You call me the Dude, or his Dudeness, or El Duderino

Rating: 7/10 (10 December 2018)

The story of the Dude (Jeff Bridges) is a strange one indeed. Content to spend his days drinking white Russians and bowling with his buddies Walter (John Goodman) and Donny (Steve Buscemi), the Dude is the alpha bum and ultimate passivist. A case of mistaken identity is what forces the Dude to react (first to get reparations for his soiled rug and secondly to assist in the recovery of Bunny Lebowski) and a torrid tale of plot twists ensues. The Coen brothers are master story tellers that love to tell dark tales that focus on the internal truths of human nature. They do not give us heroes, but instead present us with realistic characters that possess questionable morals as seen in some of their other films like No Country for Old Men, Fargo and more recently The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. The Big Lebowski is no exception as every character introduced possesses some form of character flaw. Ultimately what the Coen brothers are trying to show us (Theme) is that nobody is perfect and that even a bum like the Dude can own the moral high ground over those of higher stature.
The Dudes first interaction with one of these characters of higher stature occurs when he is mistaken for the other Jeffery Lebowski (David Huddleston) as one of the thugs urinates on his rug. The Dude visits Jeffery "Big Lebowski" Lebowski at his mansion to ask him to rectify the situation by paying for the soiled rug. Even though Mr. Lebowski is clearly at fault and morally obligated to make restitutions, he proceeds to deny any responsibility for the wrongful actions taken against the Dude. This theme continues when the Dude meets Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazzara), who is the one responsible for the earlier assault. At first Jackie comes off as a reasonable man, offering to pay the Dude a finder's fee for recovering the money he is owed. We quickly find that this was just a set-up, as the Dude slowly drifts off to sleep from the drugs Jackie has mixed into his drink. On a lesser note, though Maude Lebowski's (Julianne Moore) character comes across as cold she appears to me morally sound, however she tricks the Dude into impregnating her as she does not want a father that is going to "stay in the picture". All of these characters are elevated members of society yet lack the same morality as the lowly Dude.
Throughout the film, the Dudes character is challenged mostly by his friend Walter, who continues to try and manipulate the Dude's decisions. While making the drop off of the ransom money, Walter manages to botch the entire operation by throwing a "dummy" bag, and jumping out of the moving car (while driving) which subsequently wrecks into a tree while the dude is inside. However, the Dude maintains his laissez-faire attitude (except with Walter) and remains static all through the film. The reoccurring theme or motif of bowling and white Russians further solidifies the Dudes character as a devil may care "hippie" that is very much lost in time. His mind is never truly in the moment at hand, subconsciously thinking about bowling as evident in the two beautifully constructed dream sequences. The soundtrack for the film is the who's who of 60s era music, including the Dudes favorite Creedence Clearwater Revival. Deemed by many as a cult masterpiece, The Big Lebowski shows that even the humblest vagrant can be righteous if their moral compass is true.