The Big Lebowski (1998)

"Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.

Director:

Joel Coen

Writers:

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Stars:

Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore

Top 250 #131 | 1 win & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Bridges	...	Jeffrey Lebowski - The Dude
John Goodman	...	Walter Sobchak
Julianne Moore	...	Maude Lebowski
Steve Buscemi	...	Theodore Donald 'Donny' Kerabatsos
David Huddleston	...	Jeffrey Lebowski - The Big Lebowski
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Brandt
Tara Reid	...	Bunny Lebowski
Philip Moon	...	Woo, Treehorn Thug
Mark Pellegrino	...	Blond Treehorn Thug
Peter Stormare	...	Nihilist #1, Uli Kunkel / 'Karl Hungus'
Flea	...	Nihilist #2, Kieffer
Torsten Voges	...	Nihilist #3, Franz
Jimmie Dale Gilmore	...	Smokey
Jack Kehler	...	Marty
John Turturro	...	Jesus Quintana

Storyline

When "The Dude" Lebowski is mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, two thugs urinate on his rug to coerce him into paying a debt he knows nothing about. While attempting to gain recompense for the ruined rug from his wealthy counterpart, he accepts a one-time job with high pay-off. He enlists the help of his bowling buddy, Walter, a gun-toting Jewish-convert with anger issues. Deception leads to more trouble, and it soon seems that everyone from porn empire tycoons to nihilists want something from The Dude.

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Plot Keywords:

rug | bowling | millionaire | jewish convert | money | 

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Taglines:

It takes guys as simple as the Dude and Walter to make a story this complicated... and they'd really rather be bowling.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive strong language, drug content, sexuality and brief violence

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English German Hebrew Spanish

Release Date:

6 March 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Big Lebowski

Filming Locations:

812 North Kenmore Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$5,200,000 (Non-US) (24 April 1998)

Gross:

£1,462,880 (UK) (19 June 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nearly all of the visible symbols in The Dude's second dream sequence are taken from earlier scenes: - the black and white tile is seen earlier in the Big Lebowski's entry way when The Dude walks with Brandt and again at the end - the tool belt and workman outfit The Dude is seen wearing is identical to the one worn by Karl Hungus in Logjammin' - Saddam Hussein is mentioned briefly by Walter in the car outside the bowling alley; in the opening credits, we see a man looking a bit similar to Saddam spraying the bowling shoes at the alley - Maude's gold bowling ball bra cups are taken from bowling balls seen on the rack behind Walter in an earlier scene at the bowling alley - the scissors wielded by the red-clad Nihilists are seen in a painting with a red background on Maude's wall - the red-on-black bowling ball is the same as the one in the earlier dream sequence and is also visible on the rack behind Walter and The Dude at the bowling alley. - The initial scene of The Dude's exaggerated walking in while casting a big shadow is similar to his landlord's shadow dance to "Pictures at an Exhibition." - Maude Lebowski's trident is from a statue at The Big Lebowski's home.

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Goofs

When The Dude mixes a White Russian during the second visit with Maude, he adds powdered milk to the glass, then picks up an entirely different pre-mixed White Russian.

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Quotes

[first lines]
The Stranger: [voiceover] Way out west there was this fella... fella I wanna tell ya about. Fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least that was the handle his loving parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. Mr. Lebowski, he called himself "The Dude". Now, "Dude" - that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I ...

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Crazy Credits

Big Associate Editor.... Big Dave Diliberto

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Connections

Referenced in Floating (2006)

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Soundtracks

"The Man In Me"
Written and Performed by Bob Dylan
Published by Big Sky Music (SESAC)
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

The Dude Abides!!!

No movie has entertained me more in the last year than this film. It's delightfully written, directed with poise and acted with extravagance and excellence. I do admit that this is a film that I had to see six times to get. Every time I watch it I learn something new. The genius of the film lies within a game I think the Coen brothers play with their audiences. There are the touches of the masters in many of their films. In "The Hudsucker Proxy," it was Preston Sturges and Frank Capra. In "Raising Arizona," I felt a touch of Sam Fuller. In this film, I felt many touches of greatness, but more specifically I felt John Sayles or even John Cassevettes in spots. The camera was manipulated beautifully and I felt a tinge of their talents lurking in at many a turn. The performances are astounding, especially Goodman as the deranged bowler still living deep within the jungles of the Vietcong. Huddleston is also quite wonderful as the title character. Turturro gives a fine cameo as "Jesus," coupled with a rousing and humurous version of the Eagles, "Hotel California," done in Espanol. I hope this is a film that is looked at with more seriousness. It is, once you dig deep, a fine piece of filmmaking.