The Big Lebowski: Difference between revisions

 

This being a Coen Brothers movie, though, the plot isn't what's important. The driving force of the movie is the various bizarre characters, including:

* Donny ([[Steve Buscemi]]), Dude's other bowling buddy. Walter refuses to explain the plot to him.

* Maude Lebowski ([[Julianne Moore]]), daughter of the Big Lebowski, and stepdaughter of Bunny. An eccentric, post-feminist lady whose artwork is commended as strongly vaginal, which she believes inherently bothers men. Classic [[Femme Fatale]] and overly aware of it.

* Jesus Quintana (John Turturro), rival bowler and pederast. An extraordinarily loathsome man, who serves literally [[One-Scene Wonder|no plot purpose and shows up for only two scenes]], but is [[Rule of Funny|hilarious enough]] that he's one of the film's [[Ensemble Darkhorse|most memorable characters]] nonetheless. Don't fuck with him.

* The Stranger (Sam Elliott), an odd cowboy who [[Fauxlosophic Narration|narrates]] the film (if he isn't losing his train of thought), though [[Wrong Genre Savvy|unaware]] that it isn't a western.

{{tropelist}}

* [[Absurdly Ineffective Barricade]]: The Dude suffers multiple home invasions, and getting kinda sick of it, starts to nail a piece of wood to the floor and props a chair between it and the door. It is immediately revealed that the door opens ''outwards'' instead of inwards. And later in the film, [[Brick Joke|he trips over it.]]

* [[The Alleged Car]]: The Dude's Torino increasingly becomes this. It wasn't exactly a royal chariot to begin with, but over the course of the film it is stolen and trashed by a fifteen year old, used as a toilet, crashed by the Dude, beaten with a crowbar, and finally set on fire.

* [[All Germans Are Nazis]]: The Jewish Walter automatically assumes that the Germans are Nazis. When the Dude insists that they're nihilists, Walter notes that that would be worse, since "say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, at least it's an ''ethos''." In the end, he calls one of the Germans an antisemite, so he apparently hasn't given up on the idea.

'''Walter:''' Nihilists? Fuck ''me''. I mean, say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, at least it's an ''ethos''. }}

* [[Angry Black Man]]: The taxi driver who kicks the Dude out of his cab for hating [[The Eagles]]. "Fuck you, man! You don't like my fucking music, get your own fucking cab!"

* [[Anti-Hero]]: Dude and Walter.

* [[Ashes to Crashes]]: Walter misjudges the wind, and ends up pouring out the ashes of {{spoiler|Donny}} all over the Dude.

* [[Babies Ever After]]: "I happen to know that there's a Little Lebowski on the way." {{spoiler|Weirdly subverted, though, since Maude makes it clear that she wants nothing to do with the Dude after the child is born, and just wanted him to impregnate her so she wouldn't have to run into the father of her child everywhere she went}}. [[It Makes Just As Much Sense in Context]].

* [[Badass]]: Walter, {{spoiler|especially where he nails a nihilist in the chest with a bowling bag full of bowling balls, one-hit punches another with a sword, and bites another's ear off.}}

** Whenever Walter gets his dander up, he inevitably finds some way to link it back to some obviously unresolved issues with his tour in Vietnam. In fact, he finds an excuse to mention 'nam in just about any situation.

** The cab driver freaks out and bodily throws the Dude out of his cab just for insulting [[The Eagles]].

** To be fair, the stoner does actually solve the mystery, he's just a little too late to stop the.. Ah, ''human paraquat''.

* [[Briefcase Full of Money]]: {{spoiler|which turned out to not have money in it at all. Perhaps someone should have opened it.}} Walter replaces the real one with his undies.

* [[Corrupt Politician]]: "Jackie Treehorn draws a lot of water in this town. You don't draw shit, Lebowski."

* [[Cut and Paste Note]]: "The note arrived this morning."

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]:

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqFBjOMA5wY "It's uh, it's down there somewhere. Lemme take another look."]

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvnhNeHAafg&NR=1 "Obviously you're not a golfer."]

** Regarding the porn movie Bunny's been in:

'''Dude:''' He fixes the cable? }}

* [[The Determinator]]: Walter tends to take things too far...

