Saturday, November 26, 2016
Please post your response to The Big Lebowski here. Your response
should be no less than 200 words and should try to address the way the
film explores various philosophies through the lens of pop culture.
Somethings you could also respond to are the elements of genre employed
throughout the film and choices of style.
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I had never seen The Big Lebowski prior to this and was surprised at the commentary behind the crude language and seemingly stupid antics. The movie takes a look at different philosophies behind the lifestyles of an artist, a greedy capitalist, a trophy wife, a slacker, and more. The Germans are supposedly nihilists, but we see a form of nihilsm through the Dude. The Dude has a relaxed approach to life. He doesn’t seem to truly care about much. He has no real ambitions but he is happy nevertheless. However, we can see greed and materialism through the Big Lebowski and Bunny. Bunny is described to never be content with the “allowance” she’s given, and the Big Lebowski hides the fact that he is losing money by using money meant for charity. Maude presents a more feminist philosophy of independence through her art and her desire for children without a husband. In order to touch on all these aspects, The Big Lebowski appeals to pop culture. By using film as a medium, the work reaches a much wider audience. It exemplifies genres such as comedy and crime mystery, attracting people to watch it by promising an engaging and funny experience. While the slightly vulgar language choice isn’t necessarily relatable to everyone, it is approachable and helps the film to discuss it’s topic in an interesting way. Using the lens of pop culture to present this film allows the filmmakers to make a statement about how having a relaxed and nonmaterialistic philosophy will ultimately make someone happier.
ReplyDeleteThe theme I saw throughout the film “The Big Lebowski” was the divide between high and lower classes. Throughout the film, Jeffrey Lebowski is shown smoking pot, and constantly day drinking. He is depicted as a loser, someone who is going nowhere in life, yet he seems to be the happiest and most content character with his life. Every other character is driven by greed, or power, apart from Maude Lebowski, who seems content with her fortunate lifestyle, though she still seeks companionship. I felt that this movie somewhat contrasted with pop culture, where drinking and smoking are depicted as the lavish lifestyle of famous singers, actors, and rappers. The style of the film was comedic, like most movies featuring John Goodman and Steve Buscemi, with dramatics that would not usually happen in real life. The audience consists of young and middle aged adults, who would find the stupidity hilarious. There were many plot twists, and the way that The Dude would handle everything that came at him was hilarious, but also refreshing. He kept getting himself into terrible situations, and somehow continued to keep a good attitude. That philosophy, the kind of life style he lived, is contradicted in the film. It’s refreshing to see someone completely content with having close to nothing.
ReplyDeleteI’d never seen the Big Lebowski completely until this past weekend and I had never seemed interested enough to watch it in its entirety. The film explores its multiple philosophies through its many different characters. I think each character represented a different philosophy in the film. Walter’s character annoyed me every time he opened his mouth but his outburst and rage was caused by his posttraumatic stress from “Nam,” as he likes to refer to it. Maude represents feminism and a kind of sticking it to the man, the man being her father. Her feminism ideals are represented through her conceiving a child with the Dude because she really wants to raise a child and do it on her own. The Dude is living a minimal lifestyle but makes sure that he has a constantly supply of marijuana and enough cream for his White Russian, emphasizing this when the opening of the movie is the Dude going to the supermarket just to buy his cream. The Dude is also very passive and they even mention some things about his past that show some insight on how the Dude has become The Dude. They mention him attending college but not remembering much because he spent his time doing drugs and then also being part of Seattle Seven, which is a anti-war group. This may also relate to the fact that he is always annoyed with Walters Nam rants and his tactics for trying to get information out of Larry and how he conducts the drop off of the briefcase. I think trying to represent these multiple philosophies through the movie genre is the best mode to do so. Presenting these ideas through a film allows multiple different viewpoints to be present without there too much time being taken and the film genres allows multiple people to view and interpret these concepts at the same time and through a wider audience.
ReplyDeleteThe Big Lebowski demonstrated the lifestyles and philosophies from the perspective of the personalities of many different types of characters. For example, the The Dude is an influence that is neither positive nor negative. He forms to those who are around him. The film exemplifies his philosophies of life - not caring too much about anything to not get attached - through the death of Donny, his minimal list of friends, and his subpar life. With every negative event that occurred in The Dude’s life, he just took it and moved on. While most people would react to their car being beat up, stolen, or set on fire, he just continued on with his day as if he expected this to happen. The Big Lebowski pertains to pop culture by containing a variety of different appeals to pop culture. For example, the film contains mystery, action, the smallest portion of romance, all while containing realistic life values. The Dude’s friend Walter is a hard-ass who serves as a tough hand giving out now help. He represents society today with getting no un-deserved help. Throughout the film Walter stuck up for himself and fought to make it day-to-day.
