How to Watch The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski is a cult classic and one of the best stoner movies of all time. It's a crime-sex-drugs-kidnap-bowling-nihilism mystery that is so well done it's impossible to fault.

It's the Coen brothers' finest film and an example of how they've mastered the art of blending high and low culture in a manner that's as complex as it is entertaining. A re-watch of this gem is always worthwhile and will reveal more hidden foreshadowing and character plot points than you could have learned the first time around.

1. Set it up.

The Coen Brothers' 1998 neo-noir buddy comedy The Big Lebowski is an essential part of the American cult experience. Every year, legions of fans descend upon the film's yearly festival in the name of their cult hero, "the Dude."

If you're not familiar with The Big Lebowski, it's a classic Coen Brothers neo-noir buddy comedy about an unemployed slacker (Jeff Bridges) who gets embroiled in a kidnapping and extortion scheme. It's a hilarious, if occasionally meandering, movie that's an homage to Raymond Chandler, whose notoriously confusing The Big Sleep is often seen as the model for Lebowski's plotting.

Like any good Chandler fan, a big part of what makes The Big Lebowski so great is its wit and dialogue. In a way, this is the movie's most important characteristic.

It's a very clever film, with many memorable one-liners that you'll remember long after the film is over. But it's also a lot of fun to watch, with some interesting visual gags and plenty of characters that you'll want to explore more.

When you watch the big lebowski, you'll notice that almost every scene involves a conflict. The nihilists, the thugs, Walter and the Dude all have different philosophies on life, so you'll never see two scenes that are completely the same. This is a really cool thing about the Coens' writing because it creates a lot of conflict and makes the story really interesting!

During one of the more slow scenes in the film, the Dude's landlord walks up to his doorstep and asks him if he wants a new rug. It's a good omen, because you'll notice that after each slow scene something YANKS The Dude back into the story.

Aside from the thugs and nihilists, you'll also notice that The Big Lebowski has a lot of other characters who are in and out of the movie. These characters are usually pretty funny and can add a lot to the story.

These characters can be a bit over-the-top at times, but they make up for that with some of the movie's best humor. They are also all very different, so it's really fun to watch them interact with each other and the rest of the cast.

2. Turn it on.

The Big Lebowski has become a cult classic and one of the most popular movies ever. With its perfect cast and witty dialogue, it has made a lasting impact on culture. This is the movie to watch if you want a sarcastic good time.

The Coen Brothers' masterpiece is a great way to spend an afternoon, especially if you love bowling. It's also a perfect movie to watch with your friends. You'll laugh until your sides hurt, but you'll also learn a lot about life.

Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) is a stoner-pacifist who loves to bowl. He's also a big fan of Creedence Clearwater Revival and Metallica. He's also a bit of a loner. He doesn't really care about money and he doesn't seem to worry much about the future.

In the film, he's mistaken for a millionaire who has been looking for money for his trophy wife. The Dude tries to get his hands on some ransom money, but he gets dragged into a mess that involves rival factions, nihilists, police, and porn directors.

He also meets the daughter of the fictitious millionaire, Maude Lebowski (Julianne Moore), who is the real owner of the money. She wants to recover it because she and not the supposedly self-sufficient Big Lebowski actually inherited her mother's wealth.

While the plot seems a little over the top at first, it turns out to be quite cleverly designed. Not only does it take a simple concept (missing money) and mash it up with other elements from the Western genre, but the plot is also surprisingly complex and deeply ironic.

The big Lebowski is about a man who wants to replace his rug but gets in over his head when he's mistaken for a wealthy man who has been looking for money. It's a great example of the Coen Brothers' ability to take a simple plot and turn it into something far more complex.

3. Turn it off.

There are few cult movies more revered to movie buffs than The Big Lebowski. Despite being a flop at the box office (it was released in 1998 and didn't hit theaters until 2003), it has since been hailed as one of the Coen Brothers’ most entertaining and underrated works of art. The film's star-studded cast is a who's who in the world of booze and brawls, including Jeff Bridges, Jack Black and John Turturro. It's easy to see why The Big Lebowski is on so many best of lists, from our own Best of the Web roundup to this year's Oscar nods.

The best way to experience this swashbuckling saga is to ring the bell at your local cinema, but for the real thrill of the night, it's time to put down that red wine and grab a cab to your local bowling alley. It's a fun and frolicsome way to kick off your day. You won't regret it.

4. Watch it.

If you haven't watched it, you're missing out on one of the most wildly entertaining movies of the past decade. It's an unashamedly silly movie, but the Coen Brothers have mastered their own subgenre of screwball comedy mystery. It's an off-balance, likably off-center affair that's a pleasure to watch for its wickedly funny eccentric characters and towering performances from Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.

The plot of The Big Lebowski centers on the mistaken identity of Jeffrey 'The Dude' Lebowski (Bridges) as a wheelchair-bound millionaire who, while trying to live a laid-back life that includes bowling and drinking White Russians, gets caught up in a strange series of events that involve nihilists, adult film producers, ferrets, errant toes and large sums of money. As The Dude tries to unravel the puzzle, he's drawn into an adventure that is, by its very nature, pointless.

In the film's opening scene, a tumbleweed falls through the frame to the slow tempo of Sons of the Pioneers, evoking a sense of slow motion that hints at Lebowski's woebegone progress. It's a clever metaphor for the Coens' own idiosyncratic take on America in the early nineties, a time when conservatives stomped their feet and blamed the decline of the nation's economy on "the bums," as they proclaimed, seeking handouts.

While the Coens' movies have always taken their cues from the hard-boiled detective fiction of Raymond Chandler, The Big Lebowski takes a particular angle on that genre. It borrows only a few minor plot points, and playfully mutates the sweaty, hard-boiled tone of the novel into something like a stoner comedy.

But it's not just that the film is a brilliant spin on Raymond Chandler's stories; it's that it's an excellent and thoroughly entertaining hard-boiled detective story of its own. Unlike most hard-boiled crime stories, The Big Lebowski doesn't rely on its protagonist to find the answers, and it doesn't focus too much on his motivations.

The Coens are known for their wry, off-beat style and for reimagining classic noirs into their own brand of dark, offbeat, and bizarre Americana. Their obsession with the details of American history is also a driving force behind their movies, and it's the kind of attention to detail that keeps us engaged.