Is the Big Lebowski a Masterpiece?

Yeah it's awesome, but is it out of it's element? Is the Big Lebowski a Masterpiece?
Originally aired on September 23rd, 2013.
The Big Lebowski (/ləˈbaʊski/) is a 1998 crime comedy film written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, a Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler.
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[@420Life141]

The real point of the story is that rug really tied the room together.

[@yudhveer99]

+Dr.CookiesNeedLoveLikeEverthingDoes shut the fuck up Donny

[@bkr1895]

VI Lenin!! Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov

[@billgeezeriommi]

Did it not?

[@jcfw]

yes, it certainly covered over a couple of floors in the movie.

[@ruckusmma]

And they peed on it!

[@TheFirstLaughingFool]

I feel like the Coen Brothers movie philosophy is "We went nowhere, but we had fun getting there."

[@andrewhoyle1521]

I like that ima have to take that quote

[@skullquarry]

Far out, man.

[@waynej2608]

It's not so much about the journey, as it is the trip.

[@TheFirstLaughingFool]

@Weghweh Hwewehwhe I kind of paraphrased that idea from the ending line to Burn After Reading. "Guess the lesson is don't do it again. Not really sure what we did though." It's really hard to pin down what the Coen Brother's movie ethos is. It's just something you recognize when you see it. I keep saying that Bad Times at the El Royal feels like Coen Brother's film and I'm not the only one.

[@louisduarte8763]

@@TheFirstLaughingFool Now I gotta quote Walter: "Say what you will about the tenets of National Socialism, at least that IS in ethos."

[@wilhelmcooning]

Ebert put it best: 'The Big Lebowski is about an attitude, not a story'. For me, the obscenely complicated plot is just a test for the Dude, to see if he really can 'Take it easy' when presented with the most head turning scenario. His victory is that, in the end, he is able to simply 'abide'. And I take comfort in that. Definitely in my top 20 favourite films.

[@Gravitynaut]

Ebert puts everything the best. That's why he's so renowned. He's certainly correct here though. Stylistically, I think The Big Lebowski is entirely unique, which is why it's so great.

[@wilhelmcooning]

Pulp Fiction, Goodfellas, The Godfather (I and II), Silence of the Lambs, The Good The Bad and The Ugly, Spirited Away, Vertigo, Apocalypse Now, In Bruges, Natural Born Killers, Withnail and I, Alien, Scarface and The Incredibles are all films I prefer... But that's just like, my opinion, man. I know that's not 19, but fuck it. The Big Lebowski is still one my all time favourites.

[@ingenjannik]

Alien over Aliens?

[@wilhelmcooning]

Alien, although I do love Aliens as well.

[@bkr1895]

For me it's my number 2 right underneath what I think is the best movie ever made Pulp Fiction.

[@alexanderchippel]

Whatever man, that's like, just your opinion.

[@marcelfil]

man that's like a legit opinion dude

[@pacitticlubjohnny2238]

Whatever Lad, that's like, just your opinion

[@martonpinter3738]

*Yeah, well, u know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

[@captaincokecan]

Fuck it dude, lets go bowling

[@johnnyhellstrom7121]

You're out of your element.

[@Raakhushili]

I think the best thing about The Great Lebowski is that it resembles to those conversations you have with your friends, telling weird and funny anecdotes and entangling one after another until you completely lose the track of the conversation, but you still feel like you're having the time of your life.

[@karlhinze]

The what Lebowski?

[@MKowloon]

El Grande Duderino

[@joemckim1183]

@@MKowloon If you're into the whole brevity thing.

[@robertfrazier6563]

The Dude write a check for a half & half worth 67 cents. I was dying when he did that.

[@GeahkBurchill]

I know! Such a great introduction to the character. I've often thought about that moment in screenwriting because it's SO GOOD at telling the audience a huge amount about the character without exposition.

[@robertfrazier6563]

+Geahk Burchill He so lay back his like the Tommy Chong of the 1990's

[@TheVictoriousShot]

Postdated it too by over a year. Absolutely hilarious.

[@abara5678]

I also love how he uses what he hears on the TV in that scene later on :D

[@tauhidal-farook4548]

69*

[@inoitall999]

To anyone saying this is not a masterpiece, yeah well, you know, that's like, your opinion man...

[@bergonath8851]

Is it a masterpiece? Fuck yeah it is.

[@zakbrown676]

Sorry for posting this a year later but that profile picture of yours is amazing!

