The Big Lebowski / Cast is Streamin', Dude (Guest: Matt Barrow)

It's a sizzlin’ celebration for Ben's Big Birthday Bash in the midst of his Box Office Bonanza Summer! And wouldn't you know it, as our gift to you, it's over 2.5 hours jammmmmmmmm packed with quotes from 'The Big Lebowski' (1997 Dir. The Coen Brothers.) Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, and Julianne Moore. We don't mind if you "Light a J," encourage you drink a White Russian, and enjoy the honey dripping sounds of our Guest: Matt Barrow, and sweet sweet strikes as Ben is throwing boulders tonight. The Pod abides...The Big Lebowski

2hrs 43mins

**All episodes contain explicit language**
Artwork - Ben McFadden
Review Review Intro/Outro Theme - Jamie Henwood
"What Are We Watching" & "Whatcha been up to?" Themes - Matthew Fosket
"Fun Facts" Theme - Chris Olds/Paul Root
Lead-Ins Edited/Conceptualized by - Ben McFadden
Produced by - Ben McFadden & Paul Root
Concept - Paul Root

Transcript

Take it away. Away out west, there was a fella. A fella I wanna tell you about. A fella by the name of Ben Lebowski. At least that was the handle his loving parents gave him.

He called himself the dude. Now, dude, that's a name no one would self apply where I come from. Clark College? Is he talking about Clark College? Yeah.

Of course, he is. Hey, Ben. Happy birthday. Thank you. It's the big Ben's big birthday bash to the electric Lebowski.

Big Lebowski Ben birthday. Look at Bears, beasts, Battlestar Galactica. And our guest And Barrow. And it's Matt Barrow, Matthew Scott Barrow. Hey.

Hey. Thanks for having me. Good to be here. Matt and I. Hey.

Happy birthday, Boogaloo. Thank you. Matt and I have been friends for 20 3 years. Wow. Yeah.

Almost 25 years. Almost a quarter of a century, our friendship. You're celebrating your MJiversary. This is your MJ year. You guys just get each other Michael Jordan shoes or jerseys?

We just shrug at each other like that. Oh, no. I mean He did that to the Blazers. Oh. Sorry.

Trigger. Trigger. I was trying to be his friend with the little, like, mullet. The guy that plays coins with them in the back. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. I thought you're doing the shrug that he did after in a game. Matt, let's talk about you while you're here. For the review review, we're gonna go over the premise very quick. I'm gonna be very fast.

We take a movie that's 7 years old or older, 2 hours and 22 minutes or less, not part of a big franchise or a greater universe. Is this part of a greater universe? That is a question none of us may ask, but this is for Ben's birthday. It's for my birthday. We do whatever Ben wants.

And one of the things Ben wanted, I wanted was a Barrow. And Matt Barrow's here. Matt, what you've been up to? What's going on? Happy birthday.

Your present is my presence. I I have not been up to much, man. I I do listen to the pod. Long time listener, first time caller. I'm kind of, I'd say I'm kind of an outsider because I don't I don't do, creative endeavors.

Well, under duress, picking and screaming a bit, but, you know, I'm here as someone who, is not really in the industry, but I keep busy. I make the websites. I make it so you can click on on things and then images and stuff. So that's that's what I've been doing. I wonder if that makes your opinion as much or more relevant that are people that are in the industry.

I think that's very generous of you to say. I don't know if I would agree. I think maybe my opinion would be worth considerably less. But You don't have a dog in the fight here. You you I assume you're very honest.

I will say that That's true. I guess when Matt and I met in high school, Matt was a musician. And it was always a guitar. Was always a creative person. So fuck you.

You're still a creative person. I prefer to, just let any kind of latent creativity or potential I have just kind of die over the years and just kind of build up into a nice hot ball of regret. But no. You're right. I, I Why haven't we gotten closer?

Yeah. Keep going. Because I'm the slave owner. Oh, yeah. Yeah.

I mean, that's that's, you know, the march of time ever onward. I did play music, and I guess to kinda tie it back, I guess, maybe maybe someday I'd like to score a film. I don't know. But I have done sound on some films, so I got some kinda industry adjacent. Mostly, it's it's just I know a lot of people in showbiz, and I'm a fan of film.

In fact, Ben and I have spent 25 years, talking about movies. So this kinda feels like a a bit of a natural progression, I would say. Yeah. The vast majority of both of our film interests have been shaped by the one another. I I almost feel like it's impossible at this point to separate.

Oh, man. Yeah. Yeah. We've I figured out a number, baby. The one movie thing.

Oh, well Oh, you're you're very of the of the same mind, I would say. Okay. Who is the trifecta? All 1. We're 1 yeah.

We're 1 trifecta. What's the what's the dog from Greek mythology with the 3 heads, cyber dress? Sit sip sip sip Cerberus. Are you Cerberus. Are you talking about Cerberus?

Cerberus. All the other characters should be asking, where's Pucci? I'm fired, aren't I? A Pucci clip's going in there. It's from the episode.

By the way, we must mention, Matt and Paul and I are all drinking a Caucasian man, a white That's right. Maybe later in the episode, we'll tell you how to make one of these. I don't know. I think they can watch the movie and know how to make it. Right?

Yeah. I think you can actually just kind of ascertain it by watching the dude. But if you want the exact measurements, who knows? Maybe maybe we'll lay it on you. We might just give them a little later.

If if you haven't picked it up, because I'm not sure we mentioned it. Yeah. We watched The Big Lebowski. Did we not mention that? I don't know, but I'm gonna mention it again.

Okay. Matt's ever Matt's ever seen it. I've never seen it. First time. Matt's Matt's a mormon.

Oh, no. I am. Yeah. I'm actually drinking. It's just just cream.

There's no palooza. There's no vodka. Ben. Yeah. What have you been up to?

What have I been up to? Me. Well, fuck it. Matt and I just we finished one part of our Alien TTRPG. Cool.

That we play on Zoom with some friends in New York, friends in Seattle, friends in LA, friends all over the world. Friends all over the world. Mortal Kombat with a friend in Vietnam. You can. That's technology.

We had a great time and we all died. And we learned, but Oh, I my second character did not die. My first character died. Didn't we? Your second character did we blew up the ship.

Oh, no. You're right. No. We no. Yeah.

Everyone died. Literally, everybody died. And somehow, it was it still felt like a success. I feel like we'd still came in on top even though literally everyone died. But we didn't That's alien.

We'd yeah. I agree. I think in alien, the the overall victory is everyone is eviscerated, which means the xenomorph is also done. We because Absolutely. In our story, William Yutani was taking our ship on a direct line back to Earth, and we couldn't let that thing get back.

So we let the androids because everyone else died. So the Matt was an android. Start the reactor. Queen. Yeah.

So that's what we did. This is me running up to you on the screen here. Paul. What you've been up to? I've been golfing more again lately.

My back has loosened up to the point that I can, like, play a par 3. Oh. And that has been mostly frustrating. If you ever listen to Robin Williams's bit about golf, it's very accurate. Mhmm.

But, fucking Wednesday. I bet fucking 100 g r to here. It's been really nice, though, like, being able to get out side and be one with nature and etcetera again a little bit more. My back doesn't always, like, love it. There are breaks here and there.

I don't know if the pain's ever gonna stop. Yeah. But that's been really nice. I've been enjoying the shit out of it. Can I ask you a question?

You may. Have you ever gone Frisbee golfing? So I went to Debelle Yeah. In Burbank. Mhmm.

And I was thinking of that very thing. Oh, I would love to froll, but, I have sheath damage in my right wrist. And this is part of the reason why I struggle at golf partly because I'm bad, but the other reason is because, like, my back and my wrist are, like, fucked up. So I don't know how could I be with a disc. I don't know.

I'm not It's your right wrist? It is. You can you you can imagine why. You know? Yeah.

I I mean, I I can imagine, and I am imagining. But I am still imagining. Wait. Can you talk about it more in greater details? Wait.

Imagine for a couple minutes. Yeah. Imagine v I. Vladimir Ilya. Oh, shit.

My bad. I am the walrus. He says it, like, 4 times. It's so good. I am the walrus.

I am the walrus? I am the walrus. Also, I was thinking, like, this podcast is just gonna be 3 white dudes quoting The Big Lebowski at you. Oh, man. And that's what I chose to do for my birthday.

I think that is so you. It's so you. It's such I think Big Lebowski is such a kind of load bearing beam in our 25 year friendship that Woah. When you actually asked me to be on the pod, we both responded with Big Lebowski gifts before you even said the name of the movie because what I was doing Woah. This is the one.