ReplyDeleteIn watching The Big Lebowski, I found it to be a very enjoyable film. Comedy being one of my favorite genres, this goofy film with its whimsical dialogue was very easy for me to follow and stay engaged with throughout the film. This being a Coen brothers film, it is expected that it would have a bizarre edge to its characters and quirky plot. The Dude having an unhealthy affection for a rug, marijuana, and White Russians show that he has very few needs to find happiness in his life, as the small things in life, peculiar as they may be, satisfy his needs. This ‘stoner’ main character was a very interesting spin for the time that the movie was released because in 1998, when it made it to the big screen, the war on marijuana was still on in America. In 1998, there was no talk of legalizing medical and recreational use was blasphemy. Compared to today, where medical marijuana use just became legalized in our home state of Florida, and recreational use legalized in the Dudes home state of California. The contrast of how the culture in the country can change just over the course of a couple decades was an interesting take away from this movie keeping the topic of today’s culture in my mind.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of this movie until this past week and on the surface the movie is very entertaining as it contains a lot of elements found in comedy movies. However, when the movie is looked at much more closely the film becomes entertaining on a much more philosophical level. Each character in the film represent a different philosophy of life and this is most clearly shown through The Dude. The Dude lives his life without a care in the world and does not let life ruin his happiness even though he is, in a much more real sense, a loser. Even being put in a ridiculous situation and faced with incredible odds his response is very refreshing and unexpected. On the opposite side of the spectrum and ironically his best friend Walter is a violent, very loud, and very aggressive man who will at a chance resort to violence. Walter is shown to be traumatized from being part of the Vietnam war which annoys the dude a person who does not like conflict and lives happily. Even with this they are still friends which seems to show that these two ways of life can come to some sort of harmony. Most other characters that value different things in life and live their lives based on what they value. The Big Lebowski values achievement while Maude values feminism and so on. Over all the movie was very very enjoyable and a good watch!
ReplyDeleteBefore this assignment, I had really not heard much about “The Big Lebowski” movie, and after watching it I can see why it received a good Rotten Tomatoes rating. In the pop culture movie, it gives an interesting point of view. In the bustling city full of stars and the rich, The Dude lives his care-free lifestyle while enjoying it all. He is faced with multiple problems, but always keeps the positive mindset. He is usually portrayed smoking marijuana and drinking. He has no higher level of school really, and does not work. He sees himself in a problem when a rich man with the same name is in money trouble. I find a big theme with the similar names but the complete difference in lifestyles. The dude lays back and lives life to his standards. The millionaire Lebowski is very concerned with his own money and has worked all his life with a plethora of awards and even the key to the city. I feel the audience for this form of movie would be a younger teen and middle adult generation. The movie is full of brash language and comedy that is more fit for the younger generations instead of proper language an older generation would appreciate. I liked the movie and the message it teaches the audience.
ReplyDeleteSince it was my first time watching "The Big Lebowski" I wasn’t sure what to expect. Sitting in front of the TV watching this movie I couldn’t have been more surprised. The carelessness of the characters was unbelievable, but that was how the film carried a story. The movie applauded the idea of things being handed to you, and not having to worry about anything. The Dude somehow, although unemployed, was able to have his own house and smoke all the time stress free. He had no cares in the world. The Dude’s friend Walter cared too much. They were opposites. Everything that everyone did bothered him and he was constantly trying to pick a fight with people. He tried to find reasons to care even when he shouldn’t. The Big Lebowski himself represented a man of wealth, who was selfish and stuck up fitting the stereotype perfectly. Bunny, being considerably younger than Mr. Lebowski and was throwing herself at other men showed that she was clearly with Mr. Lebowski for his money. Maude, Mr. Lebowski’s daughter opposed her stepmother by showing the ideals of feminism in pop culture. The movie was quite different and not something I would chose to see, but I did appreciate the philosophies of pop culture it conveyed as well as, the humor included with this ideas.
ReplyDeleteThe Big Lebowski was a movie I always heard about growing up and even up until high school, but I never actually watched it until my senior year. The first time I watched it, I viewed it with very surface level eyes and ended up enjoying the movie even though I didn’t watch it too much in depth. This second time watching it, I tried watching it through a different lens and actually understand more of the themes and philosophical meanings behind what occurred. One thing that stood out to me, both the first time watching and the second time watching, was the contrast between two people’s lifestyles with the same name. I thought this comparison of two people who have something so important to their identities, their name, who identify with completely different class levels and lifestyles was very important to introducing the theme of someone’s amount of wealth correlating with their level of happiness. The Dude is a very content man who does not seem to have much but does not mind that and lives his life all the same. This is in stark contrast to the man who shares his name and lives a very lavish lifestyle but seems to be very unhappy with how things are playing out.