[@zakbrown676]

Fuck 5 years!!! 🤣

[@ndrwsrcht]

Maude does get pregnant. The stranger says "There's a little lebowski on the way."

[@joehumpston7937]

Yep! What if the Coen Brothers did a Sequel centered on the Little Lebowski meeting his Dad for the first time?

[@kgpspyguy]

@HOW DARE YOU The Big Lebowski 2: This time, it's personal.

[@wjzav1971]

@@joehumpston7937 Some things should be left to the imagination. The Coen Brothers are talented writers but I can't see how even they would be able to write a satisfying sequel to this. This movie had no story but was only a sequence of things happening with the Dude abiding in the end. What would a sequel do? Make the same sequence and the Dude still abiding? Then it would be an inferior copy. A sequence where the Dude doesn't abide? Then it would wreck the first movie. And how would you write a film about Little Lebowski meeting Big Lebowski? He or she would either be disappointed in his/her dad or find him totally awesome or just abide too. Can't see how to do that satisfyingly.

[@joehumpston7937]

Not that this movie isn’t awesome just as a stand alone film

[@joehumpston7937]

Weghweh Hwewehwhe It’s just a thought really

[@sandersnoblitt7014]

The moral of The Big Lebowski is: Shit happens, live with it.

[@bacht4799]

Sanders Noblitt and that’s why I really like this movie.. I know this is sacrilege but I not always fan of the heroes journey.. the idea you work hard and becomes another person is both a good thing but also annoying thing.. the idea that you change is frustrating.. no sometimes things happens.. you go at it and back too statues que .. not everything is adventure sometimes it’s just life.. and stop telling people they got to change.. all the time..

[@wjzav1971]

@@bacht4799 Maybe the idea is that there are certain things you can't change but only accept.

[@bacht4799]

WJ ZAV yeah there also that.. sorry about the rates.. it’s just something there frustrates me personally now and then ..

[@LaborHours]

Then why did the dude go after Lebowski for a new rug? It would have spared him a lot of trouble if he had just lived with the loss of the rug.

[@spottyarthur]

The rug= the dude The room= the story

[@sreyasraj3159]

That's a fantastic comment

[@apatheticAstronaut]

It really tied the room together

[@sosedup]

Nice

[@ShawnRavenfire]

There's an interesting irony in the movie in that the entire plot and subplots are meaningless, which is a nihilistic perspective, yet the nihilists are the "villains" of the movie.

[@drPWNAGE1000]

It's more than a masterpiece. It's a moral compass, man.

[@519forestmonk9]

I'm ashamed to say I've never watched it. Gotta fix that.

[@Idiosyncfilms]

Watch it with your intoxicated friends!

[@NicoUnken]

I'm the same with Star Wars.

[@vb2388]

If u haven't, Please watch NCFOM as well...its my favourite from The Coen Bros

[@rolandothereviewer2044]

treat yourself. amazing film

[@LoliconSamalik]

+Sleepy Shorts Or don't. You'd miss the jokes

[@Lucky_9705]

It’s a tradition of mine to watch The Big Lebowski every Thanksgiving.

[@laudanum669]

I have watched The Big Lebowski on average about 2-3 times a month for the past 4 years. Now I have to admit I live my life allot like the dude. It's nothing to be proud of I just relate.

[@donavenhollow5709]

At least hear what he has to say before you blabbering about how it is or isn't just because you read the title.

[@NamaJeff]

He has already seen the video. Its old as fuck.

[@non_regulars]

5:27 Maude actually does get pregnant. The Stranger (Sam Elliott, who's the narrator) says there's a "little Lebowski" on the way at the end of the movie.

[@CaptainKronkers]

I really don't know whether or not it's a masterpiece but I do know that it's one of my favorite movies of all time. It really resonates with me for some reason. The comedy in it is exactly my style. The Dude is everything I want to be. The story is smart and passionate. I love almost every aspect of it.

[@jamesquinonez3914]

I agree. I don't love the movie because I think it has great themes, I love it because its hilarious, quirky and has a lot of fun moments in general.

[@daemonredfield3211]

It's a masterpiece when you realise that Tron Legacy makes sense if you consider Big Lebowski to be the same universe.

[@SamyulDavis]

Try me

[@nateputerbaugh5709]

Daemon Redfield He's more or less The Dude meets Obi Wan in that, isn't he? Dubi Wan?

[@bobthebear1246]

@@nateputerbaugh5709 You mean "Doobie-Wan." Don't ever make that mistake again.