We've we've spent a quarter century just quoting lines back and forth at each other. It's most of the way we communicate. At one point at Bumbershoot, I bought a sticker pack that was just stickers that were quotes of The Big Lebowski. That's right. So you you had them all over your yeah.

And I had them all over my bike, and then my bike got stolen. Well, yeah. But my my commodity. My favorite one was right, sort of, like, where I could read it while I was writing. And it just said, say what you want about the tenants of National Socialism.

At least it's an ethos. Which is just I don't know if I would have put that one on the bike, maybe. Maybe I would have left that one off the bike. Oh my goodness. Now these men are nihilists.

They're cowards. They're cowards. But before we talk about what we're watching, all the themes in this podcast are fantastic. I have to say we have They're so fucking good. Blessed, with cool people around us who do cool things.

We're not those people. No. We just talk and Beg. And beg. A lot of begging.

A lot of, whining. Hoping, crying. Shitting in our hands. It always fills up faster. Matt Barrow And we don't have to eat it.

We're going to go to our next section. Well, and I gotta ask before we do. We're talking about great music and whatnot, Matt, musician. How does everybody feel about the music in this movie? Not only the score, but the music selection.

Oh, Jeff's timer. Jeff's kiss. You know? Not chess. Jeff's kiss.

Yes. That is a Jeff's kiss. Wait. I saw a Rob Dylan. Oh, okay.

Rogers with the with the perf there's no other track and recorded music history that would go with that, like, dream sequence that see then Kenny Rogers, what condition, like, condition was in. It is in. Okay. That's just and and the Bob Dylan song and the and the way the Eagles comes up to antagonize the dude, it's specific. I'm sure we'll talk about it more, but the movie, the music selection is exquisite.

When we we saw we saw this at Vidiots in the lobby, they were just playing before the movie, they're just playing only the Eagles. Oh, I'm not cutting that. Yeah. They're playing the Eagles for, like, an hour before the movie started. It was like, you fuckers.

I see what they did there. Brilliant. Now we are going to talk about what are we watching? Matt What are we watching? Anything cool or interesting that you've been watching these days?

Well, I've been kind of in the sandy post apocalypses, and that is Fallout. I've only just got around to Okay. Watching Fallout, best for Bezos on AMP Prime Video. Yes. And that has been excellent.

I'm a fan of the games like many are, and I think the world they created in the games is so rich with that sort of, you know, the the kinda rusty apocalypse, but also the the sort of cold war era graphic design and things like that. And, of course, like the fifties music, that all they had to do was kinda keep that intact, and they would have had a pretty rich world, but they've also put this good story and these great characters on top of it. And I think it's great. And, also, I'll take all the Walton Goggins you can get. And we even got Tom McLaughlin for an episode.

So that's that's in, how far you watch the whole series? I'm on the last episode. I've not watched the last episode yet. Cool. So so, yeah, I'm looking forward to that.

And also at the same time, far far out. Far out, man. Far out. Far out. And also at the same time, I'm out.

Fall out, man. Fall out. Fall out. What else are you watching? Watched all the Mad Max movies because Furiosa had just come out.

Nice. And it wasn't intentional. It was just the timing, but I realized in so doing, like, oh, this dovetails nicely because one kind of wouldn't exist without the other. Fallout and that idea of that kind of sand and rust found objects postapocalypse, I feel like a lot of that comes from, Mad Max and George Miller. And I guess that's true.

Yeah. Those movies. I yeah. I mean, well, when you think about, like, dystopias of the past, a lot of times it it's very, you know, sci fi heavy and it's focused kinda in the city, like Brave New World 1984. They're all kind of this one specific look at, like, sort of, you know, a dystopia or a postapocalypse.

But the genius of what George Miller did, this kind of Outback Sandy, you know, everything's a found object just to sort of attention detail. And I think the look of feel of that really bled over to a lot of other things, especially video games. You can fall out, Borderlands, things like that. Yeah. What's everybody's favorite Mad Max movie?

If we can speak to that. Yeah. Who do you want to go? I Matt, it sounds like you might be ready to answer that. I feel like I wanna say Mad Max 2 or The Road Warrior, I guess it was called in, the US.

I wanna say that just because I feel like the character archetypes and the story and everything, it's so I think I even said this on my, letterbox. Follow me at HTML 5 beagle. Oh, letterbox. We got one. Yes.

You know, you can find me on Letterboxd@runbmc. That's a good thing to do. It is your birthday. Yeah. Follow this guy.

For my birthday, go to Letterboxd. Start a Letterboxd account. Make a funny little name. Give yourself a little profile. Maybe you're a bio is a movie quote.

And then, follow me at runbmcbeemc. I said forget about it, because Anyway, Matt, sorry to rudely interrupt you. Oh, no, honey. Any, chance to plug Letterbox. It's the only social media I use.

I barely use it, but you can follow me. But, yeah, I think I even said on Letterbox, at some point, I'm really gonna have to dive into Kurosawa's work because every time I watch a movie where I like the characters and the story and they have that kinda classic archetype, Kurosawa's name is in the first line of every review. But so I'm inclined to say Road Warrior just because I feel that was just so strong, but I don't know. Because, I mean, obviously, Fury Road and now Furiosa were just so solid, and they were just, like, these amazing fables just I don't know. I I just think he he's the rare director or the rare filmmaker that just seems to get better and better with age.

The guy doesn't miss. I kinda have to agree. I mean, I think the classic ones, there's a there's a charm to them and they have they built the world out and they set sort of like the tone and the feel and the the vibe. But I feel like Fury Road is a perfect movie. And it's so and and the thing that I love about Fury Road is the simplicity of it.

It's just a car chase. And it just goes from point a to point b and then back to point a. That's the entire movie. And to make that interesting for 2 hours or whatever with fun engaging characters and incredible action sequences. I was saying this early I think I said this on the last podcast.

Especially this one and Furiosa, each action sequence has kind of been the same thing. Right? It's just like a big truck or vehicle moving with somebody trying to get on it or get off of it. And somehow, he still makes it engaging and interesting and awesome and surprising and fucking badass and cool and weird. So for me, it's Fury Road.

Okay. I'm with Matt. I'm a road warrior guy. I think Fury Road is technically probably a better movie. It also has, you know, $150,000,000 budget on its side and so forth.

But it's also for me, as you were saying, like, the car chase, it's like there's some breaks from that where you go into the community of the folks who are still left and whatnot. But the movie is just, like, kind of exhausting in a way that Fury Road isn't super dissimilar, but it's more emotionally exhausting than sensory exhausting. And I guess, like, the thing for me with Fury Road is it's a it's so much happening at me that I guess the dirty, gritty, cheapness of Road Warrior is more rewatchable for me. I don't feel as, like, tired. I don't know how to put it, but Yeah.

I haven't seen Furiosa, but I think that franchise is pretty much bulletproof. Even Thunderdome has its moments. Anything else? Mister's? Okay.

That's not in good. Like, right? Right? It does. Right?

Absolutely agree. Yeah. And I think that was another thing I said on Letterbox is, Beyond Thunderdome. Every third movie in a franchise kinda belongs to a a third movie genre. Like, I I wouldn't have been like, with the tribe and everything he does in that movie, like, I wouldn't have been surprised if time travel and Ewoks showed up.

It's just such a very specific type of thing. Just trying to show you to disco in a black suit and yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.

The 3rd movie. It's it's every 3rd movie. But, but even then even then, there was some brilliance there and everything that in the whole, what is the place? Is it wherever the Thunderdome is, wherever Tina Turner is Australia. That.

Yeah. But that's the place. Is that the the fictional place they made up for the movies? Mhmm. Everything there is is brilliant.

Everything looks brilliant. Just the attention to detail, so impressive. Love it. Welcome to the Mad Max episode for your Here we are. Yeah.

Ben Ben, what are you watching that's not Mad Max maybe? Last no. You're good. Last night, I took myself on a little solo date. Nice.

I love that. To go see I saw the TV glow. Oh, how was that? Oh, I wanna see that. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Mhmm. It's fucking weird. Here's how I would contextualize it. It's if David Lynch and Donnie Darko had a super queer baby. Okay.

I'm gonna ask a really specific question. Bold. Yeah. I love Videodrome. Okay.

Has has anyone seen Videodrome? No. That's that's, Cronenberg. Right? Yeah.

I've I've heard that this is, like, a modern queer kind of it follows the dark Donnie Darkoey kind of thing, and I'm, like, very excited to see this. So I'm glad there's a glowing endorsement happening here. Yeah. The visuals, are Glowing. Phenomenal.

I mean, I I mine is a 4. Oh, yeah. I really, really, really enjoyed it. The music's great. Filmmaking I mean, the, yeah, color is great.