* [[Dress Hits Floor]]: {{spoiler|And Maude gets loved}}.

* [[Drink Order]]: "Dude will have a White Russian." "Yeah. Got anymore of that good sarsaparilla?"

* [[El Spanish-O]]: You can call him "El Duderino", if you're not into the whole brevity thing.

* [[Erudite Stoner]]: The Dude. Has "the occasional acid flashback".

* [[Fan Service]]: Slow-motion bouncing topless women at a beach party, and [[Julianne Moore]] painting naked.

** [[Fan Disservice]]: The instance where Maude essentially flies in naked, strapped into a rather imposing harness, shrieking and howling and spattering paint. YMMV.

** Maude Lebowski. "Jeffrey. ''Love me.''"

** Also, Bunny, who offers the Dude a $1,000 blowjob when they first meet.

* [[Foot Focus]]: Bunny's feet are shown quite extensively in a few scenes, with emphasis on the nail polish, and so are the Dude's in the tub. {{spoiler|The former's a plot point - her toe is definitely not sawed off.}}

* [[Foreshadowing]]: "You guys are dead in the water." {{spoiler|Where do Walter and the Dude take Donny's ashes?}}

* [[Goodnight, Sweet Prince]]: "We now commit your mortal remains to the bosom of the Pacific Ocean. Good night, sweet prince."

* [[Gosh Dang It to Heck]]: Only in TV broadcasts. "Do you see what happens when you '''find''' a stranger in the '''Alps'''?"

* [[Groin Attack]]: "I said WE'LL CUT OFF YOUR CHONSON!"

"My only hope is that the Big Lebowski will kill me before the Germans cut my dick off..." }}

* [[Gulf War]]: "Now this here story I'm about to unfold took place back in the early '90s - just about the time of our conflict with Sad'm and the Eye-raqis." It doesn't factor into the setting much, except for Saddam showing up during a hallucination and Walter referencing it in one of his temper tantrums.

* [[Hair-Trigger Temper]]: Walter. "For your information, the Supreme Court has ''roundly rejected prior restraint!''" The taxi driver the Dude takes from his escapade to Treehorn's mansion also really doesn't like people badmouthing The Eagles.

* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: "Fuck it, Dude. Let's go bowling." The last of which was preceded by a manhug.

** Also, Lebowski and his family are based on General Sternwood's family from ''[[The Big Sleep (Literature)|The Big Sleep]]''.

* [[Humble Goal]]: "All The Dude wanted was his rug back."

** Maude expresses disapproval of people who have sex only for pleasure or personal gain, without love, and yet only sleeps with The Dude because she wants his seed.

** Jeffrey Lebowski goes off on a massive rant about how The Dude should get a job and make something of himself, and yet is only what he is because {{spoiler|he inherited his late wife's money}}

** The Dude is noticeably disturbed by the Nihilists' threat to castrate him, to the point of having a drug addled nightmare about it, and yet he non-chalantly threatens to do the same thing to Larry, a fifteen year old boy.

** The Nihilists constantly say that they believe in nothing, yet, at the end they complain that it's not fair that they didn't get any money.

* [[I Am Not Shazam|I Am Not The Big Lebowski]]: "''You're'' Mr. Lebowski. I'm The Dude. So that's what you call me."

** [[I Have Many Names]]: "Or, you know, Duder, or His Dudeness, or El Duderino, if you're not into the whole brevity thing."

** "She's not my special lady, she's my fucking lady friend!"

* [[I Resemble That Remark]]:

"What the fuck are you talking about?" }}

* [[I Take Offense to That Last One]]:

'''Walter:''' Fuck the ''Tournament''? }}

'''The Dude:''' Which one's ''Logjammin''? }}

* [[Jerkass]]: The Dude and Walter. However, the nihilists definitely fits.

** And to a lesser extent, everyone else. Jesus and millionaire Big Lebowski in particular.

* [[I Am Not Shazam]]: The title refers to the millionaire (Big) Lebowski, not the Dude, as some might believe.

* [[Incredibly Lame Pun]]: "They're Nihilists, Donny. There's nothing to be afraid of."

* [[Lame Comeback]]: ‎"Yeah, well, you know, that's just like... uh... your opinion man."