[@djordjedjordjevic2168]

The most genius part about Big Lebowski is that dude and Walter figure out at the beginning that she kidnapped herself,and we laugh at them at how hilarious idea seems.In most noir movies everything is revealed at the end,here protagonists figure everything at beginning and at end we just get conformation that they were right,like you laughed at them for saying she kidnapped herself but they were right.So in a way dude and Walter are better detectives than noir guys with slick style and badass attitude.

[@mach6247]

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU F... FIND A STRANGER IN THE ALPS!!!!!!

[@dazeslays]

The Dude is my number one role model. He's just enjoying life without hurting anybody, but he's not spineless or overly happy. I want to be like him, just maybe not writing 69 cent checks for milk...

[@ClassicLuigiFan]

"Is the Big Lebowski a masterpiece?" Did you really not know that the answer is yes?

[@hikingbird42]

What's amazing about the big lebowski is that I was extremely confused watching it my first time but it got funnier the more times it was rewatched. That's what makes it a masterpiece more viewing sessions makes it better

[@NextLevelEntertainment]

The lesson learned in this film 1. The Dude Abides, take life as relaxed as you can, but take it head on. 2. Walter is a shell-shocked, Ass-Vet stuck in the past, but he means well ... 3. We need ppl like Donny 4. We need ppl like Dude 5. A Rug can truly tie a room together 5. Never trust a ransom kidnapper if they send you a toe. 6. And if u don't like this movie, well than I guess that's just your opinion man ...

[@bobadontfrett1889]

One of the best comedies ever made. A movie I can watch over and over again. brilliant. this movie changed my life and how I view it. just be like dude, be content with the small simple things and just abide man

[@bluesnowfox361]

Here's my rule.. If the film says Cohen Brothers on it, it's probably a masterpiece

[@futurestoryteller]

Their misses are really weird though, then again I think they are more subjective than most filmmakers' are. I like Hudsucker Proxy, but I can't get into Miller's Crossing and think it's weird. For most people I'm guessing the opposite is true.

[@setenandtheahnold6850]

BlueSnowfox Bill Murray thought the same thing when he agreed to star in Garfield

[@DrVanNostrand01]

Typically that is the case, however I must say that Inside LLewyn Davis is one of the worst films I've ever seen.

[@davieguns]

BlueSnowfox suburbicon is a terrible movie.

[@ndjubilant8391]

@Ice Hockey is Pretty Pretty Good The only other Coen movie I like is O Brother Where Art Thou, but it is nowhere near as good.

[@JohnnyDogs1978]

The long conversations really tie the scenes together.

[@radiak55]

The movie itself does a superb job of making the audience see the events of the story with the same outlook that the Dude has. As such, many things are inconsequential and lead to nothing because we are seeing the movie through the same lens that the Dude does. Though just because a movie perfectly syncs the audience with the main character does not necessarily make it a masterpiece or a good movie. It largely depends on what people might consider a masterpiece though it is hindered by many things that impede it from being as such. Mainly the overtly long sequences that although necessarily for representing the characters outlook do get tiring as they have to be leveled. All stories at least abide to a degree of sense and logic.

[@ndjubilant8391]

No, it is mechanical to expect every story to be logical. The Big Lebowski is more than a trite story. It is avant garde and unique.

[@reggie18b]

"The movie itself does a superb job of making the audience see the events of the story with the same outlook that the Dude has. As such, many things are inconsequential and lead to nothing because we are seeing the movie through the same lens that the Dude does" Not at all. The kidnapping plot turns out to be fake. This is not the perspective of the Dude, this is the reality.

[@TeddyBerry]

I went into The Big Lebowski with very low expectations, but i really enjoyed it. The humor was right up my street.

[@djinnification]

I remember my freshman year of high school, 1998. I got a copy of The Big Lebowski on VHS for like a dollar in the bargain bin...and my friends and I spent days of our lives watching it while tripping balls on the pink elephants going around at the time. We discovered a lot about ourselves in that time, and a lot about the world. Thanks Dude, and thank you Coen Bros. It was then and will always be my favorite film of all time. Purely for nostalgia. Just thinking about it makes my skin start to feel warm and while I haven't seen it in at least 6 years I could still recite it line for line from memory.

[@Bat_Punk]

dammit now i want a white russian

[@darkfeeling97]

i know, right?.... you know what? I'm making myself some, now

[@xmgaming2444]

I know a white russian, I can hook you up.

