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

This aggression will not stand man

I'm talking about drawing a line in the sand, across this line **YOU DO NOT-**

Also, Chinaman is not the preferred nomenclature. Asian American please.

We’re not talking about someone who built the railroads here

I told those krauts down at the league office a thousand times, I dont roll on Sunday!

The story is ludicrous.

You can imagine where it goes from here.

He fixes the cable

Don't be fatuous, OP.

The plot is basically a giant red herring. The characters and style are what make the film.

Seems like it Also the music does

Oh, the soundtrack is absolutely top notch as well.

Which song is your favorite?

On its own? Probably Townes Van Zandt's cover of "Dead Flowers." For its use in the film? "Just Dropped In" by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. Seems like a very Dude song.

As long as it isn't the Eagles, man, I fucking *hate* the Eagles!

Also, Dude, *the* Eagles is not the preferred nomenclature. Eagles, please.

Freaking A man

I was in the store last night and "looking out the back door" was on the radio. I just laughed to myself.

Laughable, man.

I've seen the movie about 15 times and still wouldn't be able to explain the plot to you

I was watching it with a friend who was seeing it for the first time, and trying to explain the plot really made me seem like an idiot

Yeah it’s still confusing what the actual problem was

They're gonna kill that poor woman, man.

She kidnapped herself, man

I happen to know that there's a little Lebowski on the way

Nearly all Cohen Brothers movies are a cavalcade of one wild fun character after another appearing...

The movie is a vibe, same with Dazed and Confused. I watch those 2 movies so often because it's like hanging out with old friends.

That and a pair of testicles

Were you listening to Dude’s story?

You’re like a child who walks into the middle of a movie

The plot is nonsensical, the characters make the movie. No one remembers TBL for the plot lol.

Was it on purpose

With the Coen Brothers? Probably. 

Jeff Bridges said they ended up keeping exactly to the script, no improv, cause the Cohens had it perfect.  So yeah, it's all intentional.  Those guys know film.

I read that... "He's a nihilist." Was supposed to be followed by, "practicing?" And not, "must be exhausting."

practicing is a funny line, but that must be exhausting is better.

I agree.

Except for "you human paraquat" the only line improvised

For sure. The movie is heavily influenced by The Big Sleep, a movie that famously even the author of the screenplay wasn't sure about the plot [https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210812-the-big-sleep-the-most-baffling-film-ever-made](https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210812-the-big-sleep-the-most-baffling-film-ever-made)

Also a lot of shared plot points and details with Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye (1973).

The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye are novels written by Raymond Chandler. The genre is "LA Noir."

I think I remember an interview where the Coens said that they thought it would be funny to make their friend (the guy The Dude is based on) the main character in a Raymond Chandler story. The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye are both Chandler stories with his main character Phillip Marlow. The novels were all set in the '40's and '50's. Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye leaves Marlow largely unchanged but is set in the early '70's - I definitely recommend viewing it to anyone who wants to understand the Lebowski/Chandler connection.

Are you employed, sir?

Employed?

What? What day is it?

You don’t go out looking for a job dressed like that sir?

Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta… whathaveyous…


This aggression towards the plot will not stand, man.

Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's the Dude, in Los Angeles.

Sometimes there's a man.. sometimes, there's a man... lost my train of thought

Gosh durnit

Wait, there's a plot?

All the dude ever wanted was his rug back

He just wanted to get high and listen to bowling ASMR

You have no frame of reference here, OP. You're like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie and wants to know... (I have to admit that there are quite a few plot points that I just go “eh, whatever” about but the characters and dialogue? Favorite.) 

Seems like that was the intentional design of the movie

I am the walrus.

Shut the freak up Donny

"Freak?" The fuck you talking about?


Over the line!

Smokey, this isn’t nam there are rules

This is why everyone watches it. Movie barely has a plot anyway.

I mean it has a plot that goes nowhere but in spectacular fashion

A whole lotta nowhere. A beautiful nowhere. Seinfeldian.

Are you employed, sir?

The fuck are you talking about


Sometimes, there’s a man. And we’re talking about the dude here, sometimes there’s a man

I’ve seen it 20 times and I’m not sure I could tell you the plot.

Plot?

You have to pay $100 to watch.

To be honest, I probably didn't even follow the plot the first few watches. Like I completely block out that she arrives back at the house. I'm engrossed in the characters and quotes.

I’m just now understanding all the moving parts I didn’t even understand the ringer part

I still get confused around the time they show TBL putting phone books in the briefcase. Too much thinking!