But the funniest part I don't wanna give any spoiler reviews. So the funniest part for me was walking when the movie ended, we're all walking out, and there's just, like, this dude walking in front of me, big old muscly guy wearing a 40 niners hat. And let's work out. We got in the lobby, and, and he just goes, bro, what the fuck was that movie about? And it was in that moment that I was like, oh, no.

I I guess I am still kind of a weird kid. You know This is weird of that. No. This is still it's still very weird movie and I think it will rub some people the wrong way or they'll just come walk away confused. It's it's funny you said David Lynch.

The one time that I've ever walked out of a movie and somebody was like, what the fuck my dog shit was when I walked out of the screening of Lost Highway. Oh. And some guy at the end was, like, we fucking do it. He's just mad. I thought you were gonna say the straight story.

But what Couch was a movie about? Track your fucking whole time. Yeah. No. If you don't leave a dirty words movie with the what the fuck was that movie about, then it was not even his job.

Which I think is so funny about this movie because I actually think I feel like the the allegory is pretty straightforward. There's just very Lynch y moments. Honestly, if anything, it's very Twin Peaks the return. So, anyway, that's my, that's what I watch. That's what you're watching?

Oh, okay. I, have been hammering through a bunch of old antiques roadshow on Pluto TV. That shit rules. I Pluto TV. I rewatched for the first time in a long time to live and die in LA partly because the everybody's in LA John Mulaney show with the Wang Chung opening.

That song is from to live and die in LA. Was. Yeah. And, still, like, 3a half for me. The ending's fucking great, and it's got some cool shit.

And I love William Friedkin as a filmmaker ideas and so kinetic and etcetera, etcetera. So that's like a high endorsement 3a half for me for Yeah. Whatever that's worth. And, my girlfriend and I fucking absolutely smashed through a bunch of rock the block on Discovery Max. And if you don't understand what it is when a rug really ties the room together, watch rock the block.

You'll learn. You'll understand. I would like to learn that. I would like to know what that's like. All my rugs are just incidental.

And this guy peed on it. This guy peed on it. Your fucking rug. You might his fucking rug. I think they refer to the rug getting pissed on.

It must be 30 times. Not to, like I'll put this in your brains and then we'll move on because we'll get to it when we start the movie. But is the rug pissing not the other part of the event, but is the rug pissing the inciting incident? You think rug pissers did this? The rug pissers pissers did not do this, man.

Not the issue here. But I mean Separate. Because if they hadn't pissed on his rug, I don't think he goes you know, he goes I would I would absolutely say it is the inciting incident. I think this movie, more than anything, is about classes and social, perception of class and etcetera. And he getting his rug pissed on essentially is like, no.

My life has been my whole life is getting pissed off. Fuck that. And that's yeah. I agree with you. Get away get away from me, mister.

This guy can fucking walk as gold I've never been sure more sure of anything in my life. In my life. The way that Colin Goodman goes, sure of anything in my life. In my life. Gotta love the southern drawl.

So Woo hoo. We are going to go to the fact sheet. Archaeology is the search for facts. Did I ever tell you my, Jay Leno story? I don't know.

We watched The Big Lebowski. This was produced by Polygram Film Entertainment, working title. And Grammercy, it was distributed by Universal Focus. There's a lot of shit going on there. 1998.

This is rated r. There's some naughty there's some naughty language. There's some boobs. There's there's some boobs. There's a drawn phallus that's engorged with blood.

I do have to say that Paul, on this, sheet of sticky post it notes, Paul made me sketch out Oh, he did the thing that's missing is your ass. That's perfect. That's like movie top quality. Fainty fainty bastard. This like What?

Draw pictures of dicks. You trace it out? I used to draw pictures of dicks. Like a grave rubbing. Yeah.

Exactly. Sat around. Drop pictures of dicks. Film was $15,000,000. 28,900,000 adjusted.

Opening weekend, March 3, 1998 here in the United States of America. That's 5.533000000, 10,600,000 adjusted. Final gross in North America, 19,300,000. Eeked it out. Eeked out its budget in the US.

37,100,000 adjusted. Final gross worldwide, 48.06. That's 92,400,000 adjusted. Other releases this weekend, twilight, not that one. Nope.

Not that one. Not the sparkly Oh, not that one. No. No sexy vampers, only sexy geriatrics. Hush and US Marshals.

Anybody have thoughts about US Marshals? I don't care. I don't care. I don't care. Personally.

If I would watch it when it comes on TNT Oh, okay. But I I'm not. Is that Is Tommy Lee Jones in that or am I confused now? Yep. Tommy Lee Jones and Wesley Snipes.

And Robbie Downey Junior. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah? The whole gang. Weekend top 5 was Titanic again.

Again. Again. US Marshals, the wedding singer, Twilight, the Paul Newman and Gene Hackman thriller is what that is. And Hush, top 5 this year domestic, Titanic, Armageddon, Saving Private Ryan, There's Something About Mary, The Water Boy. Other films from 1998, Good Will Hunting, As Good as It Gets Good Times and Noodle Salad.

Practical Magic, The Negotiator, Wag the Dog, Ronin, Spice World, Fallen, and The Patron. No. Not that one. You're my child. You're my child.

This one stars Steven Seagal. Write a hard job here. Sorry about it. Letterboxed average on this film, 4.1. You can follow us on Letterboxed.

I am not at palax badly. I'm not at run bmc, but you should follow Ben for his birthday. Matt, would you be so kind as to sell us your letterbox again? I would like to know. I am at h t m l five beagle like the dog.

And if anyone gets that reference, I will be deeply impressed. HTML5 beagle. That's a challenge. You just laid down a gauntlet. Sure did.

I did. Anybody reply in the comments or whatever there? You can text the show with a little button from Spotify or Or message us on Instagram at the u x two podcast. Very easy Yeah. To get in contact with us.

Sysco and Ebert were split on this film. Ebert with the up, Rotten Tomatoes 80%, Metacritic 71. A major award wins and nominations. This won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for best film. I wanna mention because this movie count March of 1998, which would make it it could be nominated for an Oscar for the 99 Oscars.

Right? For me in this movie, there's 2 that I feel like it definitely should have been nominated for. K. 1st is actor in a supporting role. Does anyone know who won actor in a supporting role at the 1999 Oscars for 1998?

I can tell you because you won't remember. I I'm not gonna remember that. Coburn in Affliction. Holy shit. That that's a Nick Nolte movie, him and Nick Nolte.

Yeah. It's like about isn't it about alcoholism or something? I I don't know if I've ever seen it. Just for me, I think that, like, John Goodman deserved a nomination if not a if not a win. There are other people who were also nominated that were also very good like Ed Harris in The Truman Show.

Yeah. Jeffrey Rush in Shakespeare in Love. Billy Bob Thornton in Simple Plan. Robert Duvall, a Civil Action. The also the slight unsung hero for me for supporting actor, David Huddleston is The Big Lebowski.

Oh, yeah. Fantastic. Yeah. Philip Seymour Hoffman goes without saying. John Goodman, I think I think you can make an argument for what you're saying.

Mhmm. No problem. I don't know if David Huddleston's role is big enough, but for for that, but also William Hurt got nominated for a history of violence and he has, like, 8 lines. I also think, an original screenplay nod. Oh.

And, Shakespeare and Love 1. Interesting. But we're not talking about the past. We're talking about the now. Yeah.

We know we don't talk about the past on this program. That's not what we do here. This isn't about it. This isn't a speech. Forward looking podcast.

Yeah. We talk about how we're gonna feel then. AI is not a problem. Exploding children are not to be worried about. The preview review.

Directors of this movie, Joel and Ethan Cohen, Fargo, Blood Simple, Burn After Reading. Riders, Joel and Ethan Cohen. Raised in Arizona, No Country for Old Men, Barton Fink. Director of photography, Roger fucking Deacons. Blade Runner 2049.

Roger Huge Dickens. Shawshank Redemption, Thunderheart. Big Deacons energy, you know? I had yeah. And I had to bring up Thunderheart every chance I get on this program.

You fucking people are gonna watch Thunderheart. God is my witness. If God is my witness, only one that follows the goddamn rules. Market 0. Music, Carter Burwell, True Grit, 2010 version, Carol, The Blind Side.

I wanna mention also t Burnett Oh, yeah. As this music supervisor. Obviously, selected a lot of I think worked as, like, the music historian as well, but a lot of just the tracks, I think, are selected by I've been listening to the tracks from the True Grit soundtrack, score. I'm sorry. Because of my western.

Oh, yeah. No doubt. It's on my inspiration list. Oh. It's on my inspiration board.