[@braelonoliver3529]

IKR I don't even drink but I want one after watching the Big Lebowski

[@AlexH4774]

Would you like fries with that?

[@MrLamb94]

The first white russian I've ever had made me sick. So I don't like that drink.

[@Jaydoggy531]

I think there was a certain glimmer of personal growth from The Dude in the end, even if it was very small. After all, you see him wearing a team uniform, his face/hair looks a little cleaned up, and for the first time in the movie he asks the bartender for soda rather than alcohol. Further, the narrator mentions there's "A Little Lebowski on the way."

[@bubbabulbalicious8068]

Thanks. First person to put those things together and make me see that. Watched it maybe 30/40 times.

[@azraelcorvo9087]

There is a RELIGION built around the Dude.

[@theyamabushi5546]

SHUT THE FUCK UP DONNIE

[@ace3241987]

Nobody fucks with the Jesus.

[@mournfulgiant502]

That's just stupid

[@mournfulgiant502]

That's just stupid

[@seriousbismuth2173]

Yep, and my father is an actual licensed priest of it. You can always apply for it online and print out your Certification. xD

[@vladimirdan1959]

I am an Ordained Priest of The Church of The Latter-Day Dude,I agree completely with the life philosophy of The Dude and this movie is a masterpiece,the dialogues are incredible!

[@MegaSoulHero]

I've never seen the Big Lebowski

[@UncleExplosion]

I would highly recommend it

[@UncleExplosion]

+york Dixieland lmao

[@lucashammar8180]

I watched it. Didn't like it. It was plotless, pointless, and makes no sense at all. But that's my opinion.

[@TheGotenza]

+Lucas Hammar That's why it's a masterpiece

[@Idiosyncfilms]

Watch it and enjoy ... then inevitably watch it again whenever you're feeling chill af

[@sweettea-ms7ex]

You know the dude didn't have to go to his landlords one person play, he did because he's a good dude. It probably meant a lot to his landlord tho

[@darmous9676]

actually he did get his rug back, he stole it from Mr. Lebowski

[@thomasjefferson4522]

Yeah but they took it again

[@johnclavis]

That wasn't his rug; it was a different rug that belonged to the rich Lebowski (sort of). Maude even shows up later to take it back because it's not the Dude's. Here's the line: "My father told me that he's agreed to let you have the rug, but it was a gift from me to my late mother, and so was not his to give." I don't recall if we ever see the Dude's rug again...

[@johnclavis]

+John Clavis well, technically, she sends some goons to take it, and then apologizes to him about it later.

[@Headywon]

+John Clavis i think she promised him a new one when she apologized so we cam assume she sent him a different rug

[@johnclavis]

Headywon She gave him a rug, alright... a nice red one.

[@MonkyMonk729]

It absolutely is a masterpiece. It's a clinic in character development and cinematic dialogue. I've always thought of the plot as merely an arbitrary vehicle to put The Dude and Walter into some stressful situation for the sake of the resulting dialogue . I realized after about my 10th viewing that unlike any other movie that comes to mind, you don't even need to understand the plot of The Big Lebowski to really get the heart and soul of the movie which is the relationship between The Dude and Walter. I think a lot of people got too hung up on the ridiculously complicated plot and missed the real masterpiece which is the writing of the dialogue.

[@jerec1267]

none of you are early this is a reupload

[@p.z.arnott2329]

That's what she said.

[@logandh2]

+P.Z. Arnott That doesn't make any sense.

[@alma3884052]

That`s what you said.

[@jerec1267]

***** that makes no sense. That's like saying I'm early to play arkham city because I preordered the GOTY edition

[@jerec1267]

***** praise your wisdom

[@MadDragon75]

I believe both Picasso and Leonardo da Vinci would have appreciated this and declared this a masterpiece.

[@Kem1kal13]

There just something about the way the characters all interact, even a normal scene in this movie is hella entertaining thanks to the great performances of Bridges, Goodman, and co.

[@gamecubemaster1990]

Just a question. Why are you guys re-uploading some of your old videos?

[@ChannelAwesome]

Since this is our Official channel we want to make sure all of our videos are on here.

[@gamecubemaster1990]

Are the ones your re-uploading deleted at some point or just re-uploaded because some newer fans probably haven't seen them?

[@vitamindubya]

Same question

[@ChannelAwesome]

+gamecubemaster1990 The Re-Uploads have never been on this channel.

[@wittyreviewer]

New channel. Plus some of them have been taken down for copyright, or disappeared after Bliptv died.

