Open to discuss "the dude", and/or the movie "The Big Lebowski"
from wilkipedia:
Main characters
Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), a single, unemployed slacker, living in Venice, California, enjoys cannabis and spends his days "bowling, driving around, [and having] the occasional acid flashback." A devoted Creedence Clearwater Revival fan, he actively hates the 1970s soft-rock band, Eagles. He freely uses profanity and is not above postdating a check for $0.69 to buy a carton of half and half for his favorite drink, White Russian cocktails, which he refers to as "Caucasians". He claims to be one of the members of the "Seattle Seven" and a former roadie for Metallica, though he is not fond of the bandmembers (he refers to them as a "bunch of ********"). The Dude is a laid-back pacifist who gets caught up in a scheme of kidnapping and embezzlement after seeking reparations for his beloved rug — which "really tied the room together" — after it was peed on.
Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) is a Vietnam War veteran who "lives in the past"; he is the Dude's best friend and bowling teammate. Born a Polish Roman Catholic, he converted to Judaism when he married his wife Cynthia and is accused of having a "sick Cynthia fetish" by The Dude ever since the two were divorced five years prior to the events in the film. Walter is a paranoid, mentally unstable man who often relates situations to his experiences in Vietnam. He often deals with situations aggressively and stubbornly, providing the main impetus for much of the story. He is boisterously confident in his actions, though his plans usually backfire, often ending disastrously for himself and the Dude. Walter runs his own security firm, Sobchak Security, and places bowling second to only his reverence to his religion, as evidenced by the memorable line "I'm as Jewish as the ****ing Tevye" and his strict rule against bowling on Shabbos.
Theodore Donald "Donny" Kerabatsos (Steve Buscemi) is a member of Walter and The Dude's bowling team. Charmingly naïve, Donny is an avid bowler and was a surfer in his younger days. Following his death and cremation, Walter and The Dude scatter his ashes over the ocean, in accordance with what his final wishes "might well have been." Donny frequently interrupts Walter's diatribes to inquire about the parts of the story he missed, evoking responses such as "Donnie, you're out of your element", "You're like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie and wants to be ...." and "Life does not stop and start at your convenience, you miserable piece o' ****!".
Maude Lebowski (Julianne Moore) is the Big Lebowski's daughter. She is a feminist as well as an avant-garde artist whose work "has been commended as strongly vaginal." She is good friends with video artist Knox Harrington (David Thewlis), and she is also the person who introduced Bunny to Uli Kunkle, the nihilist and would-be kidnapper. Maude strongly disapproves of her father's marriage to Bunny.
Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston), "The Big Lebowski" to which the movie's title refers, is a multi-millionare who lost the use of his legs to "some Chinaman [...] in Korea." He is married to Bunny and is the father of Maude by his late wife. He is a very vain man who prides himself on the fact that he has "accomplished more than most men, and without the use of [his] legs."
Brandt (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a sycophant and loyal assistant to Mr. Lebowski, tries to please everyone. Brandt, who is one of the few people outside the Dude's circle who calls him by his preferred title, has a habit of echoing his boss as well as forcing out nervous laughter during awkward moments.
Bunny Lebowski (Tara Reid), born Fawn Knutsen, is the Big Lebowski's "trophy wife." She ran away from her family in Moorhead, Minnesota and soon found herself making pornographic videos under the name Bunny LaJoya. She is a careless, irresponsible person who is an annoyance to her husband who hopes "she will one day learn to live on her allowance, which is ample."
Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazzara) is a bigtime pornographic film producer who lives in Malibu. His credits include Thrust, Balls-zac, and Logjammin' starring Bunny and "Karl Hungus". He employs the two thugs who ambush The Dude in his home at the beginning of the movie. In spite of this apparent disrespect, he does call Lebowski "The Dude".
Smokey (Jimmie Dale Gilmore) is on a bowling team that the Dude and Walter play in order to qualify for the semifinals. When Walter claims that Smokey goes over the line, constituting a foul, Smokey opposes him and goes to mark the frame an eight. At this point, Walter takes a pistol out of his bowling bag and threatens Smokey with the famous line "mark that frame an eight and you're entering a world of pain." As the Dude explains to Walter, Smokey is a "fragile" person who was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War and remains a pacifist to this day.
The Stranger (Sam Elliott) is the mysterious narrator who sees this story unfold from an unbiased perspective. He does not see the Dude as a low-life, but rather as an ironic tragic figure. The Stranger enjoys a good sarsaparilla, dresses as a cowboy, and is always accompanied with the song "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" in the background.
Jesus Quintana (John Turturro) is one of The Dude and Walter's opponents in the bowling league semifinals match. This eccentric, Latino trash-talking West Hollywood resident served "6 months in Chino for exposing himself to an 8-year-old". He speaks with a thick Hispanic accent, wears a uniform which matches his purple bowling ball, and refers to himself as "The Jesus". Although he only appears in two scenes, his line "You said it man! Nobody ****s with The Jesus!", is one of the most oft-quoted lines in the film.
Da Fino (Jon Polito) is a private investigator hired by Bunny's parents, the Knutsens, to entice their daughter back to their Midwestern farm. He drives a battered blue Volkswagen Beetle (in reference to the Coen Brothers' first film, Blood Simple), mistakes the Dude for a "brother Shamus" (a fellow P.I.), and offends the Dude by referring to Maude as his "special lady" and not the Dude's preferred term, "lady friend".