Producers, Joel and Ethan Cohen, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. John Cameron, Bad Santa. Another movie that Matt and I have probably watched more than Okay. We've seen our own parents. Fantastic movie.

Another one that we've endlessly quoted at each other for 2 decades. I mean, our our relationship is just quoting movies back at each other. Mostly movie quotes. You take that out and then we got we got nothing to say to each other. What keeps it healthy?

Keeps it simple. Don't question it. I'm just still to this day, if there's something wrong with one of us, you just gotta say, fuck it, dude. Oh, that's right. Fuck it.

That's your answer to everything. Fuck it. Good boy. You lost, sir. The bomb is lost.

Condolences. Do what your parents did. Get a job, sir. Get a job, sir. I got a rash.

Jeff Bridges plays the dude. Blown away. Arlington Road, Tron. John Goodman, Walter. The Flintstones, Argo, Flight.

Julianne Moore plays Maude The goat. Chloe, Boogie Nights, the hand that rocks the cradle. Steve Buscemi plays Donnie. Tree's Lounge, Reservoir Dogs, Coast World. Side note, wishing Steve Buscemi a very speedy recovery, etcetera, after what happened in New York.

Apparently, he's stable and doing alright. But still What happened? Somebody on the New York street just decided to punch him while he was just Just punching. Walking and licking his phone. Yep.

I've heard a lot of an epidemic going on in New York. Random punching. Yeah. But I've heard a lot of people getting punched in New York. I mean, I'm sure regular people have too, but all I care about is Rick Moranis and Steve Bishap.

They got punched. That is unacceptable. Yeah. What is it like in New York? New York were Already too far.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, one Rick Moran is too far, and my friend is Steve O'Shimmie. Uh-huh. Those are our beloved character actors.

You can't be punching them on the streets of New York. I mean, Rick Moran is from excuse me, honey. I'm so sorry. But I did, in fact, accidentally By mistake. By mistake.

There was a mishap. And our children offspring and made them a little bit smaller than normal. They have been shrunken down to a size that is kinda comical if you look at it. It's pretty funny. There's an opportunity for adventure.

Who knows? They might prefer an ant. Every time you guys riff on that, I imagine the poster, Like, the original poster with what I've learned, but just with the just longer and longer. Then you see someone in the boardroom is pitching the title and they're, like, yes. Maybe if brevity is not if brevity is not your thing.

You're not into the whole brevity thing. David Huddleston, RIP. Mister Lebowski, Frantic, the Millionaire, Blazing Saddles. That's fucking interesting, man. That's life with Mikey.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, RIP. Brandt, the master money bag, doubt, amongst many other things. Yeah. Tara Reid, Bunny, American Pie, Van Wilder, Baby Bulldog. I don't know what the fuck that is.

Peter Stomar, Uli, Armageddon, Constantine, minority report. Quack quack. Which you can hear on this program just a few episodes back. Few episodes back with John O'Mett. Flee is just he's just his name is Nihilist.

Nihilist. Nihilist. Must be exhausting. Point break, back to the future part 2. Mhmm.

These needles. And Right. Baby driver. John Turturro, he plays Jesus rounders, the color of money quiz show, and Sam Elliott as the narrator. Hulk, fatal beauty, and together altogether now, Roadhouse.

House. The double dish. Yeah. You got there. You got this.

I graduated from Clark College. I don't fuck around. Roadhouse, mio. Roadhouse. That's fantastic.

Matt, do you have some facts for us? And that it's fine if they're just facts. I would prefer if they're fun. Can you make them You know, Paul? You know, Paul, I I did have some facts, but for you and especially for Ben's birthday, you wanna make them fun.

Fun facts fun facts everybody. It's fun fact time. Initially, music producer and music bigwig, Alan Klein, who you may know his name from the sort of villain role he played in the story of the Beatles, initially wanted a $150,000 for the use of the song dead flowers by the Rolling Stone originally by the Rolling Stones performed in this movie by Towne's Van Sant. But he so adored the line where the dude says, I hate the fucking Eagles, man. He loved it so much, he waived the licensing fee entirely.

Just gave it to him for free. You get out you get your own cab. Oh, lord. What's next? In the mortuary.

Get the fuck out of my cab, man. There's a beverage here, man. The fucking eagles, man. There's a bev there's oh, you gotta make that sound on here. There's a beverage here, man.

He also doesn't spill that beverage. How all the liquid stays in there is mind blowing. That's funny because I just spilled it just making that noise. So that's even doubly impressive. It gets thrown into a different car.

Next fact. In the mortuary, at the very end, spoilers, the dude introduces himself as Jeffrey Lebowski rather than the dude. And this is the only instance of him doing so in the entire film. In fact, he's usually vehemently against it. Oh, and here we are making good on a pro on a promise that you might remember from earlier.

Oh, yeah. The recipe for making a White Russian or a Caucasian as the dude calls it if if you wanna drink like Ben Paul and I currently are. Here's this here's the recipe. You take 2 parts vodka. Yeah.

Let's hear that let's hear that ice. One part coffee liqueur such as Kahlua. I would recommend Kahlua. Mhmm. And one part cream.

The cream is important. Half part? Percent? Yeah. Mm-mm.

You can you can maybe do a little less cream. The cream Yeah. Is a garnish. But make sure it's cream. Don't go in there with with 2% milk.

Don't go in there with with, coffee, mate. Matt, what about egg and hog? What? If it's What? If it is any time after November, if you can hear Mariah Carey on the radio, then you can use egg and hog.

And in fact, we don't call that a white Russian. We call that a white Santa. I'll just say we just call that a we just call that a white woman. A witchy woman? Yeah.

We do call it The eagles. It's called the Karen. Oh. We call that the Karen. Witches.

Oh, and whether you put cream or eggnog in it, either way, you wanna serve this with ice in a lowball glass. Don't put it in a tall glass. You you can't see it right now, but Ben is holding up a perfect lowball glass with glass. For 18 years, a Lebowski Fest was held in cities across the country. Think Rocky Horror, but Yeah.

More laid back. People would dress and act as their favorite characters. They'd drink drink White Russians, which we just told you I make, and they would, brace yourself, listeners, they would do pot drugs. That's why pot? They did a pot.

They would take pot. They would do a pot. Do pot. Oh, okay. Pot drugs.

Well, glad they stopped that. Were they satanists or gay or or or both? They had to have been both because they were taking pot. They were doing pot drugs. Mhmm.

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your morals, this fest ended during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020, like so many of their generation facedown in the muck. Like so many men so many young men. So many young festivals of their generation. Their generation And he'll 364. What?

Shit about Vietnam, Walter. Well, there's a core no. There's no goddamn correlation. There's no connection here. Fucking everything's a travesty with you.

Oh. If anyone out there has the scratch to get a little festival going, I think it's high time it comes back. I'll be brave. Be fast. Absolutely.

Strap on that, those jelly sandals and that, bathrobe and get it going. I'll be a skinnier Walter. I have the beard for it. John Goodman is skinny now. Have you seen this?

It's true. But I have I feel like I have a similar, Walter You do. Beard? You got the Walter beard. Well, we're gonna get to this fact in a moment.

You watched the the documentary about this filmmaker that John Goodman based, you know, and you and that you know? And you're Bob's your uncle. Yeah. You're good to go. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. Which, good to go. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

Can't Oh, yeah. Well, you know, to, to piggyback off what you said, who foreshadowing leading me in there, John Goodman's character, Walter, is inspired by famous, sometimes infamous, dude loved his guns. Loves his guns. Sorry. He's he's still with us.

Writer, director, John Milius of, Conan the Barbarian, Red Dawn, Dirty Harry, and I think he has a co writing credit on Apocalypse Now. Yeah. Walter is based off this man, John Milius. And, yeah, knowing knowing Walter, you can you can maybe suss out why he's kinda infamous in addition to being famous. Just gonna read, some names at you here.

Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Robert Duvall. These are just some some of the actors that were approached to play the Big Lebowski, Jeffrey Lebowski before the Coens ultimately decided on David Huddleston, RIP. Also, Charlize Theron, who was in, Fury Road, was considered for Bunny before the decision was made to cast Tara Reade. I I I mean, I I think I think we can all objectively agree that Charlize Theron is a much better actor than Tara Reid. Is there some kind of churn of Tara Reid becoming a hot dumpster fire after this for this role?

That sort of, like, trajectory works? You know what's funny about this movie? I mean, yeah, you could certainly say that is something that happened, and maybe it was a result of this movie. Also, I would say Jeff Bridges' kinda entire personality was reprogrammed by this movie. It's true.