ReplyDelete"The Big Lebowski" was a rather odd film with no particular plot or message, as with most comedies. The main character, Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, lives his life in an extremely carefree and nonchalant manner. The narrator even described him as "the laziest man in Los Angeles County". Even his decision of choosing to call himself "The Dude" infers that he doesn't like labels and is an informal type of guy. In my opinion his philosophy was that worrying deprives you of happiness and to not let the negativity of others strip you of life. Interestingly, nihilism was part of the film, which appeals to the pessimist in many and makes one question actions, doctrines, religious and moral principles, and ultimately the meaning of life, which we have all questioned at some point, but in a less comical fashion. There are also characters in the film (Jeffrey "The Big" Lebowski and Maude Lebowski) who utilize their wealth, or lack thereof, as a ploy to get what they want, which is common throughout time, but especially today with large corporations/business-people and their greed. Bunny and Maude used their beauty to get what they wanted, a "rich" and powerful man, and a child, respectively. This becomes more and more common, as the 21st century is an era influenced by looks and sex appeal, now more than ever. In my opinion, the film's choice of comedy was to present the information in a lighthearted manner that could appeal to the adult masses, although a lack of profanity, violence, and nudity may have been more effective to the younger audiences. Nevertheless, the style choice was unique and aspects of the film could be applied to today's culture.
ReplyDeleteI had never seen this movie before, nor had I heard of it. While watching it, I found it very funny with the way it had the different characters all with different personalities. The main character, Lebowski or "Dude" is portrayed as a former musician who is now unemployed and likes to drink and smoke. He tends to not care about much and is just a laid back guy. He even got over the fact that Maude had sex with him just so she could get pregnant and had no plans of him ever being in the picture, she just wanted a kid. His best friend is a veteran and is now kind of crazy. The both of them along with their other friend are on a bowling team, which is their hobby and way to forget about everything else that is going on in their lives. This movie is full of comedy, action, and sadness. All three of these are the main type of genres that are tied in to pop culture. One thing that was done in the movie that was used a good amount was scenes from "Dudes" dreams. These dreams were related to the events and his feelings about what was going on in his life. The dreams were an added genre that helped to create the story. I thought this was a pretty good movie and enjoyed watching it.
ReplyDeleteThis being the first time I'd seen the movie, I found it to have a few different interesting aspects. The film was clearly a comedic one, and implemented a few characters that almost appeared exaggerated. Each character seemed to have his or her own issues that were very evident. For example, the Dude has an obsession with marijuana, and Walter had a tendency to become aggressive in both a physical and verbal manner. I think that by exaggerating the characters, the director was able to add to the comedic value. One thing that stood out to me the most, however was the theme of greed. There seemed to be a lot of obsession with material objects, mostly money. Bunny Lebowski is one of the greatest examples of this; this character is a "gold digger" and is the cause of most of the drama that occurs throughout the film. I think that this shows that greed is destructive and can take control of people's lives. There seemed to be a lot of motive that was driven by money, for example instead of delivering the ransom money, Walter decides to keep it himself. This causes snowball of issues that could've been avoided.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think that making these characters over the top in both their personality and actions added to the humorous element.
Before this viewing I have never seen the Big Lebowski before and I had no idea what to expect out of the film. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it to be quite humorous at times. I felt that it touched on many different aspects of our lives, parts of us that we all have that are shown in how we act or are deeper in our minds. The varying lifestyles and personalities personify each part of us as human beings, every human has strong and weak points in there personality and these characters just show what someone would be if one of those characteristics where particularly strong. This take on philosophy shows that we are all alike because of our base similarities but that people can vary heavily based on their personality traits. The extremes seen in this film just make it easier to understand and contrast. I feel as if this film was an excellent way to explain particular philosophies through action and storyline. I also feel that this film was able to reach a greater audience because o the fact it was a film rather than a book or a series of independent stories. The versatility of the film makes it much easier to access and digest as a work of art.
ReplyDeleteOverall I had mixed feelings about this movie. I've heard many good things about "The Big Lebowski", but I never really had a reason to watch it until recently. The tone throughout the movie displayed a serious/comedic point of view. For example, "The dude" Lebowski portrayed a hippie who just wanted to bowl, drink and smoke marijuana. He had no responsibilities or job to take care of. From the beginning the movie revealed the plot of the story when two mob thugs broke in his house thinking he was another Lebowski who owed them money. Each scene would then transition from serious to comedic stand points. You can tell when the transitions happens when "the Dude's" friends present themselves. He has two friends Walter and Donald, Walters is a Vietnam veteran with anger issues and Donald is disconnected from reality. Every time they were in a scene together or individually the tone of the movie changed to a funny script. The entire theme of the movie definitely had to do with greed. The theme first presented itself when the dude went to the "Big" Lebowski so that he can get money for one of the thugs peeing on his rug. Then the next example came when Walter's was telling The dude to keep the briefcase that "had" a million dollars. Finally the last example was that Bunny Lebowski supposedly faked her kidnapping and demanded the ransom of a million dollars so that she can get money for herself such as a gold digger would do.
