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

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

In 1998, the Coen brothers gave us The Big Lebowski, a movie about the small Lebowski, you know, the Dude, his Dudeness, Duder, or El Duderino, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing. The Big Lebowski quickly became a cult-favorite, and for good reason. For example, here’s just one reason why we love it: it’s a stoner comedy with weird episodic humor -- that includes references to nihilism. Like, it makes fun of nihilists, which is the exact sort of thing Lebowski-following Zen-dudes and actual nihilists would love. Nihilism is 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, directors, and even writing process, and we also deal with its legacy. Although, not that much. Yeah, 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.

Maude Lebowski's "accent"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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