I May not be Into the whole Brevity Thing, But at Least I'm Housebroken

All the cinematography, snappy lines, and Hollywood glamour in the world would not amount to the value of a single engaging character- something the Cohen Brothers’ 1998 comedy “The Big Lebowski” has in abundance. Fans of the film annually converge in bowling alleys across America for what is known in the world of cult films as the “Lebowski Fest.” You know your movie has made waves when people are willing to dress up as marmots in its honor.
The hero of this saga is a man named Jeff Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) who prefers to be identified by his moniker, “The Dude.” He lives up to his title by spending his days guzzling white Russians and bowling. He is the kind of person who will write a check for 72 cents rather than go through the trouble of counting out change. His best friend is a guy named Walter (John Goodman) who is a Vietnam Vet with anger issues and a deep regard for the rules- especially when it comes to bowling.
This not-so-dynamic duo suddenly finds their laid-back lifestyles disrupted when the Dude’s rug is urinated upon by an aggressor who later discovers that he had soiled the wrong carpet. And so begins the bizarre and complex story of a ransom gone wrong involving a millionaire, his trophy wife, a severed toe, Nihilists, and lots of Kahlua and half and half.
It is the kind of story that could have been a lot of things from innovative to inane but finds its self in both extremes. Here is a film that places its elaborate plot in the bowling gloved hands of an oddball cast of characters. They are so out of their element that what could have been a sophisticated con film turns into a turbulent character piece about a guy who just wants to lay on his floor and listen to Creedence Clearwater Revival and manages to save the day in the process.
It is hard to explain why “The Big Lebowski” is more than just a screwball comedy about slackers who turn out to be unlikely heroes because it really isn’t any more than that. What makes it so funny is that even though they are over the top, the characters are still the type of people you’d expect to see hanging around the bowling alley or working for a handicapped millionaire, or in your bathroom late at night with an “amphibious rodent.”
Everyone knows someone like The Dude, who rarely takes off his bathrobe or cuts his hair. Who doesn’t aspire to do or care about anything. And we can laugh because he is the last person we would expect to see in the middle of a high-pressure million dollar fraud deal.
But sometimes there’s a man who is forced into a tricky situation and all he can do is hope for the best. Sometimes there’s a man. Sometimes there’s just a man.