[@hugesinker]

It is a masterpiece, albeit an unconventional one-- partly owing to its unique nod to discordianism. We're all together in this soup full of diverse goals, interests, circumstances, and points of view; and things might not always be as simple as they appear to be. The philosophy of the film is actually being given by the dude in his scene in the limo with the Big Lebowski, but it's just barely coherent enough that a lot of people will miss it. Every single plan set in motion by the diverse interests depicted by the various strange characters in the film gets thwarted by circumstances they could not have predicted, leading to an escalating complexity knotting them together which may or may not ever be resolved. There never was a kidnapping; the carpet-pissers did not organize the ransom; the dude never had the money; and a bizarre new third party is introduced to account for just about everything that happens to the dude. It's a set of events spinning out of control which could easily drive an ordinary person crazy. So sometimes, you just have to say, "Fuck it dude, let's go bowling." Bowling itself is a metaphor here too. If one could only manage to throw the ball identically and consistently, they could get a strike every single time. Without being heavy-handed, the film shows how this sort of chaos applies in several significant spheres of life-- religion, politics, law, sex, art. When you say that most of the scenes could have been cut, that's true in the sense of simply telling the story, but false in the sense of communicating the ethos of the film.

[@reggie18b]

Say what you want about the tenets of the Big Lebowsi, dude, but at least it's an ethos.

[@jamlym4974]

The Dude really ties the story together.

[@seanbeard7558]

It's called "character comedy", Critic.

[@seanbeard7558]

I didn't say he didn't. I am saying that when it comes to comedy where nothing really happens outside of characters being thrown into situations, and you seeing them react is called a "character comedy" - he acts as if this movie stands on its own with this idea when there's shows like Seinfeld for example that did it for an entire series. I like the movie too for the record.

[@Dylan_Thomas1]

I still believe he missed the mark when for instance he criticized the fact that it takes "forever" for the characters to get around to the crucial bit of the conversation. That's where he fails to recognize that it's a character comedy.

[@doomguy8324]

Its called shit. Thats what this was.

[@mogul5894]

Personally I just love the characters. The Cohen’s are great at somehow giving one-scene random characters a lot of depth. This is a great film.. it can’t help the weirdo aspect of its fandom.

[@Alondro77]

The Dude returned as a strange bald guy wearing a yellow jumpsuit and white cape... and also became the strongest thing ever and is a hero for fun. ;D

[@joshuaosborne9203]

The music in the background is the 90s Spider-Man show theme for when any time Mary Jane is on screen! Nailed it!

[@stevenkimdmd]

Nostalgia critic, you are out of your element. You have focused too much on Lebowski you did not even understand the plot. It did get resolved albeit in an unexpected way. Also, Maude did get pregnant. So the Dude's legacy goes on, according to the narrator with the cowboy hat. Watch the movie again. The tournament was not dropped, it kept going. The dude kept practicing for it till the very end. Actually the bowling tournament was the only constant in the movie. "It brought everything together". What makes the movie great is that almost all of the characters have a facade and eventually their real faces get exposed. Almost all of the characters in the movie, including the bad guys, were clueless and most didn't even realize it. Everyone was like Donny. They were like kids who jumped in in the middle of a movie and tried to chime in but ended up being useless. That, was the brilliant satire. You should understand by now why every single scene with Donny was indispensable, because the life of Donny was the main message.

[@oddballsok]

What puzzles me is that if the Coens in writing this, really, really, really had all the messages and subliminal messages in mind, or that a great deal of them simply showed up by luck during the shooting and editing ? The Coens simply can't be so all knowing. That would make them on parr with Shakespeare...

[@wonderlustking1306]

ODDBALL SOK they are

[@ethanbrock5453]

@@oddballsok Shakespeare was only a man, he wasn't a god so why can two men working together not be on par

[@AtaurRahman-bs1lm]

@@oddballsok ALOT OF SHAKESPEARE'S EARLY PLAYS AND HIS VERY LAST PLAYS ARE WIDELY CONSIDERED TO BE COLLABORATIONS. SO SHAKESPEARE MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN SO ALL KNOWING, HE JUST HAD PEOPLE WITH DOFFERENT PERSPECTIVES WORKING WITH HIM ON HIS STUFF. THE SAME CASE HERE, WHERE NOT ONE BUT TWO VERY TALENTED PEOPLE WERE WORKONG TOGETHER AND PUTTING THEIR HEART AND SOUL INTO IT.

[@darisfilmsdirect4038]

Of course its a masterpiece,its a fact.