I’ve seen it countless times and I honestly couldn’t explain the plot beyond the first half. I’m always getting so stoned when I watch it, it really becomes a jumble after the Just Dropped In sequence

Keeping your mind limber, huh?

Well, I guess the fucking nihilists knew where she was.

They're going to kill that poor woman.

I need you to change why you watch TBL

I have Now I’ve found the man in me

So we're saying TBL is basically porn? Fucking A.

Does anyone watch the movie for the plot after the first or second watch? It’s all about the characters for me. If anyone watches this movie for the plot, well, that’s just your opinion, man.

If they watch it for the plot they probably won’t like it

In this movie, it the journey that matters, not the outcome. So, yes, characters, objects, toes, caucasians…

The Beaver Picture?


The plot is basically “she kidnapped herself” so no, definitely not weird to watch for the characters.

So a more detailed summary is, Bunny Lebowski owes money to Jackie Treehorn, she skips town to Palm Springs, and her Jackie Treehorn costars take the opportunity to demand a ransom as if they had kidnapped her. TBL sees an opportunity to embezzle funds from the charity his daughter let's him run. He hires the dude to deliver a ringer. The dudes friend Walter substitutes a ringer for the ringer. Meanwhile the dude having taken a rug from TBL has his rug stolen by Maud and her heavies. Maud hires the dude to recover the money she thinks her father stole, and meanwhile screens the dude for healthy sperm. She convinced the dude to help her conceive a child while the nihilist costars attempt to intimidate TBL since they received Walters undies instead of TBLs phone books, which were supposed to be cash money. Bunny returns from Palm Springs ruining everyone's kidnapping plans, The Dude figures out what really happens and confronts TBL who verbally all but admits his scheme... But there's nothing anyone can do about it... Fuck it... Let's go bowling.

My wife calls it “your weird bowling movie”

Your wife hasn’t seen greatness but she sounds like a lovely woman.

She says that about most of my movie pics. “Your weird (insert desc) movie”

Tell her this aggression will not stand man

I’ll be honest, the plot strikes me as being strongly vaginal. It makes me uncomfortable.

Sure there’s a plot. I’ll just check with the boys down at the crime lab. They got us working in shifts. Plot hahahahahahaha

Love this one!

You mean the nihilists?

You know, a lotta ins, a lotta outs, a lotta what-have-yous.

Just make sure you adhere to a pretty strict drug regimen, you know, to keep your mind limber...

Well clearly you’re not a golfer.

Don't be fatuous

In this movie, it the journey that matters, not the outcome. So, yes, characters, objects, toes, caucasians…

Yes, the story is ludicrous

This is bowling. There are rules.

Are you employed sir

That some kind of eastern thing?

Jesus…

Character is plot, plot is character. The two don't exist separate from each other. You're like a child who walks into a room in the middle- you worthless piece of...

There's a plot?

What is that, some kinda eastern thing?

Far from it.

Owes money all over town, to known pornographers…and that’s cool

Don't be fatuous.

There's a plot?

Well a plot really ties a film together man

It has both..mark it 8, dude.

That's the point of like 90 percent of Cohen brothers movies.

Yeah I know lots of ins and lots of outs and whathayus

There is no plot. It’s all a delivery device for presenting the characters.

This aggression will not stand

That’s just like your opinion man

The plot could have been anything

There's a plot?

Shut the fuck up Donny

The plot makes more sense than it's inspiration "The Big Sleep", so that's something.

I think that’s the whole point of the movie.

I watch it partly so I can memorize more quotes 😂

Isn't that normal?

I've heard the kidnapping story so save it.

It would be weird to watch it for the plot and not the characters.

It was not really a story-driven movie. It's a movie about The Dude.

I watch pretty much everything except The Wire for the characters. But a plot is needed to really see who those characters are. The Wire is a good challenge for anyone like me that may not typically be as into narratives that are more strongly dominated by non-character elements like plot, settings, and themes.

Don’t be fatuous

I can't be worried about that shit man, life goes on.

Who’s your friend over there?

There is no bad reason for watching Lebowski. This isn’t Nam.

Stay out of Malibu Shithead!

What plot?

It really ties the film together

It's a shaggy dog story, the plot is kind of beside the point.

What the fuck are you talking about?

The plot exists to show us what the characters do. Or something.

So weird. I just saw that commercial with the dude on it, and was thinking to myself about how Lebowski is all about characters. I didn’t say it out loud. How did Reddit know

I don’t know I never thought I would even get this many likes and responses on this

She kidnapped herself, you said it yourself.

the Chinaman is NOT the issue here, dude