The Big Lebowski Essay

Chapter 4: The Icon When he played The Dude, a laid-back slacker who gets involved in a kidnapping plot, in Joel and Ethan Coen's comedy The Big Lebowski (1998), he became an icon in the late 1990s. The film also featured John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, and John Turturro. Bridges was dissatisfied with the movie's reception because it was a commercial and critical failure. However, the film became a cult classic, spawning a loyal fan base, an annual festival, and a religion known as Dudeism. Bridges embraced his role as The Dude, often wearing his character’s clothes and accessories in public and even writing a book called The Dude and the Zen Master (2013), in which he discussed his philosophy of life with his friend and Buddhist

Bridges accepted the role and said it was one of his favorites. Bridges also improvised many of his lines and actions, such as wearing his own clothes and sunglasses and rubbing his stomach. Bridges also said that he stayed in character throughout the filming and that he felt like he was The Dude. Cult status and fan following The Big Lebowski was a flop when it was released in 1998 and received mixed reviews from the critics, who praised the performances and the dialogue but criticized the plot and the tone. The film also failed to attract a large audience and made only $17 million at the box office, against a budget of $15 million. Bridges was disappointed by the film’s reception and said that he thought it was a masterpiece. However, the film gradually gained a cult following, especially among the young and college students who identified with the character of The Dude and his laid-back and anti-establishment attitude. The film also became popular on home video and cable TV and spawned a loyal fan base that quoted the film’s lines, imitated the film’s scenes, and adopted the film’s

The film has been preserved in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.". The film has been adapted into a stage play called The Two Gentlemen of Lebowski, which is a mash-up of the film and the Shakespearean comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona, written by Adam Bertocci. The film has been adapted into a ballet called The Dude and the Zen Master, which is a collaboration between Jeff Bridges and the choreographer Margo Sappington and features music by Bob Dylan, T. Rex, and Jeff Bridges. The film has inspired a book called I’m a Lebowski, You’re a Lebowski, which is a guide to the film and its fandom, written by the founders of the Lebowski Fest and featuring interviews with the cast and crew, trivia, photos, and recipes. The film has inspired a comic book called The Big Lebowski: The Coen Brothers’ Greatest Film, which is a graphic novel adaptation of the film, written by David Hahn and illustrated by R. Sikoryak. The film has inspired a video game called The Big Lebowski Pinball, which is a pinball machine based on the film, featuring sound clips, music, and images from the film, as well as a rug that ties the room together. The film has inspired a beer called The Dude’s Rug, which is a hard