Like, I think he if you watch, like, interviews from Tron or thereabouts Yeah. Because I got sucked into a video. Which one? You know? Tron.

He's not nearly as dude as he was after this movie. But it's funny. I feel like he was dude until he became Rooster Cogburn in True Grit. Oh, yes. And now I know I know he's just Rooster Cogburn all the time.

And you're like, dude, you're from Malibu. What do you why why are you talking like that? I know. Has everybody seen the Hollywood Reporter interview where someone's talking about a video game and Jeff Bridges goes, I got trapped in a video game once. And they go, what was it?

He goes Prawn. That's one of the funniest fucking things I've ever seen. So Jeff Bridges can do whatever he wants as far as I'm concerned. I love that a lot of the clothes he wears in this movie are his clothes. Yeah.

That's right. Which to me says he's he's very dude. He did go a little rooster cobbler and I I agree. He did well, he did. And the funny thing is because Sam Elliott is in this movie and Sam Elliott, you know, as long as we've known him, has talked like he's from out west.

Man's from Portland, Oregon. Exactly right. Ritz City, baby. Man man lived in San Diego. Carcology, motherfucker.

Little bonus sub fact off that last fact. The role of Brandt, David Cross actually went in to audition for that, which I can totally see him in the role, but the energy would have been so different. I you know I can absolutely see him as Brandt. As you say that, I it's hard for me to imagine. It's even as you were saying names like Brando.

I'm like, I can't see somebody else playing The Big Lebowski. The only moment I can see David Cross is when he's like, oh, like, and has his arms at his sides, and that's probably a Philip Seymour Hoffman thing. I don't know. I don't know if that's written. Like, it's like Brandt has a specific anxious look in a in a specific moment.

But you didn't go to college. Man, the cast of this movie is holy smokes. I should've we should've noted the casting, but wow. Wow. Wow.

Wow. Wow. Wow. Dear listeners, with a total of 281, The Big Lebowski is in the top 50 movies with the most f bombs. I'm not gonna say fuck.

What word that is. Prom. Oh. Oh. Well, I guess if you're gonna up our our rating, then yes.

We're flying high. Yeah. 181 instances of the word fuck. I think it's like the 35th or 36th, like, most fucks in a movie of all time. Well, this I think we can beat him.

I mean You think you think in the course of this episode, we could get more than All I'm gonna all I'm gonna say is this is what happens, Larry. When you find a stranger in the Alps. What happens, Larry. But yeah. When you find a stranger in the Alps.

I do wanna give a a little shout out to Phoebe Bridgers who was also in. I saw the TV vote because she has a album called, stranger in the Alps. Alps. Oh, yeah. That's great.

It's so good. Very inside baseball. Phenomenal. Phenomenal album. Also, what a deep cut.

And I'm like, there's so many people who would not understand that reference. This film is loosely inspired by the work of Raymond Chandler, especially The Big Sleep, which if you watch, you'll see a lot of parallels. Joel Cohen himself has said, we wanted to do a Chandler kinda story, how it moves episodically and deals with the characters trying to unravel a mystery as well as having a hopelessly complex plot that's ultimately unimportant. I see what he's getting at. Mhmm.

And I'm sure we'll talk about that more when we when we start the movie. I don't know. Do you want that last fact? Please. I want it so bad.

Stop stop Jesus. Stop edginess. Okay. Holy fuck. Because it's been flying over.

Hold on one second. Apocalypse now. The Enola Gay here? Yeah. This is your birthday episode on my choppering in here.

Fucking shit. You're my birthday. I don't care. Hold on. Wow.

Or what is this flight path situation? The last fun fact. So in addition to several books, several, I'm talking at least 10, espousing the philosophy of the dude. There is an entire religion called Judaism with over 600,000, 600,000 ordained Buddhist priests. And if you too wanna be a dudeist priest, you can get ordained atdudism.com.

I believe they sponsor the pod. Right?dudism.com? They do now. This this episode is brought to you bydudism.com, and cream is a garnish? Alright.

Alright. Do those things go together? I I feel like dudism And cream. And cream. This will be an interesting ad.

I've been interesting companies. Yeah. You will I'm glad I don't make them. Oh, cream. Creams.

I don't wanna know. It's my birthday. Now you're a, long time listener, first time caller. Long time listener, first time caller. He's doing it.

He's doing it. You know we surprise our guests with a hot surprise, which is what is the log line of this movie? Oh, goodness. Maybe I should have listened closer. I I I thought he may already have it written down or something.

I wasn't sure. I wonder, do you listen to this while you while you work? Because sometimes I listen to things while I work and they go out like one in my ear and out the other. Egg. Her?

Exactly. I was just talking about this with someone. It might have been you the other day. I don't know a good time To listen to a podcast? Egg?

To listen to a podcast. I don't I her? Got a book. I I don't commute to work. I work from home, so I can't listen to a podcast then.

If I listen to a podcast when I'm working, it's hard to pay attention. I just when when is a good time? Like, I do have the podcast on pretty much every new episode, but unless my name is mentioned, such as in the, Simpson Snead, Bubba HoTep episode, I tend to kinda tune it all out. So I have absolutely That's that's totally fair. That's the best way to listen to this program is to just mostly have it on.

I tune it out. That's when you're gonna have the best time. Your guys' voice, it's it's just like ASMR. I just like hearing it while I'm working. It's just so pleasant and so familiar and yeah.

It's I love hearing about Steven Seagal. Matt Matt's falling asleep at work. Oh, yeah. Your best go. Give us your your Jeffrey Lebowski little urban achiever.

Well, cute. Go at a log line for this classic Coen Brothers film. An elevator pitch, basically. You're looking for 3 lines that kinda sum up with And this one, I'll give you a I'll give you a clue. This one is only one sentence.

Oh, wow. Yeah. Oh. Wow. You sum you can sum up this multifaceted, crazy, interconnected vignettes of a movie with one sentence.

It's it's very it's very simplified, but, yeah, I think they The inciting incident. Separate incidences. Separate incidences. I guess we can close the file on that one. That was your part, Paul.

That was your role that you missed out on. The Jack McBrayer adjacent. Yeah. You would be you would be perfect as that cop. Oh, thank you.

I would love that. Wait. Did he have a mustache? I can't remember. He should've had a mustache.

Clean shaven. Alright. Or the credence. He had a mustache. Or the credence.

Yeah. He did have a mustache. Alright. Go for it, Matt. I'm gonna say, if I'm gonna try to get the sound of one sentence, like a like a name that tune game show, I'm gonna say aging hippie has his life turned upside down by external forces when all he wants to do is bull.

I mean, you know Now do I think that's the actual log line? I I don't, but I think that, man, maybe sums it up. I mean, everything you just said Hit a lot of things. Made everyone in this room dumber. I award you no points.

No points. And may God have mercy. And may God have mercy on your soul. Here's the long line. Jeff, the dude Lebowski, mistaken Comma.

Mistaken for a millionaire of the same name Comma. Seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it. Period. It is a long sentence. Okay.

That I mean, that was one sentence I could hear. That that's a quirk of the English language because really, really packed £10 of sentence into that 1 pound bag. But I agree that that is a good succinct log line, and I think that sums it up pretty well. And to your point, they had the inciting incident right in there. Hey, we do have to step away for a word from our sponsor, but, can I get you a refill, dude?

Cream? If you could get me a refill. If you could figure out that technology. We're gonna take a wee little break here, and then we're gonna get back and we're gonna start this movie, and we're going to quote Big Lebowski to you even more. Fucking fuck.

Because it's my birthday, so fuck you people. I'm gonna keep you here. This is free, so we get to be mean. Hey, it's Paul, co host of the review review. I'm here to read an ad from our sponsors, dudeism.com, x cream, dudeism cream.

Dudeism cream. Anything dude you wanna make more creamy. You ever looked at a rack of ribs and thought, fuck, that looks good. Couldn't it be, like, more creamy? Dudeism cream will break down any dude food, like this 16 pound block of extra sharp cheddar cheese filled with nails and a bunch of the shit from kickbox or with Van Damme, you know, where he puts his knuckles and the stuff and glass and everything.

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Yeah, meow. Toxicity is a question for the courts. Well, this is me, Arnold Schwarzenegger. And this is me on the screen here riding towards the camera. To tell you all about Ben's blockbuster, Bonanza, Summer here on the review review.

I have completely taken over this podcast. I am in charge. I am the boss. I am the captain now. And you'll see that it's fairly evident as you will join us for the running man, Zech Zashki, last action hero with Dustin De Leon.