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ReplyDeleteIn the Big Lebowski, various viewpoints and topics of pop culture are referred to throughout the film. The dialogue is always relaxed, colloquial language when coming from “The Dude”, and he more than often curses in his lines. His diction reflects “The Dude’s” characteristics of being chill and nonchalant about situations. There are references to pop culture topics when there is exposure to The Dude’s forward weed smoking, and Maude Lebowski’s overbearing feminism. Maude’s diction is pompous and somewhat snobby which relates to certain stereotypes of feminist women. (Ex: “My articles have been commended as strongly vaginal, which bothers some men. The word itself makes some men uncomfortable. Vagina. Yes, they don’t like hearing it and find it difficult to say, whereas without batting an eye, a man will refer to his dick, his rod or his Johnson.”) The style of the film take up an absurd plot, with The Dude being faced with all the drama involved in a kidnapping, money deals, and the fixation on the injustices to a rug. What I enjoy about the Big Lebowski is the take away from the film. I think the main topic of pop culture a person can understand from this movie is that many issues in life are just trivial. The Dude, when confronted with his car being stolen, instead of causing a big scene and working himself up (like Walter probably would have), he walks home, reminding the audience of how petty some things in life are and how we cannot control them so we must just accept it, and continue on. This film is an indie type genre film, sometimes described as a “stoner film”, which ties into pop culture again because people of the current time do usually smoke marijuana, and it is often a topic of pop culture usually enjoyed by younger people.
ReplyDeleteThis was my first time seeing the movie “The Big Lebowski” and from the beginning, it was unlike many movies I have seen. It is obviously a comedy, but the comedic aspects are achieved in weird ways with vulgar language, ridiculous antics, and some immaturity. The entire movie gets more and more ridiculous and the most predictable things happen. This helped the comedic aspect of the film and made it an easy to follow narrative. Throughout the whole film, characters of different social classes interacted. In the beginning “The Dude” (Jeffrey Lebowski) is mistaken for another man with the same name who’s wife owes people money, and he is therefore assaulted and a man pees on his rug. When he goes to the Lebowski the men were actually looking for, it becomes obvious that there is a large difference in class and power. This also becomes apparent between several different character interactions, especially with Bunny Lebowski, the gold-digging trophy wife. In the whole movie, the eccentric characters, dialogue, random dream sequences, and even the soundtrack all contribute to the demonstration of different philosophies and character lifestyles. Each character had distinct actions and oddities that made them unique and bringing them together really made for an interesting, yet ridiculous, plot.
ReplyDeleteIn “The Big Lebowski”, a wide variety of comical characters and their crazy antics are displayed. One of the most notable aspects of this film was the use of different forms of colloquial diction. “The Dude” as he is affectionately named speaks very casually about most all things, mirroring his relaxed attitude which so strongly is connected to his nickname. His best friend Walter proves to be a much more manly, rough and tough character with a vocabulary to match. The film as a whole was very interesting to me in the fact that I still cannot decide whether I love it or I hate it. The plot seemed to me to be somewhat too involved as the film danced between dream sequences and was at times trying too hard to be comedic. In reference to pop culture, I believe Maude’s character to be the strongest reference to our society today. With her feminist ideals and her brazen display of sexuality she represents what many women in our culture try to emulate. Portraying Maude as an artist further affirms a stereotype about many artistic women today: leftist, nipple-baring, “cats against catcalls.” Although this movie debuted nearly 19 years ago, the characterization of Maude explores today’s pop-culture view of feminists.
ReplyDeleteThe film, The Big Lebowski portrays several very distinctive and exaggerated characters through the use of specific genres. The movie explores several philosophies through these characters. The Dude is portrayed as a pot smoking chill guy, who seems to not have any care in the world. His character is very exaggerated through his language, clothes, and tone of voice. Although he seems like a low life going no where, the movie makes you wonder if he is actually the happiest. The other Jeff Lebowski is quite different. He is beyond wealthy, and seems very angry all the time. His wife Bunny is exposed pretty clearly as a stereotypical trophy wife. For example the first time she is introduced she is painting her toes tanning by the pool and subtly flirts with The Dude. This is when I began to notice the strong color scheme in the movie which contributed a lot to the stylistic choices. She was painting her toes green (which caught my eye since I thought it was an interesting choice), then I noticed her bathing suit was green, as well as The Dude's pants. It is clear that the makers of the movie thought in depth about what sort of tone they wanted to portray throughout the movie.
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