Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

Is this movie as good as I think it is? Is there any reason for me not to think this is one of the best movies of my generation?

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

'tis a very good movie imo

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Wasn't thrilled with it.

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This movie rocks so hard. It's a classic "gets better the second and thousandth time" kind of flick like Napoleon Dynamite. Tons of rewatchability (sic).

This film was the follow-up to Fargo so I was expecting big things, but was fairly disappointed when I saw it in the theater. But having seen it eleventy million times since (I bought the DVD, lost or loaned it to someone and recently bought it again) it doesn't seem to get old. The over-the-top characters from The Dude to Bunny to Walter to Jesus to "the Nazis" help make it great. Probably in my top ten favorite flicks, or very close.

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Wasn't thrilled with it.

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Neither was I. Try watching it again. And again and again - this movie is fantastic. The script is almost perfect.

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Is this movie as good as I think it is?

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no, no it's not . . . it's much much better than that.

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yeah, the "rewatchability" is what makes this movie so great. i've never been able to watch most movies more than once, but i love watching this one over and over.

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Wasn't thrilled with it.

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You can't watch, or else you have to pay a hundred.

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I recently left Los Angeles, because my wife and I split. I left behind the following: Every DVD I owned except one, all furniture, two cats, 40inch flat panel television with XBOX360 and games, friends, and a million other things I haven't mentioned.

I took TBL out of the case, put it in my laptop DVD drive, and it came with me.

Brilliant movie and I think it takes 10 viewings or so before one really begins to appreciate the greatness.

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

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Wasn't thrilled with it.

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Neither was I. Try watching it again. And again and again - this movie is fantastic. The script is almost perfect.

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Could be. I didn't like Napoleon Dynamite too much the first time, but now I like it quite a bit.

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yeah, the "rewatchability" is what makes this movie so great. i've never been able to watch most movies more than once, but i love watching this one over and over.

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See this kind of comment completely throws me. I can rewatch any good movie again and reread any good movie again. I can't understand people who can't, so I'm lost from the get-go on that recommendation and find it hard not to take it as a warning.

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

http://www.shirtrocker.com/catalog/20070963_tp_31_1.jpg

edit: [censored] i missed my 1000th post

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

Quite possibly the funniest movie ever made.

Serious TBL fanboys should definitely check out "I'm a Lebowski, You're a Lebowski," a book recently published by the guys who run Lebowskifest. They interviewed almost every actor in the movie and tons of people who really really love the movie, PLUS all the people on whom the characters were based.

The amazing thing to me is that many, many of the bizarre incidents in the movie actually took place in real life.

Hilarious book.

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yeah, the "rewatchability" is what makes this movie so great. i've never been able to watch most movies more than once, but i love watching this one over and over.

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See this kind of comment completely throws me. I can rewatch any good movie again and reread any good movie again. I can't understand people who can't, so I'm lost from the get-go on that recommendation and find it hard not to take it as a warning.

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Yeah, but the Big Lebowski is the only comedy movie I've ever seen where it actually gets BETTER every time you see it. Almost any comedy gets less funny because you know what's coming - the Big Lebowski throws so much at you that it's almost comedic overload the first time.

dd - noted. I think I will purchase this.

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Is this movie as good as I think it is?

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no, no it's not . . . it's much much better than that.

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QFT

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The amazing thing to me is that many, many of the bizarre incidents in the movie actually took place in real life.



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No it's not. The Dude is based on a real person the Coen Bros. know, but the plot is completely fictional.

wiki on TBL

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

I've always liked the movie but consider it as being in the middle of the pack of the Coen Bros. ouvre. I'm a much bigger fan of Raising Arizona, Blood Simple and Fargo...

Good movie though, and I agree that it gets better which successive viewings.

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

I think this is one of the few movies where the faults in writing, plot, character, etc. are so few that they can be listed explicitly without the cup running over.

I think it would be consistent with the original post if anyone wants to point out what they would change about the movie.

My complaint: When The Dude is walking away from Donny and Walter in the parking lot of the bowling alley, and The Dude's cell phone is ringing (but The Dude is not answering because he lost the money), I don't like the last two lines (beginning with "your phones ringing dude"):

DONNY
Where you going, Dude?

DUDE
I'm going home, Donny.

DONNY
Your phone's ringing, Dude.

DUDE
Thank you, Donny.

Other than that I can't think of anything else I'd change about the movie.

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

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I think this is one of the few movies where the faults in writing, plot, character, etc. are so few that they can be listed explicitly without the cup running over.

I think it would be consistent with the original post if anyone wants to point out what they would change about the movie.

My complaint: When The Dude is walking away from Donny and Walter in the parking lot of the bowling alley, and The Dude's cell phone is ringing (but The Dude is not answering because he lost the money), I don't like the last two lines (beginning with "your phones ringing dude"):

DONNY
Where you going, Dude?

DUDE
I'm going home, Donny.

DONNY
Your phone's ringing, Dude.

DUDE
Thank you, Donny.

Other than that I can't think of anything else I'd change about the movie.

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no that part is hilarious because of how long the dude's phone has been ringing for.

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

After they go to Larry Sellers' house, I love that the Dude is the only one not to get an in n out burger.

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its my favorite movie. could watch it every day and not be tired of it. i've also adopted many of the mannerisms and expressions from the movie into my everyday life.

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its my favorite movie. could watch it every day and not be tired of it. i've also adopted many of the mannerisms and expressions from the movie into my everyday life.

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AND A GOOD DAY TO YOU, SIR!

yeah the movie is infinitely quotable.

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The Dude also drinks the most delicious alcoholic concoction know to man.

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The Dude also drinks the most delicious alcoholic concoction know to man.