And there would be a showdown between me as the Terminator in my true form against the tyrannosauruses of Jurassic Park, the littleorians, and the skateboarding kids of back to the future, and the frat boys of animal house. That's right. Here on the review review, you will choose how we cap off Ben's back buster bonanza summer by voting to the review review Instagram, review x 2 podcast. Yeah. I love the democratic process.

It's fantastic. And now back to the guys hosting there. And we're back. We are back. From dudeism.com?

Yeah. And cream and dudeism cream. Dudeism cream? Cream as in what? Dudism x cream.

They collab. The collab no one saw coming. Except well, some of those who received the cream saw it. What is this show? Son of a bitch.

Welcome back everyone to our birthday episode for Ben on the big Lebowski with Matt Ferro. Holy shit. We're moving and grooving. But what we have to do first, as we always do, We have to play around of cinephile. Matt Barrow.

I mean, it's it's your birthday. Do you want the freebie? Oh, I'll take the freebie. I think that's fair. Okay.

Okay. Let's see. Oh, he's not Willem Dafrend. He's Willem Dafoe. Let's roll.

And the movie is Streets of Fire. Barrow. I'm gonna say Boondock Saints. To live and die in LA. Grand Budapest Hotel.

Spider Man. Spider Man No Way Home. The Last Temptation of Christ. Oh. I'm drawing a blank.

I no. No. No. No. The Lighthouse.

The Lighthouse. Oh. Florida Project. Shit. I think I might have to hold on to this hot potato.

I I I know I know dozens of movies this man is in, but they're just not coming to my I've I've had one to meet in my Russian. We had a good round. Yeah. That was really a good fun, everybody. Yeah.

Made the circle. It was I mean, Willem Dafoe. Did you more like that triangle? Yeah. Matt Barrow He does think that.

As my best friend and the person who I invited onto this program, please discuss the first time you saw the classic film, The Big Lebowski, and do it in detail because I'm pretty sure it was the first time I saw it and I don't remember. You know, I I wish I knew more movies that Willem Dafoe was in offhand because as you've said, I'm positive that the first time we watched this movie was together and for something that is as foundational in our friendship as I mentioned earlier in the episode. I don't know if I remember the exact first time we watched it. I think it's because we've seen it so many times. We have.

We have seen this movie at least a dozen times together. We used to just throw it on. I believe you had a standee of the dude. Is that right? Or am I imagining that?

No. I I had the poster. You you just had the poster. Yeah. You had the poster and a standee of Batman.

That's right. Okay. I'm mixing memories. See? That's I'm pushing 40.

But it was almost certainly do you think it was in my red house, or do you think it was in the apartment? I wanna say the apartment because you didn't work at Hollywood till the apartment. Right? There was a very brief overlap. So yeah.

Oh, listeners of the pod, I believe everyone currently on the pod is a, an alumna for Bollywood Video. Is that right? Oh, you worked at Yeah. Holy shit. Did you say Bollywood?

Oh, did I say Bollywood? I do that sometimes. Wait. Did you See, because I worked at Bollywood Video. You guys worked at Bollywood.

Did you say cloud assless? That's the that's the quote of mine that Paul wants to put on our shirt. I love that so much. That is one of the endearing memes, I would say. From from what I've thought of this show while I'm working and only half paying attention, that is one of the ones that's that's stuck out.

I definitely said cloud assless. I 100% did. Just like Cloud Atlas. That movie. So it was almost certainly a rental from Hollywood Video, and, you know, us former GSRs, we got them for free.

So it was most certainly a free rental. Yeah. I'm sure it was we watched it for the first time. We watched so many movies that way for the first time. Call back to the Bubba Ho Tep episode.

That's how we saw, Bubba Ho Tep with Stimson, Ben, and myself. And he took the DVD, and he's never gonna give it back. And I think he's I actually saw him the other day, and he made sure to let me know that I'm never getting a DVD. I'm at $40 in 2003 money. So what would what would yeah.

What's the inflation there? What would your ranking be in first viewing and in new viewing? The first viewing, we've talked about many times. It was like a supernova. I think when we at least for me, when we watched it for the first time, my vocabulary just immediately became quotes from the movie.

Yeah. It it comes up in ways that exact yeah. Words that I didn't know existed that I learned from this movie that then became part of my vocabulary. I don't know why. It's a perfectly cromulent word.

I don't even recognize sometimes. Like, of course, there's the you you and I quoting blinds directly at each other for 25 years, but there's also anytime we talk about the new Planet of the Apes series, we say it's fucking apes on fucking horseback with fucking machine guns. As in, dude, are we gonna go see the new Planet of the Apes movies? It's fucking apes on fucking horseback with fucking machine guns. Yeah.

We're gonna go see the movie. That, I didn't realize until I just watched it again. That comes from it's a fucking show dog with fucking papers. Yeah. It's I I didn't remember that.

I didn't put those things together. It just subliminally bled in. That's how kinda influential this was and a sense of humor and everything. And that and, you know, working at Hollywood video, you kinda, especially as a teenager, fancy yourself a film buff, and I love the kind of film noir adjacent sort of thing this movie was going for, the slacker noir that, you know, many years later would spawn things like, Pineapple Express or Inherent Vice. So the the kind of film buff in me that was romanticizing my Hollywood video clerk position really loved that as well.

And I would say at that first viewing, which I can't exactly remember, but I know kind of the window of time it was in, and I, vaguely remember. I would say, at that time, I would have rated it 5 Amy man toes out of 5. I think it was perfect. That's good. That's a good rating.

As a teenager. Yeah. Well, you know. And you're more recent? And more recently.

So as you said, I've watched this movie. We've watched this movie dozens of times over the years, sometimes in one of our living rooms. We've seen it outdoors. We went to I think we actually went to one of the Lebowski Fest that we mentioned earlier. Seen it many times.

This this most recent time, I saw it on Disney plus, which is a weird place to see that movie. You know, a bit of a tangent here. If you connect your Hulu account to your Disney Plus now, you get all the Hulu listings in Disney Plus, and this movie streams on Hulu. So Holy shit. It's so weird.

Like, when I opened Disney Plus and they're getting It's all that connected. The first thing that came up was, like, First Omen on Disney. I was like I saw that too. Okay. Okay.

Yeah. It's bizarre. It's weird seeing, like, Snow White, Princess and the Frog, Handmaid's Tale. Like, it's it really kinda takes you out. But, yeah, I watched it on Disney plus last night.

I'm guessing this is the genius of what you guys have come up with the concept for this podcast is it's probably everyone comes in here thinking, okay. I'm, you know, I'm gonna try to cast off the goggles of nostalgia. I'm gonna judge it on its own merits. I'm I'm older now. I'm I'm 38.

Ben's Ben just hit the big 3 8. I'm sure I'm sure there's some clouding of some nostalgia in there. I'm sure if I take off the nostalgia goggles, I'm sure you know, the Coen Brothers have probably made better movies. I was expecting, like, a 4. I gotta say, it's a 5.

It is a 5 nice Marmecs out of 5 because Nice Marmec. Everything nice Marmec, man. Every every beat, every moment feels perfectly placed. It moves at a pace that just keeps me hooked. It's just a series of just insane vignettes with the only real grounding to all of them is the dude's presence, and it just works for me.

I don't I don't rate things a 5 often. I only rate something a 5 if there's nothing I would wanna see different, if there's nothing I would wanna change. And I think this is a 5 still 20 years after I first saw it. Okay. Wow.

I gotta follow all that up. Yeah. Shit. Paul German. By the way, I wanna say, life aquatic and antichrist were the 2 that I had on deck.

So I don't know where I would have been. Poor things was my Oh, okay. Yep. I still have not seen that. I would like to.

So I first saw this movie I mean, like, I saw segments of this movie from HBO or whatever cable service or premium service, And then from all sorts of shit, and then finally watched it on TNT or TBS at some point after I started smoking weed. I was probably, like, I must have almost I was almost into triple digits by then. I was probably, like, 97, 99 at that point. And so it must have been, like, 2003 or 4. Yeah.

Around that time. But, like, I watched this movie in its entirety at that point and was, like, yeah, 3a half. I wanna say I've probably seen this movie at this point, like, 40 to 50 times. I watched it again a couple years after that, got mildly stoned in an entire Papa John's XL pizza by myself. Got myself garlic sauce?

Creamy. Oh, of course. Not a fucking amateur here. I didn't I mean, they didn't have the chakaroni at the time, but I would've taken that fucker down too. So You would've taken a whole chakaroni.

I would've taken down a chakaroni. My dick. I felt awful. My stomach had a brick. I should've lit a roll on, but I had a pretty good time watching this movie.

I would've given it 4 out of 5 ringers. The whites. The whites. Now I have to do once. Do something really unpleasant on Ben's birthday.