** When the guy insulting you is a pederast, you might as well shrug and say, "Eight year olds".

* [[Large Ham]]: Walter, and Jesus Quintana.

'''"THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS! WHEN YOU! FUCK! A STRANGER! IN THE ASS!"''' }}

* [[Law of Conservation of Detail]]: Subverted over and over, part of the movie's [[Deconstructive Parody]] of the [[Film Noir]] genre.

* [[Lazy Bum]]: The Dude, and referred to as such by The Big Lebowski and the Malibu chief of police.

* [[Lemony Narrator]]: "Way out west, there was this fella I wanna tell you about..." Variation in that he's not sarcastic, just completely clueless about the genre.

** {{spoiler|He sheds a few real ones when Walter tosses him to the floor.}}

* [[The Millstone]]: By involving himself in the Dude's "case", Walter probably causes more trouble than he solves.

* [[Mock Guffin]]: "It's my dirty undies. Laundry, the ''whites''."

* [[Mushroom Samba]]: Thrice. "The man in me will do / Nearly any task..."

** "I got up so tight/I couldn't unwind/I saw so much/I broke my mind..."

* [[New Age Retro Hippie]]: Asked what he does with his time, the Dude says "Drive around. Bowl. Enjoy the occasional acid flashback."

** "Smokey's a pacifist!"

* [[Nietzsche Wannabe]]: The nihilists. "Ve beliefe in NUSTHING!!!"

** "Ahh, that must be exhausting."

** And then they get chewed out for not being real nihilists at the end:

"''Fair''?! Who's the fucking ''nihilists'' around here, you bunch of fucking crybabies?!" }}

* [[No Celebrities Were Harmed]]: Walter was partially based on the director and screenwriter, [[wikipedia:John Milius|John Milius]].

* [[No Except Yes]]: The Dude, when trying to explain his relationship with Maude to a private detective.

* [[Obfuscating Disability]]: "I've seen a lot of spinals, Dude. And this guy fuckin' walks." {{spoiler|Subverted a moment later}}

* [[Oh, Hi There.]]: The DVD introduction includes a thoroughly bizarre parody of film preservation societies, apropos of nothing. And yet, it's completely in keeping with the film.

* [[Ominous Latin Chanting]]: During the "What makes a man" scene, the Lacrymosa from Mozart's ''Requiem'' is playing.

* [[One Steve Limit]]: Averted: "The ''other'' Jeffrey Lebowski! The millionaire!"

** [[Captain Obvious]]: Donny, whenever he comes in late to the conversation.

"Thank you, Donny." }}

* [[Only Sane Man]]: Massive subversion with Walter, who proves to be the only '''insane''' man: "Has the whole [[World Gone Mad|world gone CRAZY]]?! Am I the only one around here who gives a shit about the rules?" Right before pulling out a Colt on a bowler who simply rule-argued with him.

** Donny is usually told to shut up by Walter and the Dude.

** Toward the end, the Dude finally gets to say what everyone else has said to him at some point:

* [[Pizza Boy Special Delivery]]: Watching ''Logjammin'''

'''Dude:''' He fixes the cable? }}

* [[Police Brutality]]: The Malibu Sheriff, who throws his mug at The Dude and begins kicking the shit out of him.

* [[Realistic Diction Is Unrealistic]]: Averted.

'''Lebowski:''' What in God's holy name are you blathering about? }}

** It was like that in the script - everything but "you human paraquat" was scripted.

** Plays up the contrast between the "regular people" and the "film characters," as a side note. Characters who are obviously played as characters don't stutter, and engage in dialog - Maude, in particular, speaks like she's just stepped out of an old movie. Characters played as regular people thrust into a movie plot - like the Dude - have conversations, with all the attendant "ums" and misunderstandings.

* [[Really Gets Around]]: Bunny.

* [[Real Men Wear Pink]]: Real dudes drink White Russians.

* [[Red Herring]]: {{spoiler|Da Fino, the guy following The Dude around in the VW, turns out to have nothing to do with the conspiracy - he's actually following it around.}}

* [[Script Fic]]: ''[[Two Gentlemen of Lebowski]]'', written in the style of Shakespeare.

