Great Characters: Jeffrey Lebowski — The Dude (“The Big Lebowski”)

In the 1998 movie The Big Lebowski (written and directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen), the Protagonist character is Jeff Lebowski aka “The Dude.” Here is how he is introduced in the script:

INTERIOR RALPH'SIt is late, the supermarket all but deserted. We are tracking
in on a fortyish man in Bermuda shorts and sunglasses at the
dairy case. He is the Dude. His rumpled look and relaxed
manner suggest a man in whom casualness runs deep.

“A man in whom casualness runs deep,” witness a shot from the scene below:

Yep, that’s the Dude. From Wikipedia about Lebowski:

Jeff Bridges as Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski, a single, unemployed slacker living in Venice, California, who enjoys marijuana, White Russians, and bowling. He has a very laid-back approach to life and seems unconcerned with money. Bridges had heard or was told by the Coen brothers that they had written a screenplay for him. The Dude is mostly inspired by Jeff Dowd, a member of the anti-war radical group the Seattle Liberation Front (The Dude asks Maude Lebowski during the film if she has ever heard of the Seattle Seven, who were members of the SLF), and a friend of the Coen brothers, Pete Exline, a Vietnam War veteran, who actually found a twelve-year old’s homework in his stolen car.

Interestingly the movie didn’t do well when it was first released, grossing only $17M. But it has gone on to achieve cult favorite status. It has its own Facebook page, its own Lebowski fests, and perhaps most notably, its own drinking game.

What is it about the Dude that makes him such a memorable character? Primarily, I think, it’s his world view as exhibited through action and dialogue. Of the latter, here are a few choice lines:

* Look, let me explain something to you. I’m not Mr. Lebowski. You’re Mr. Lebowski. I’m the Dude. So that’s what you call me. That or His Dudeness… Duder… or El Duderino, if, you know, you’re not into the whole brevity thing.

* Well, sir, it’s this rug I have. It really tied the room together.

* This is a very complicated case, Maude. You know, a lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous. And, uh, lotta strands to keep in my head, man. Lotta strands in old Duder’s head. Luckily I’m adhering to a pretty strict, uh, drug regimen to keep my mind limber.

* I bowl, drive around, the occasional acid flashback.

* The Dude abides.

* Careful, man, there’s a beverage here!

* This is a bummer man! It’s uh…it’s a bummer.

* Obviously, you’re not a golfer.

* Yeah, well, you know, that’s just like, uh, your opinion, man.

* Walter, this isn’t a guy who built the railroads here, he peed on my rug!

* Mr. Treehorn treats objects like women, man!

* Can you turn the radio off? I’ve had a rough night and I fucking hate The Eagles, man.

And just for the record, here is every single time someone in The Big Lebowski says the word “dude.”

One takeaway: Colorful Protagonists rule. And so the Dude abides.

Why do you think Lebowski is a great character? What moments in the movie are the ones you remember most?

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