Ben and I both recently saw this film at the Eagle Theater at Vidiots in Eagle Rock here in the Los Angeles area, and boy did we have a great time. Yeah. I really like this movie a lot, and I wanted to make sure my notes were good and so forth. I watched it again today. So my most recent viewing was not when we watched it the other night.

Gosh. Oh my gosh. That also tells you 5 out of 5 ringers. I watched this the other night at the theater and would have given it a 5. A couple years ago, I watched it and was like, okay.

This is a 5. Based on rewatch rewatchability sheer rewatchability outside of anything else. And then at the theater, that experience for the first time and the only time I've had that experience, it's like, oh, fuck. With certain things that you I almost didn't realize that it's like, no. This is a movie theater movie, and a lot of it is shot for that.

The experience is definitely different. But I watched it at home, and I had just about as much fun. I watched it, like, 2 days ago. And, yeah, it's 5 out of 5 ringers. Ben, I'm so sorry that I sullied our experience that that we had for your birthday.

No, Paul. Don't apologize. Thank you. I feel absolved. The first omen's available on Disney plus.

Not a sponsor. Yeah. That's the total opposite of dudism.com. Don't use dudism. Oh, no.

Opposite. Dudism cream and First Omen don't go together. Not at all. Well, Matt already talked about because I I also don't remember the first time I watched it. But I've been thinking about why it's for me, it's a it's a movie that's been a cornerstone not only of our friendship, but also just like a cornerstone of my personality.

Thank god I liked it. Shit. I haven't actually watched it in a while. I I I honestly can't remember the last time I just sat down and watched it, without just, like, throwing on the background or something. Like, just sat and watched it, which was so wonderful to see it in the theater, have a couple beers, and then, like, have a big crowd who are just laughing along with this movie that they've seen probably the amount same amount of times that we all have, and still the jokes are still funny.

Yes. Paul has his hand raised. How long do you think the longest period of time there was between laughter when we were in the movie theater? May the longest would probably be a couple minutes when it would get a little serious, maybe. I was gonna say, like, 45 seconds, like, maybe 60.

Yeah. Everyone is laughing all the fucking time. All the way through. I The jokes land? The joke yeah.

And I don't wanna I don't wanna go on too long, but I just wanna say, like, because we're gonna talk about this movie still. We're gonna keep talking about it. It's my birthday. Fuck you. Keep watching.

Fuck you, Matt. So Pretty nice to Matt. This is 5 out of 5 Pomeranians. Is that a Pomeranian, dude? I'm not taking it bowling.

I'm I'm not getting into beer. I'm buying it beer. I'm taking your turn, dude. Is it's fucking hair gonna fall out? Is it gonna chew up the furniture?

It gets upset. Marty, it's Cynthia. You stop being Jewish? You turn in your library card? To Sandy Colfax?

You're damn right. I'm talking the past. Why would it end up Jesus. What happened here? What a fucking movie.

Well, everyone we're gonna do this. Happen. Yeah. Pour yourself a drink. I I'll go get myself a McDouble after this.

Whatever. We're pulling an all nighter. Welcome everyone. It's The Big Lebowski for Ben's birthday. Start the movie.

Star the movie. Star the movie. Star the movie. And now, our feature presentation. I hate to do this before we start the movie.

Terrible. Can anyone think of a common complaint that they've heard about this film from different people, but kind of similar thread, similar thing that upsets them? CG tumbleweed? None that I agree with. So you were saying though, Matt, that you can think of something or some folks that have, like, a common complaint about this.

What was that? I mean, like I said, I can I can think of a few I've heard? I don't know if I necessarily agree with them, but I I can see where at least they're coming from. There's a few. There's, in many ways, if you did not have the dude, and I think that's an important if, if you did not have the dude, there's not a ton of cohesion between these several kind of almost very disparate, almost vignettes.

If you really think about it, that I mean, well, like I said, it was kinda like a Raymond Chandler thing where the plot is just overly complicated. I would say that's not important because we're following the dude, and these things are happening to the dude. But I I have heard people say that it's kind of a mess. It doesn't these things just kind of weave in and out. And, I mean, maybe we'll talk about it more as we get through the movie, but it kinda ends.

And if you're someone who looks for resolution in a film, you're not really gonna get that here because the threads we're following, the sort of mystery, we don't really resolve them. We don't really resolve what happens to The Big Lebowski or Maude or the whole money situation there. We don't really know what happens in the nihilist. I would say that's not important. The dude is no longer a part of that, so the movie has moved past it.

But that's one of the things that I would, I think I've heard people complain about. There's a few more. That's kind of the big one. I think I even maybe have a tiny complaint, but not one that would adjust my rating at all. Can you go be very brief about what your tiny complaint is?

As briefly as I can, I don't know if the stranger, if Sam Elliott's narrator character really completely gels for me? I don't know if I completely get what he's supposed to do, why there's narration in the beginning that's from the far future, Why the only other time we have off screen narration is 3 quarters for the the film? Why, is it diegetically? Is that the word that he's actually in it at the halfway point and at the end? It it feels a little to me like some of it was probably left on the cutting room floor.

Maybe it was hacked together a little bit. Like I said, I would not change the rating at all just because I don't understand it. In that way, maybe it's kinda like David Lynch where I don't need to understand it. I'm sure there's something to it, but that would be the one thing I'd say that I don't quite understand. To jump on what you're saying, I think he's almost like a guardian angel.

I think there's an it's a wonderful life kind of thing to a degree there. The thing that I've mostly heard is that there's no resolution with the bowling tournament. Oh, really? And I think that's so fucking stupid. Well, especially because I don't see John Goodman or Jeff Bridges bowl.

But that's so weird. Because people people that I've talked to who haven't seen the movie or didn't watch it or don't wanna watch it, they'll be like, oh, you mean the bowling movie? And I remember in so many times I'll be like, this movie is not about bullying. Like, that is in no way what the movie is about. And so It's a bowling alley instead of an office.

Right. Instead of a PI office or somebody's living room. Yeah. But the movie starts Oh. With a tumbling tumbleweed.

I'm excited. Tumbling tumbleweed across all of LA, the beaches. From Pismo what does he say? From Saint Louis. From Leo Carrillo to Pismo.

To Pismo. To Pismo. Alpoc to Pismo. But, hey, I'm talking about the dude here. And just seeing that tumbleweed go across what, I mean, you assume is, I don't know, fucking Palmdale or Salinas or I mean, those don't really exist even there.

Sunset. I think he's on Sunset. I don't know why. Because the bowling alley is in Eagle Rock, which is where we saw the movie. Sure.

The bowling alleys was right down the street. But the the the tumbleweed thing and the voice over narration into the Ralphs Yeah. And, again, like, we talked a little bit about off mic the difference of watching this at home and in the theater. And this, like, the feeling of things that were, like, eye peripheral peripheral left screen, of all like, the shelf, all full with, like, gold and soft margarine and half and half and all this shit. It feels so big.

And at home, it still looks great, but it's so enveloping in the movie theater. And I think I mean, I know seeing this in the theater is the first time I've seen the theater in LA. And after living in LA for as long as I have now and it being still an impactful movie before I lived in LA, it just feel there's so much in this movie that is so Los Angeles. It's like there's just so much of it that just seeps through that I didn't necessarily get when I didn't live here. And now that I live here You couldn't be anywhere else.

Yeah. Totally. It's it's like every archetype. Every character is kind of like a different archetype of LA in a way. And nineties nineties LA.

Right? And, like, these are these are boomers. Like okay. Well, so we we check date. We We talked about this at the movie theater too.

We meet the dude, and he's getting some half and half, and he's he he reaches to the back to get the one of the ones that has, like, a expiration date might be a little later, and he smells it. That's smart. Yeah. I it's like I was like, wait. Is he smelling it because it has a reduced price?

Or is he just like I don't who cares? But this aggression will not stand. Will not stand. And that check is dated September 11th, and then it cuts to a Bush president. I You know what's a funny bit about that?

Illuminati. So the date on the check is September 11th. So, you know, conspiracy theorists go to nuts. September 11, 1991. The speech he's watching is actually from August of 1990.

So even It's, like, re airing on CNN. Yeah. It it could just be a replay. Or if it's live, the dude is actually postdating a check for a full year. Postdating I like that better.

9¢ for an entire year. But if we also I love I know we don't get to it yet, but, like, this is the introduction of the dude is just a sponge of words. He just takes other people what other people say and just reiterates it another time, with the So often. This yeah. But this is the first one.