* [[Serious Business]]: Bowling, to everyone involved. ''Especially'' Walter. In fact, the image where Walter points a pistol at Smokey for toeing over the line yet still demanding his pin to count is ''the'' [[Trope Image|poster image]] for this trope.

** '''MARK IT ZERO!!!'''

*** Walt, Donnie and The Dude play in a league so hardcore, sticking a pistol in an opponent's face over a rules violation not only won't get you disqualified, but the foul will be upheld.

* {{spoiler|[[Shaggy Dog Story]]}}

* [[Shrine to Self]]: The eponymous "Big" Lebowski has one. The Dude is given a guided tour.

* [[Skewed Priorities]]: When Lebowski's limo driver is forcefully pulling The Dude to Lebowski's limo (after the drop-off), Dude warns the guy, "Careful, man! There's a beverage there!"

* [[The Slacker]]: Take a guess.

* [[Slipping a Mickey]]: Jackie Treehorn does this to the Dude.

* [[Smith Will Suffice]]:

'''Jesus:''' You said it, man. Nobody fucks with the Jesus. }}

* [[Soundtrack Dissonance]]: In the "family restaurant", during the Dude and Walter's profanity-laced dialogue about kidnapping and toes cut off, Debbie Reynolds' cutesy song, "Tammy" plays in the background.

*** You realize, of course, that the Creedence was playing immediately after the Dude had had a [[Ass Shove|prostate exam]]...

* [[Spirit Advisor]]: The Dude questions the Stranger about this:

"Far from it, Dude." }}

** Also counts as a [[Stealth Pun]].

* [[Spit Take]]:

'''Dude''': ''(coughing)'' ''In''creases?! }}

* [[Stoner Flick]]: There is some debate over whether the film is funnier when you're stoned or not.

* [[Stupid Crooks]]: The story begins with two thugs breaking into The Dude's house and pissing on his rug after they manage to mistake him for a multi-millionaire - they don't even leave until they finally notice the Dude's living in a crappy house for a millionaire. Later, we get what is possibly the opposite of a lampshading when they finally get things sorted out and are summoned to collect the 'deadbeat' Lebowski:

* [[Tech Marches On]]: Nowadays, bowling alleys have automated scoring, and fouls would register automatically, so Walter's tirade wouldn't have happened if they were in place.

* [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill]]: MARK IT ZERO!

** Walter does it again when {{spoiler|the Nihilists show up in person to rob them. He crushes one Nihilist's lung and bites off the ear of another.}}

* [[Third Person Person]]: The Dude slips into this

** Jesus does this as well.

* [[This Is for Emphasis, Bitch]]:

* [[Those Two Guys]]: "You're not dealin' with morons here." Yes, we are.

* [[Title Drop]]: Towards the end, The Dude refers to the other man as "The Big Lebowski"

* [[Trademark Favorite Drink]]: For The Dude, a White Russian.

* [[Tranquil Fury]]: After spending most of the movie [[Hair-Trigger Temper|exploding in bombastic rage at any slight real or imagined]], it's when the nihilists demand the money that the Dude, Walter and Donny have on them in lieu of the ransom that Walter gets quietly, chillingly ''livid''. This precedes his [[Let's Get Dangerous]] moment.

* [[Trash Talk]]: The Jesus.

[[Lame Comeback|"Yeah, well, you know, that's just like... uh... your opinion man."]] }}

* [[Trophy Room]]: The wall where the titular Big Lebowski displays awards won both by himself and by his "Little Lebowski Urban Achievers".

** When the Dude confronts Da Fino, the ''actual'' [[Private Detective]], things look they're going to get physical for a moment. And by 'physical', this means they don't actually make contact with each other but sort of flinch.

* [[With Friends Like These...]]: The Dude and Walter have a deep friendship, but it's sometimes hard to tell with all that bickering. Even dropped by The Dude at one point.

* [[Wrong Genre Savvy]]: The Dude thinks all the various threads he uncovers must figure into the big mystery at the center of the plot. {{spoiler|[[Random Events Plot|They don't.]]}}

** The narrator thinks the film is a Western. [[Captain Obvious|It isn't.]]

[[Category:The Big Lebowski]]

[[Category:Film]]