[@stvbrsn]

5:30 “...what happens with Maude and tryin to get pregnant?” The Stranger answers that question at the very end. Using his magical powers of narrative omniscience, he reveals that he “happens to know that there’s a little Lebowski on the way.”

[@johnkohls5054]

critic can please review cloudy with a chance of meatballs and the second one

[@johnkohls5054]

+Oscar Kirk. yea the same

[@raymond8604]

+Oscar Kirk it had Bruce Campbell, then you know that it's good

[@raymond8604]

+Ash Williams i was talking about the first one

[@zrxdoug]

"What kind of psycho would kill a man and then slather his face with shaving cream?" "My dad!"

[@Anonymous-js5zn]

It not only had Bruce Campbell, but Bruce Campbell as the mayor of a town with a cop played by Mr. T. That is awesome.

[@joshuapatrick682]

A masterpiece of comedy!!!! It was my favorite film when I was in high school and is still one of my top 5 today!

[@briancurry8274]

they throw around four letter words without reserve, but the film is hilariously funny- nobody but Jeff Bridges could ever complete this performance so well

[@labbaby189]

The most important thing ever said in and about this movie was in the most random part of the movie... "There's no reason, here's my point..."

[@AynenMakino]

I like it when you try to figure out why something works, rather than focussing mostly on why something doesn't. More of this please :)

[@UberTheRandom]

If you don't get The Big Lebowski the first time, watch it again. Still don't get it watch it again. After that if you don't absolutely love it, then you'll never get it. Its just not your kind of flick. Abide.

[@paulovinasrocha6166]

UberTheRandom Randomizer is it not bod if you have to see a movie more than twice to understand it

[@DarthSironos]

@@paulovinasrocha6166 It says nothing about the movie, it only says something about the person watching it

[@doomguy8324]

Its not. I like actual movies.. not random shit thrown together.

[@baiwatch1]

Making a takedown of another producer on your channel, who has a much smaller fanbase, and who you have a dominant business position over, is a really bullyish move.

[@jackmcglion8337]

This is before that happened.

[@CaptainFrankBlack]

the dude abides

[@MostlyLoveOfMusic]

Still think this is probably my favourite movie ever

[@s.u.p.r.e.m.e.society9607]

Definitely one of my favorite movies. It's more of a cinematic collage than anything. I aspire to be the Dude. God knows it's better to aim low and be content that things aren't worse than aim high, sacrifice yourself, maybe even accomplish a goal or two, and end up feeling hollow and as unfulfilled as you did in the first place. But of course the human condition affects most of us and our path to nirvana similarly to the plot in Office Space.

[@nicklarocco4178]

It's a masterpiece because its a movie about a rebel. I'm talking in the sociological term here as defined by Merton. There are two things according to sociologists that define a persons sense of accomplishment: what society wishes them to do, and how they do it. If you do what society wishes of you, and you do it they way they wish it you are a conformist. If you accept cultural goals, but but reject the means to achieve them you're an innovator. If you reject cultural goals but accept their means you're a ritualist, and if you reject both you're a retreatist. And most movies are about people who fit these sociological archetypes. But the Big Lebowski is about a rebel: Someone who sets their own goals and their own method to achieve them. It touches on a part of culture and individualism that is seen by many as taboo because people who embrace it are lazy, or have no ambition, or are selfish. But in fact they're usually the people who are most true to themselves, they live in almost a perpetual neverland where they have never "grown up" to accept cultural norms and methods. It introduces an entirely new hero/protagonist archetype into the film genre that was previously almost never done or never done well. It focuses less on structure and resolution and more on interaction and ambiguity, and in that way it feels more real than most movies. Because, as in life, many things are never resolved it feels genuine. Things happen around us all the time that we have no frame of reference for and are never established or resolved. It's a masterpiece because its commentary on the idiosyncrasies of daily life and the utter bizarre nature of the human condition. Of course it does that in a bombastic and over the top way, but in many ways the movie strikes a chord because of its penchant to display the mundane as bizarre, and the bizarre as mundane.

[@ndjubilant8391]

Very well written, thank you.

[@ladyrose837]

The answer is yes. THE ANSWER IS YES.

[@Mrcharrio]

Nope, it's over hyped like Star Wars

[@daltorthedestroyer2016]

Well that's just like your opinion man

[@paradoxacres1063]

_Star Wars_ deserved all the hype. It changed cinema history.