Knox Harrington , (David Thewlis) The Video Artist is a rather camp associate of Maude's who manages to aggravate the generally laid-back Dude with his intrusive questions, e.g. "So, what do you do Lebowski ?", and his incessant over-the-top laughter. At one point Knox offers the Dude a drink, then waits for the Dude to take a seat before adding that "the bar's over there, help yourself".
The Nihilists are a group of ethnic Germans who claim to be nihilists. The group, composed of leader Uli Kunkle, stage name Karl Hungus (Peter Stormare), Franz (Torsten Voges), and Dieter (Flea) is a Kraftwerkian techno-pop band called "Autobahn" from the mid-'70s. The group, along with Kunkle's ex-girlfriend, Lu Ahkrugns (played by Aimee Mann), are the supposed kidnappers of Bunny Lebowski.
A way out west there was a fella,
fella I want to tell you about, fella
by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At
least, that was the handle his lovin'
parents gave him, but he never had
much use for it himself. This
Lebowski, he called himself the Dude.
Now, Dude, that's a name no one would
self-apply where I come from. But
then, there was a lot about the Dude
that didn't make a whole lot of sense
to me. And a lot about where he
lived, like- wise. But then again,
maybe that's why I found the place
s'durned innarestin'.
some- times
there's a man--I won't say a hee-ro,
'cause what's a hee-ro?--but sometimes
there's a man.
And I'm talkin' about the Dude here--
sometimes there's a man who, wal,
he's the man for his time'n place,
he fits right in there--and that's
the Dude, in Los Angeles.
...and even if he's a lazy man, and
the Dude was certainly that--quite
possibly the laziest in Los Angeles
County.
...which would place him high in the
runnin' for laziest worldwide--but
sometimes there's a man. . . sometimes
there's a man.
Wal, I lost m'train of thought here.
But--aw hell, I done innerduced him
enough.
DUDE:
This Chinaman who peed on my rug, I
can't go give him a bill so what the
**** are you talking about?
WALTER: What the **** are you talking about?!
This Chinaman is not the issue! I'm
talking about drawing a line in the
sand, Dude. Across this line you do
not, uh--and also, Dude, Chinaman is
not the preferred, uh. . . Asian-
American. Please.
DUDE:
Walter, this is not a guy who built
the rail- roads, here, this is a guy
who peed on my--
DUDE:
Look, let me explain something.
I'm not Mr. Lebowski; you're Mr.
Lebowski. I'm the Dude. So that's
what you call me. That, or Duder.
His Dudeness. Or El Duderino, if,
you know, you're not into the whole
brevity thing--
WALTER:
Let me tell you something else.
I've seen a lot of spinals, Dude,
and this guy is a fake. A ****ing
goldbricker.
He is crossing to Lebowski.
WALTER: This guy ****ing walks. I've never
been more certain of anything in my
life!
LEBOWSKI:
Stay away from me, mister!
Walter reaches around from behind and hoists the big Lebowski
out of the wheelchair by his armpits. WALTER: Walk, you ****ing phony!
The big Lebowski waggles helplessly, his rubbery feet grazing
the floor like a Raggedy Ann's. The pomeranian gaily leaps
and yaps. LEBOWSKI:
Put me down, you son of a *****!
DUDE: Walter!
WALTER: It's all over, man! We call your
****ing bluff!
DUDE:
WALTER, FOR *****'S SAKE! HE'S
CRIPPLED! PUT HIM DOWN!
WALTER: Sure, I'll put him down, Dude. RAUSS!
ACHTUNG, BABY!!
He shoves the big Lebowski forward and he crumples to the
floor, weeping. WALTER: Oh, ****.
LEBOWSKI:
(sobbing)
You're bullies! Cowards, both of
you!
Walter is abashed. The Big Lebowski flails about on the
floor. WALTER: Oh, ****.
DUDE:
He can't walk, Walter!
WALTER: Yeah, I can see that, Dude.
LEBOWSKI:
You monsters!
DUDE: Help me put him back in his chair.
Walter moves to comply. WALTER:****, sorry man.
THROUGH HIS TEARS: LEBOWSKI:
Stay away from me! You bullies!
You and these women! You won't leave
a man his ****ing ****'s!
DUDE: Walter, you ****!
WALTER:****, Dude, I didn't know. I
wouldn't've done it if I knew he was
a ****ing crybaby.
DUDE: We're sorry, man. We're really sorry.
The Dude has picked up the Big Lebowski's plaid lap warmer
and is frantically tucking it back in around his waist and
batting the dog away. DUDE:
There ya go. Sorry man.
Walter, puzzled, hands on hips, stands over the big Lebowski. WALTER: ****. He didn't look like a spinal.
JESUS QUINTANA: "Liam and me, we're going to **** you up."
THE DUDE: "Yeah... well... y'know... that's just like, uh... your opinion man."
for some odd reason, while the word "Ganya" was still just a thought-dropping in my head, I thought it'd only be four letters. But apparently it's five. yep.
I need to get the dvd, I see it in Walmart all the time and just dont' do it, I only saw the movie for the first time a few months back.
Actually I only saw the last half of it. I was crying tears, I was laughing so hard.
I loved it!
I checked it when it first came out. I had no idea what the hell it was about before hand. But afterward I freakin' loved it. Pure comedy.
That scene where the Dude is at Jackie's house- he gets a phone call and scribbles something on a pad of paper then leaves the room. The Dude sneaks over and rubs the pencil across the notebad to see what was written on the page Jackie took...
Or after the Dude's trip he gets arrested and that cop throws an ashtray at his face.
04-09-2005 03:46 AM
DUDE:
WALTER: What the **** are you talking about?! 
LEBOWSKI:
DONNY: Are these the Nazis, Walter?