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The man is [censored] up throughout the entire movie. He's waking up to white russians, drinks beer in the car, and is smoking all day long. Could you imagine going through this when you're [censored] up the entire time? That is what makes it so funny to me.

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Could you imagine going through this when you're not [censored] up the entire time?

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I love this movie but I still like Raising Arizona a little bit better. Both definitely reward you for repeat veiwings. The one thing about it I didn't really like was the dream sequence. It felt kinda stupid and cheesy to me. But it has some of the best lines ever and great, quotable lines are one of my favoritie things about movies.

I read somewhere that the reason Jeff Bridges wasn't nominated for this role was because he was "too" perfect for it.

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The Academy skews old and very conservative. A movie about a slacker drunk/druggy is so far out of their demographic ...

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

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The amazing thing to me is that many, many of the bizarre incidents in the movie actually took place in real life.



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No it's not. The Dude is based on a real person the Coen Bros. know, but the plot is completely fictional.

wiki on TBL

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Read the book, seriously. Many of the events in the movie are based on real events, including two middle-aged guys going to a teenager's house with his homework in a baggie to "brace" him about a stolen car.

The book's authors INTERVIEWED the kid, and the two guys who braced him.

Also based in reality -- Walter is an amalgamation of 3 guys, one of whom being a professor at Southern Cal who compares everything to Vietnam.

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

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Yeah, but the Big Lebowski is the only comedy movie I've ever seen where it actually gets BETTER every time you see it. Almost any comedy gets less funny because you know what's coming - the Big Lebowski throws so much at you that it's almost comedic overload the first time.

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i should have been more clear, this is really what i was getting at. however, there are plenty of movies of various genres that i enjoyed the first time, but am unable to watch a second time/multiple times.

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Wasn't thrilled with it.

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Yeah, well that's, like, you're opinion man.

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That rug really tied the room together. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

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"Your name is Lebowski. Your wife is Bunny."

"Bunny? Look, moron."

[He holds up his hand.]

"You see a wedding ring? Does this place look like I'm [censored] married? The toilet seat's up!"

IIRC he actually held up his right hand. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

Brag: My cousin is the Malibu Police Chief.

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I too love this movie, own the DVD. I think TBL is John Goodman's finest work ever. So over the top, its an amazing performance as Walter the lunatic.

A ton of Big Lebowski quotes. Some of my favorite Walter ones -


Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules.

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.

You know, Dude, I myself dabbled in pacifism once. Not in 'Nam of course.

And, I would like my undies back!

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

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"Your name is Lebowski. Your wife is Bunny."

"Bunny? Look, moron."

[He holds up his hand.]

"You see a wedding ring? Does this place look like I'm [censored] married? The toilet seat's up!"

IIRC he actually held up his right hand. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

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The script originally called for the Dude to say, "Does it look like I'm [censored] married? All the plants are dead!" which I think is even funnier.

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

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I too love this movie, own the DVD. I think TBL is John Goodman's finest work ever. So over the top, its an amazing performance as Walter the lunatic.

A ton of Big Lebowski quotes. Some of my favorite Walter ones -


Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules.

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.

You know, Dude, I myself dabbled in pacifism once. Not in 'Nam of course.

And, I would like my undies back!

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Smokey, you're entering a world of pain. A world of pain.

Shabbos, Donny, is the Jewish day of rest. That means I don't drive a car, I don't [censored] ride in a car, I don't turn on the oven, I don't handle money, and I SURE AS [censored] DON'T [censored] ROLL!!! SHOMER SHABBOS!!!

5,000 years of beautiful tradition, from Moses to Sandy Koufax---you're GODDAM RIGHT I'M LIVING IN THE PAST!!!

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

The Dude: Walter, the chinaman who peed on my rug, I can't go give him a bill, so what the [censored] are you talking about?

Walter: What the [censored] are you talking about? The chinaman is not the issue here, Dude. I'm talking about drawing a line in the sand, Dude. Across this line, you DO NOT... Also, Dude, "chinaman" is not the preferred nomenclature. "Asian-American", please.

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

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"Your name is Lebowski. Your wife is Bunny."

"Bunny? Look, moron."

[He holds up his hand.]

"You see a wedding ring? Does this place look like I'm [censored] married? The toilet seat's up!"

IIRC he actually held up his right hand. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

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The script originally called for the Dude to say, "Does it look like I'm [censored] married? All the plants are dead!" which I think is even funnier.

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wow that is a way better line - although one that would never get a laugh on the first viewing. i think part of the reason i disliked this movie at first is because 'the toilet seat's up' is such a cliche.

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

Actually I like the toilet seat line better because he just happened to be right next to the toilet so it made a lot of sense. For him to make the plant comment, he should have at least paused and stuttered because that's too funny to be an original off-the-cuff comment.

Re: Official Big Lebowski Thread
 

I've permanently incorporated "Ladyfriend" into my general vocabulary. It's surprisingly flirtatious without being overt about it, like if you called them "honey" or some such.

Anybody play The Big Lebowski Drinking game? Drink a white russian everytime he drinks one. IIRC, it's eleven. I say "IF" I recall because by 9 we were so full of vodka and milk that I was kneeling next to a toilet, begging to throw-up shortly after a ridiculous, knee-bloodying wrestling match.

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The Dude: Walter, the chinaman who peed on my rug, I can't go give him a bill, so what the [censored] are you talking about?

Walter: What the [censored] are you talking about? The chinaman is not the issue here, Dude. I'm talking about drawing a line in the sand, Dude. Across this line, you DO NOT... Also, Dude, "chinaman" is not the preferred nomenclature. "Asian-American", please.

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Best part is when he goes on to say: "Donny you're out of your element! Dude, the Chinaman is not the issue here!"