[@fencefirst2722]

+Paradox Acres facts

[@marshallzane3461]

No. Star Wars is one of the best films ever made. You're trying to be a special snowflake.

[@missx5472]

f*ck off

[@dariusemmanueltherumblegro7240]

I love the big lebowski and a proud devout dudeist

[@brianm5563]

The Big Lebowski is great because, in a sense, it depicts (albeit in a surreal and exaggerated way) real life. The conversations that could be cut are realistic (which is what makes Tarrantino films great). A lot of what people say in a conversation doesn't need to be said. Some folks (like myself) have run into some colorful characters along the way in life, with events just 'happening'. Real life is full of filler and lacks in events that lead to feelings of closure in certain parts of a person's life. Things are said, sometimes crazy things happen, and it just goes on. I think that's the reason people connect so well with the movie. It's a generalization of the average person's life in America.

[@kasrakhatir]

Well Thats just like...your opinion Doug

[@Arthurzeiro]

And here I was, thinking that this movie was just a documentary about the life of Jeff Bridges

[@mightyman6459]

It doesn't mean anything, but it is definitely a masterpiece!

[@jaydesigns1236]

We all have some part of the dude in ourselves who no matter how difficult the situation is, tells us to take it easy.

[@MikeMaroneyWhatsupdirtycones]

The Big Lebowski made it ok to hate the eagles and for that I am grateful The Dude Abides

[@ndjubilant8391]

I hate The Eagles

[@arbhall7572]

My only problem with this movie is I don't know which genre it's a favourite in. I don't know if it's one of my favourite me life crisis movies, comedies, kidnap, tragedy or social commentaries. I'm usually forced to say it's just my fave Jeff Bridges movie a knot have ahead of True Grit.

[@elliebee6537]

Funny that this just got recommended for me. I'm just about to go bowling.

[@Eldeibi84]

Sometimes there’s a man, and he’s the right man, for the right time, and that’s the Dude right there in Los Angeles.

[@nbamanuel7373]

I actually think burn after reading is really underrated but I still find it very boring and doesn’t even compare to this masterpiece.

[@doctorwhouse3881]

Golgi Apparatus Burn After Reading, though not without its moments (and fantastic ending) is in a gray area where it could have benefited from either being more cartoony or more deadpan.

[@nellgwenn]

I like Burn After Reading. I Also like The Big Lebowski. I've never felt the need nor desire to pit the two of them against each other..

[@hardcoreking52]

I should rewatch it, I remember being excited to see it but found it slow and not very funny. However B.L I loved my first viewing.

[@shdgamereviews531]

Complaining about an entertaining conversation between friends that shows their group dynamic, and who takes on which role in that group. Than saying the whole conversation could have been had in a few seconds of "I think that guy with the same name as you should replace your rug" is crazy. It's not about how long it takes to get to the next scene, it's about making the audience feel like they're sitting with friends just hanging out. And you know, being fun to watch.

[@SomeGuy_GRM]

For years I've been compared to The Dude, but I had never even seen the movie it until recently. I'm an ordained Dudeist Priest now.

[@DrStoCazzo]

as soon as the screen faded to black, i realized that i was happy i saw this movie, wonderful camera shots, devine soundtrack, lovely characters that will remain in you heart(holy shit, the introduction of quintana was one of the funniest i've ever saw) and you realize that this screenplay was written by people with balls

[@nyoodmono4681]

wtf why should it MEAN anything, it is just a great comedy around a dude

[@futurestoryteller]

Have you ever had a really vapid conversation with someone, where a point was never reached, and it went nowhere? That's the kind of thing you're advocating for when you say "why does everything need to mean something." Generally when you _say_ anything you're trying to get an idea across. A conversation that goes nowhere is a pretty boring thing. You might say "Well what if it's a really fun conversation, at a party or something, it doesn't have to go anywhere, we just enjoyed ourselves." True, but wasn't that conversation _effortless?_ Making movies takes time, and effort, and hard work. Rarely do people aspiring to do it at the level the Coen brothers contribute intend for all of that hard work, effort, and time to amount to the philosophical equivalent of a "pleasant enough" conversation with strangers you'll never see again. It really devalues creative passion, by making it out to be something frivolous. That's not to say it can't be, I just don't understand why so many people seem to think artists are sharting out masterpieces so everyone can get off for two+ hours and then forget they ever watched anything. How is _this_ the default state for so many people?

[@bobthebear1246]

@@futurestoryteller Honestly, dude, you've put way too much energy into this rhetorical retort.

