeff Bridges) abiding in "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)

In celebration of its 25th anniversary, “The Big Lebowski” screened at various theaters, but you can find it on Amazon Prime Video for $3.99. It'd be interesting to see how many people discovered an actual spiritual path by watching the Dude abide.

Movie poster for "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)
Movie poster for "The Big Lebowski." (Gramercy Pictures)
‘The Big Lebowski’ Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tara Reid, Flea, Sam Elliott MPAA Rating: R Running Time: 1 hour, 57 minutes Release Date: March 6, 1998 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Mark Jackson is the chief film critic for The Epoch Times. In addition to the world’s number-one storytelling vehicle—film, he enjoys martial arts, weightlifting, Harley-Davidsons, vision questing, rock-climbing, qigong, oil painting, and human rights activism. Mark earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Williams College, followed by a classical theater training, and has 20 years’ experience as a New York professional actor, working in theater, commercials, and television daytime dramas. He recently narrated the Epoch Times audiobook “How the Specter of Communism is Ruling Our World,” which is available on iTunes and Audible. Mr. Jackson is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
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