A few weeks ago someone on TL (forget who) suggested I watch it since I like bowling...
Okay wtf. This movie is way too ridiculous. I can't seem to appreciate it even though I know there are many people who do. It sorta reminded me of half-baked... and I don't like movies with strange content and interactions, so you can imagine how much I liked that movie.
I admit there were about half a dozen times I laughed at the comedic value of some incident that occurred in the movie, but for the remainder of the time I was wondering why I was watching it. I think I was continuing to watch because I was hoping that something meaningful would eventually happen in the movie that would justify me having watched the first half.
Carnac seemed to agree with me, at least to some extent... and I'm sure there are others who agree with me despite the large following for the movie...
Poll: Big Lebowski (Vote): Didn't like (Vote): Soso (Vote): Loved
I hated it with a passion the first time I watched it. Then about a year later I watched it again. I couldn't stop laughing. Its a masterpeice that can't be judged from the first viewing.
On May 01 2008 11:43 {88}iNcontroL wrote: one of my favorite all time movies.. how the hell did you go so long without seeing it?
There is no divine force compelling me to see the dozens of 'must see' movies I haven't seen yet. I only saw it because it was specifically suggested to me recently and it was one of the first hits on hulu.
On May 01 2008 11:26 cava wrote: I hated it with a passion the first time I watched it. Then about a year later I watched it again. I couldn't stop laughing. Its a masterpeice that can't be judged from the first viewing.
On May 01 2008 11:26 cava wrote: I hated it with a passion the first time I watched it. Then about a year later I watched it again. I couldn't stop laughing. Its a masterpeice that can't be judged from the first viewing.
Walter Sobchak: I told those fucks down at the league office a thousand times that I don't roll on Shabbos! Donny: What's Shabbos? Walter Sobchak: Saturday, Donny, is Shabbos, the Jewish day of rest. That means that I don't work, I don't get in a car, I don't fucking ride in a car, I don't pick up the phone, I don't turn on the oven, and I sure as shit don't fucking roll! Shomer shabbos! The Dude: Walter... Walter Sobchak: Shomer fucking shabbos. The Dude: Oh fuck it.
Nothing special. (for me) Mildly boring, too superficial, shit for story line. Not something I would recommend to anyone. On the other hand there is so much worse out there you can't be too critical.. I guess if I had been younger when I watched it, stoned and in company I might have found it hilarious.
On May 01 2008 12:07 Mindcrime wrote: Walter Sobchak: I told those fucks down at the league office a thousand times that I don't roll on Shabbos! Donny: What's Shabbos? Walter Sobchak: Saturday, Donny, is Shabbos, the Jewish day of rest. That means that I don't work, I don't get in a car, I don't fucking ride in a car, I don't pick up the phone, I don't turn on the oven, and I sure as shit don't fucking roll! Shomer shabbos! The Dude: Walter... Walter Sobchak: Shomer fucking shabbos. The Dude: Oh fuck it.
gold
I find the concept of not doing simple things like driving and turning on the oven on Saturday to be pretty stupid, so I think I came at that segment from the wrong angle.
It's a very playful movie, and all the depth and creativity are in how it is put together. On one level it is completely shallow, but on other levels it is really well done and thought out. One thing to watch for is how they play with words. Notice that someone will say something in the movie, and then someone else will say the same thing later on, copying what was originally said. The movie opens with George Bush saying "this aggression against Kuwait will not stand." Then The Dude gets his carpet stolen and he is talking to Walter "This aggression will not stand, man!"
Or consider how he is listening to "looking out my back door" as he is driving his beat up car looking out his rearview mirror.
It's lots of little silly things like that that help make it a great movie in my eyes.
It is also quite post-modern in many ways. It is very surfacey, and all the depth is in the play of surfaces. It merges pop-art and avant-garde high art throughout the movie in various ways. Julianne Moore's art and the land lord's dancing scene are the obvious examples, but also consider the loving and artsy way that bowling is always portrayed in the movie, and the artsy way the naked woman is portrayed as she is being bounced up and down. The way that words and phrases are emphasized and repeated strikes me as po-mo. It is interesting too to consider that the film itself is somewhat nihilistic in that there really is no point, and it makes fun of itself in some way by including the nihilists in the film.
In short, I think the playful dialogue and the really sweet artsy scenes help make this film a huge hit for me.
EPT