[@futurestoryteller]

@@bobthebear1246 And making a whole movie is a lot of energy to put into having nothing meaningful to say about some dude.

[@chillhour6155]

Definitely one of the coolest movies, great and weirdly written characters interacting with each other with a story that doesn't really matter, the whole movie is a noncliche of what a Hollywood movie normally would try to be

[@GeahkBurchill]

The answer is "YES" period. Yes, it's a masterpiece.

[@doomguy8324]

How!?!?!? Its just random shit thrown together! Lemme take mh phone and record me cooking, washing the car, mowing grass, in a halloween costume.. tadah! Work of art! Hell no!

[@doomguy8324]

@BROTHER DYSTOPIAN hey man if you like it, we all have our thing. Its just too pointless to me. It cams out at that werid time when "less was more" in a "depressed" sorta space. Watching it makes me feel like I should be doing something more important with my life, like reading, learning a new language, doing laundry, etc. I cant abide dude. No offense.

[@theProClaimer]

It's not. Double period

[@kimbercustompro1911]

This film to me is like a voyeuristic look into someone else life more then a standard move in structure. The conversations shared with the characters, while odd, more accurately depict the conversational mannerisms we, the audience, would have with our friends, family, co workers etc.Something that gives this film a more genuine and authentic quality to me as well, sometimes things just happen in life without any proper resolution or climax. (i.e. life rarely plays out to the strict formula we've established for films) also proud to say i saw this film when it debuted in theaters and have watched it lovingly every years since at least once.

[@ricemenarq6230]

JESUS. That is all.

[@GeahkBurchill]

Nobody FUCKS with the Jesus!

[@ejromm]

8 year olds, dude

[@bkr1895]

Uhhhh what's a pederast ejromm?

[@mathias2277]

You said it man!

[@IronPiedmont]

There are actually two episodes of Friendship is Magic that has a reference to The Big Lebowski. I am not kidding!

[@amybradu1767]

Wait, I've seen every episode and I money remember only one reference

[@IronPiedmont]

The ones I've seen them in were “Cutiepox” and “Slice of Life “.

[@annekewren8950]

I don't think it even counted as a reference. The Big Lebowski characters were just. . . included in the show for a an episode. Confused the crap out of me.

[@eliotmccann2589]

I confess that I have never understood the appeal of The Big Lebowski. Its charms continue to elude me. Doesn't make it a bad film, but I guess I just don't get it.

[@tajtakahashi5631]

I appreciate the new beverage holding technique here

[@KiwamiClaud]

Did anyone else notice Flea from RHCP at 8:19?

[@abara5678]

He´s in alot of Movies =)

[@playgroundchooser]

KiwamiClaud And Back to the Future as Needles!

[@agdgdgwngo]

I always wondered if it was him

[@davidminor4213]

Burn After Reading is criminally underrated.

[@SlenchFan]

The Dude is awesome. Also, I think the movie is about meaninglessness, plus what you've said. The structure definitely comes to meaninglessness, and trying to extrapolate meaning from meaninglessness.

[@doomguy8324]

In other words its just shit that was thrown together and for some reason people think its art.

[@bobthebear1246]

@@doomguy8324 _You just don't get it._

[@doomguy8324]

@@bobthebear1246 Sorry, I wasnt trying to be rude... but... I just think this movie is so incredibly boring.. like every time I watch this I feel like I should be doing something productive with my time like cleaning the microwave or helping the poor.

[@SuperToombs]

The reason I think it's a masterpiece is because Everytime I watch it and I've seen it 100+ times....I still notice something new. Except for maybe pulp fiction..I can't think of another film like that

[@Matt-FRESHMINTY]

Short answer: Y E S

[@capthappy8884]

Not only my top movie of all time, but my introduction to the genius(even in his small role in this movie) that is PSH!!! Rip

[@shauncobb3171]

I need to watch this movie.

[@MidTierVillain]

It's about the conversations after the film ends, long as people are talking about the film and what it means- then the film did its job, along with great dialogue.

[@jonawesome9748]

Your over thinking it, Man

[@Rileyann130]

I thing The nostalgia critic should review "lord of the flies" either the 1990 one or the 1960 one. I would love to see that!

[@thomasjefferson4522]

What is the background music?

[@wjzav1971]

I think what made this movie work a lot was the insanely good chemistry between John Goodman, Jeff Bridges and Steve Busceme. Three whole different people who had a good time together despite being crazy. Those conversations may have been long-winded and dumb but they were a lot of fun to listen to.