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20 Facts About 'The Big Lebowski' (That Are Not, Like, An Opinion, Man)

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20 Facts About 'The Big Lebowski' (That Are Not, Like, An Opinion, Man)

September 02, 2022

In 1998, the Coen brothers gave us the philosophical idea that – wait, no, sorry. Oh yeah, The Big Lebowski.

In this Pictofact, we discuss 20 fun facts about the Coen brothers’ classic. We deal with some behind-the-scene facts, some facts about their cast, Dudeism is fun and all, but come on guys, it’s just a movie, why are you taking it so seriously? Just, like, chill, dudes, it’s not like we’re talking German nihilism or something. Because unlike Buddhist acceptance, nihilism considers that — shoot, we did it again, didn’t we? Alright, note to self: “20 God-Killing (And Bonkers) Facts About German Nihilism.” Until then, however, check out these silly and surreal facts about The Big Lebowski.

20

The Inspiration for the Dude

CRACKED.COM The Big Lebowski The Dude was a real person (or rather two). The Dude was partly inspired by the American producer and activist Jeffrey Dowd-and by Peter Exline, who was introduced to the Coens while they were working on 1984's Blood Simple. Exline lived in a shabby apartment and loved a little rug of his that tied the room together. — Wikipedia

19

The Inspiration for Walter Sobchack

CRACKED.COM The Big Lebowski Walter Sobchack was based on Apocalypse Now writer Frank Milius. In of personality, clothes, and even physical type, the character was based on Milius, who is also conservative and obsessed with guns and the military. Milius is known for writing such macho movies as Apocalypse Now, Conan the Barbarian, and Red Dawn. — Screen Rant

18

John Turturro

The Big Lebowski John Turturro cringed at his own scenes. I didn't even get the movie when it came out, Turturro said in 2017. It went over my head. Still, he directed the Lebowski spin-off The Jesus Rolls in 2020 (which was a critical and commercial flop). CRACKED.COM — 'The Big Lebowski': John Turturro Says He Was 'Embarrassed' By His Scenes

17

The Stoner Method

The Big Lebowski Did the Dude burn one on the way over? Jeff Bridges would ask the Coen brothers that question before each scene. If the said yed, he'd calibrate his performance - not by smoking, but by rubbing his eyes to get that dazed, red-eyed look. CRACKED COM — Screen Rant

16

The Plot MacGuffin

The Big Lebowski The Dude's rug isn't the only MacGuffin. The movie's plot itself acts as a giant McGuffin, as it doesn't really matter. The Coens were aware that the convoluted noir mystery was kind of irrelevant, and the movie's main draw were its characters and humor. CRACKED.COM — Shore Scripts

15

The Gulf War

The Big Lebowski It's set during the Gulf War due to John Goodman's character. The Big Lebowski came out in 1998, but it is set in the early '90s, with a even a dream Saddam Hussein. The main reason was to give John Goodman's right- wing character something to rant about. 12 Saddan 3 K CRACKED.COM — IndieWire

14

CRACKED.COM The Big Lebowski Maude Lebowski's accent is not an accent. The first time I did it, Ethan said to me, 'I love that boarding-school accent you do, Julianne Moore said. I told him it wasn't an accent, it was an affectation. — 7X7

13

A Married Couple

в SUGA The Big Lebowski The Coens thought of Walter and the Dude as a married couple. The characters were conceived as being partners in a dysfunctional marriage, the Coen brothers explained. We designed them so they would constantly be... getting on each other's nerves - and yet still at a certai level really liking each other. CRACKED.COM — CBC

12

Improvisation

The Big Lebowski There's barely any improvisation. The movie's script was very tight and had no rewrites during shooting, leaving almost no room for ad-libbing. Pretty much every outburst or turn of phrase was scripted. CRACKED.COM — Screen Rant

11

Mel Gibson

CRACKED.COM The Big Lebowski Mel Gibson could have played the Dude. The Coens write for actors they've already worked with, like John Goodman or Steve Buscemi. But they also write parts for performers they've never collaborated with, and this was the case with The Dude. Mel Gibson could have played him, but apparently he didn't take the pitch seriously. — Screen Rant

10

F-Bombs

The Big Lebowski The movie drops 260 F-bombs. The TV censorship of the film created the literary gem, Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps? a classic in the same league as Die Hard 2's Yippee-ki-yay, Mister Falcon. CRACKED.COM — Mental Floss

9

The 'Fargo' Connection

The Big Lebowski The movie was written before Fargo. The Coens wrote The Big Lebowski in parallel to Barton Fink. They wanted to shoot it right away, but both Jeff Bridges and John Goodman were busy, so they did Fargo instead. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

8

Sam Elliott

The Big Lebowski Sam Elliott was on set for just two days. During that short time, he did a lot of takes of his final speech. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

7

"I hate the f–cking Eagles, man."

CRACKED.COM The Big Lebowski The Eagles aren't OK with the Dude hating them. Jeff Bridges doesn't dislike the band as much as the Dude, but it's still awkward when he bumps into them. I I ran into Glenn Frey, he gave me some sh*t. I can't what he said exactly, but you know, my anus tightened a bit. — Ultimate Classic Rock

6

The Dude's Look

The Big Lebowski The dude wears Jeff Bridges' own clothes. The Dude's scruffy, hyper-comfy style comes from two sources. The wardrobe department searched through thrift stores, thinking the Dude would indeed shop there, while also adding sandals and t-shirts from Bridges' own closet. CRACKED.COM — Screen Rant, CBC

5

Literary Inspiration

The Big Lebowski The film was inspired by Raymond Chandler. The overly-complex mystery, the meandering plot, and the episodic structure full of quirky characters were directly taken from Chandler's detective fiction. The Stranger, played by Sam Elliott, was based on Chandler's use of omniscient narrators. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

4

Killing Buscemi

The Big Lebowski This was the third time Steve Buscemi died in a Coen Brothers film. In fact, his deaths get increasingly destructive. In 1990's Miller's Crossing, he ends up as a corpse; in Fargo, we only see his disembodied leg; and here, he ends as wind-scattered ashes. CRACKED.COM — IMDb

3

Visual Trickery

CRACKED.COM The Big Lebowski Walter's undies were thrown towards the car. They couldn't get the briefcase to fly in a perfect arc, so they instead threw the briefcase towards a receding car, and then they reversed the footage. Now watch the scene again. — Screen Rant

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2

Bowling Lessons

The Big Lebowski The cast got bowling lessons. The gang was taught how to bowl like pros by an actual pro-bowler called Barry Asher, who also worked as the movie's bowling advisor and even made a cameo. Asher also taught them the mindset of a pro-bowler: not to get too in their heads, but instead just get up and throw the f-king ball. CRACKED.COM — CBC, Wikipedia

1

Library of Congress

CRACKED.COM The Big Lebowski The film is in the Library of Congress. In 2014, The Big Lebowski was selected for preservation through the Library of Congress's National Film Registry, ing Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Rosemary's Baby, and Saving Private Ryan. The Library praised the movie for its portrayal of alienation, inequality, and class structure. — Library of Congress

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