The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski is a 1998 film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen starring Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, John Goodman as Walter, Julianne Moore as Maude Lebowski, David Huddleston as Jeffrey "The Big" Lebowski, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Brandt, and Sam Elliott as "The Stranger". Coen brothers regulars John Turturro, Jon Polito, and Steve Buscemi are also featured. The movie is widely considered to be a cult classic for its originality and direction, its eccentric characters, and its convoluted plot that centers around The Dude's earnest quest to replace his soiled living room rug.

Story

The Dude, Jeff Lebowski (Bridges), has his home invaded by thugs looking to collect a debt incurred by the wife of Jeff Lebowski. Only after the thugs trash the Dude's house and urinate on his rug do they realize they're at the house of the wrong Jeff Lebowski.

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At the insistence of his bowling buddy, Walter (Goodman), the Dude attempts to obtain a replacement rug from the other Jeff Lebowski, a wheelchair-bound millionaire. The Dude later becomes entangled in a kidnapping scheme involving Lebowski's trophy wife, "Bunny" (Tara Reid), and a gang of German nihilists.

Related Topics:
Kidnapping - Trophy wife - Tara Reid - German - Nihilists

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The storyline, a bizarre twisting of the film noir genre, is interesting in and of itself, but also functions as a frame upon which the humorous situations and characterization can be hung, in particular the bizarre array of characters.

Related Topics:
Film noir - Character

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The plot is loosely based on Raymond Chandler's novel The Big Sleep and the subsequent Humphrey Bogart film based on it, but has been modernized considerably, with Marijuana, ten pin bowling, and the 1991 Gulf War serving as a backdrop to the mystery. (The Dude's "this will not stand, this aggression will not stand, man," echoes George H. W. Bush's famous comment before the Gulf War). Inspiration from Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye (1973, also adapted from Chandler) is evident as well.

Related Topics:
Raymond Chandler - The Big Sleep - Humphrey Bogart - Film - Marijuana - Ten pin bowling - Gulf War - George H. W. Bush - Robert Altman - The Long Goodbye

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