This aggression will not stand. Will not stand. So many seeds are planted. This is where I feel like Arrested Development, Mitch Hervets, and all sorts of folks probably really enjoyed Big Lebowski where it's like little tiny seeds are planted and then pay off much later in different ways. And if you're paying attention, like, you get this jackpot that, like, it's this rush of dopamine.

Yeah. You're in this, like, high of laughter. And if you weren't paying attention, like, sucks for you. Yeah. Absolutely.

And it rewards repeated doings in that way. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. I was gonna say that.

It's it definitely does that. And he gets home, and he's fucking so jazzed to get home to make his white Russian. Mhmm. And he gets thrown into oh, yeah. Shake it.

He gets thrown into his toilet. And I just love this little part. It's tiny, but I love that when he's getting thrown into it. You see the bag with the bowling ball just like knock part of the doorway off. It takes out the door.

The door frame. Yeah. Right through it. Like, it's like it's cheap wood. And just goes right into the toilet.

Where's the fucking money Lebowski? Where's the money shit, man? Mark Mark Polowin now. Cream goes everywhere. Everywhere.

It goes everywhere. All over the lens of the camera that's like mounted behind near the toilet. I love that shot. Yeah. So much of this movie, like it's not filters, I don't think.

I think it's lenses. There are things that feel extremely seventies, grainy or thick or jelly or what have you that, like again, like, the atmosphere is created so beautifully through the camera. And as you were saying, Matt, and and I think you as well, Ben, the the whole story, this the dude is our vessel. He's, like, a kind of he's supposed to kinda be a blank slate. Imagine if you were the laziest man in Los Angeles County.

Hell, maybe the world. Run for laziest man in the world. Yeah. And that's the thing is, like, you can imprint yourself on him. Almost anyone can to some degree or another, especially if you're stoned and really watching this movie the right way.

The rug pissing in that moment where it's like like, woo. It's like, this is what happens. What does he say? He pisses on the rug? What?

What happens at dead beats the He does say this is what happens, doesn't he? Which recurs again. Mhmm. This is what happens. That's kind of a hot spring thing in this movie.

So many things. Hey, Woo. Isn't this guy supposed to be a millionaire? Yeah. What do you think?

Yeah. What do you think? And then He's just like a fucking loser. Hey. At least I'm housebroken.

Fucking And they're looking for some Lebowski with a wife named Bunny. Your name's Lebowski, Lebowski. Your wife is Bunny. My wife? Bunny?

My wife? Do I look like a fucking mirror? Yeah. See, we're just gonna quote it the whole time. And he throws up his right hand ring ring finger.

Yeah. Do you see a ring on his finger? The fucking toilet seat. Throws his sunnies back on. Wait.

Is he left handed? Is that why he throws up his right hand? I never thought of that. I don't know. Maybe he's not.

The iconic shot of him on the toilet. It looks better in the frame with the right hand in that moment. I assume that's why. Yeah. With the sunglasses on.

But, yeah, the wet hair and the sunglasses. I also love when when when they're dunking his head instead of, you know, like, fighting or anything. He said, I think it's down there. Let me take another look. This whole thing acts as a cold open.

Yeah. Which is so beautiful. Which is, like, what great noirs, great television shows, all sorts of stuff do. This podcast, which is among the greats I said forget about it, because There's some sort of cold open that sets the tone for what we're walking into. And this shows us that it's, like, you're gonna be dealing with a good amount of story or plot points.

You should probably play pay attention, and it's gonna be really absurd. And the transition directly into the, strike. That's great. I'm rolling rocks tonight. Mark I'm throwing stones tonight that Donnie always throw compares himself to throw in something Until he doesn't.

Fortunate. That's that's gonna help ourselves. But This kinda opening sequence, the extreme close ups on every kind of mundane function of this bowling alley. Oh, yeah. No.

It's wonderful. Ball return. The the shoe spray. It's just that sort of thing. That was another thing that kind of oh, then and the and the music is perfectly paired.

We talked about that, but it's just amazing. And that's one of those things that kinda bled into my, sort of conscious of or or for what I think movies should be. And, like, a lot of my favorite movies, Clerks, things like that, do that same trick where you really hone in on the work a day, like, processes and things. And The Office, I think, was a show that did that as well. Like, focus on, like, the copier and things like that.

I just think that's such a cool trick. I'm a sucker for that, and they do it so well in this opening sequence. They do a great thing in this with using this specific song to express through the lyrics, this is the dude's safe place. Like, oh, what a wonderful feeling. Like, this is where I wanna be.

This is what I wanna be doing. And then it it even says, in the lyrics, like, that he's essentially able to attack, and he'll prove it. And this is the thing is the inciting incident is the rug being pissed on is the thing that makes him feel he's ready for any task. This is the thing that has engaged him, that has inspired him. And the last thing that you wanted to do, if you're the guilty party in this whole conspiracy, is to have shaken the tree that is the dude.

Like, leave that marijuana plant alone. Don't leave it alone. And I I just Human paraquat? This this scene I mean, every scene, but this scene is, I think, a master class in screenwriting where we don't where we get 3 new where we get 2 new characters, but we get this relationship, and we don't need to we don't need a lot of exposition about how they're connected because we get it pretty much immediately. They bowl together.

They bowl together. Their body language says it all. Yeah. And but they're in the middle of the conversation. The dude has already talked about the rug pissing about that.

Were you listening to the dude's story, Donnie? What you listening to the story? Wanders into the middle of a movie. Yeah. Immediately, we get the dude's story.

We get it. He he's just saying, like, this should happen. And Walter, as he is throughout the entire thing, is just the aggressive devil on his shoulder who's just pushing him to do something that he probably shouldn't. He probably should just follow his instincts which is not do anything. What are you talking about, dude?

But these guys pissed on it. You're fucking Pissed on your fucking rug. I'm talking about going after the other Lebowski, the big Lebowski. Well, and they go over, again, so beautifully. These guys are just relaxed, sitting in a bowling alley, fucking bullshitting, just chopping it up.

And you feel like somebody who's, like, over their shoulder or in the joining lane, and you're just fascinated by the conversation. I mean, I may be wrong here, but that's, like, that's that's the feeling that I get and the pocket that I get into. And that, like, when they're telling the story about Bunny and how she owes money all over town and this whole thing, like, everything just feels extremely genuine. Like, you know, people, you know, they say and do wild shit, and nothing about this feels that far fetched. Yeah.

It feels very I don't wanna say mundane to make it sound boring, but it feels very kinda everyday, every man. Yeah. Something that's always impressed me about the dialogue, it feels so natural. So much so that you'd think it's improv, but it's not. Every single crazy.

Coen Brothers are like single man. Yeah. Yeah. They're locked in. It's on the page.

Like, there is there's no Yeah. You know? Like, I mean, the same with Fargo, right, where it seems like they're just improving that, you know, I saw March down at but it's every like and, you know, is in the script. Apparently, yeah. Yeah.

1 or 2 lines in this whole thing and are improv'd. And this idea that the dude has the right to go to this other private citizen's home and say, these guys pissed on my fucking rug, and he wants the big Lebowski to make him whole. This is the inciting incident. He goes and sees the other Jeffrey Lebowski, the billionaire. He wants another rug or money for the rug or you know?

And he has fair. Yeah. And he has target. He has to deal with Brandt first who's Oh my god. Assistant, and he's showing him it's such a great awkward little walk through these.

And these are, these are all his chill his his kids have different mothers of Different mothers? No. He has Seracial is pretty crucial. No. What's that?

No. No. No. Actually, his excuse me. RIP, man.

You didn't go to college. No. I went to college. It was, breaking the ROTC and bowling. Smoke a lot of my stick.

So this is a, I guess, like, a a disputed, like, common thing. When Philip Seymour Hoffman is describing the Necessary means for the necessary means. Urban Achievers, the necessary means for the necessary means. Obviously, as we just went over, this is intentional. Yeah.

They don't have the necessary means for the necessary means. And this to me is the very first thing that lays it very thick that this movie is about class struggle. If you're on the very bottom, some random fucking person will show up in your house and piss on your rug and destroy your property just for having the same name. Yeah. Otherwise, if you're the rich guy, the big one, like, nobody shows over your house and does this.

An appointment. Yeah. And fall ahead. And kinda like what we talked about minority report, this as a noir, as the structure of this movie is a noir, in terms of mystery and like setup and the plot reveals, this is giving us the sort of like the true mystery. It's but it's giving to us in a very throwaway way of like, yeah, this is the little The Lebowski Little Urban Achievers.

Like we Yeah. We get a glimpse of that. Exposition as far as we can tell. Yeah. The Big Lebowski.

Okay, sir. You told Brent. He told me. Yes. Yes.

You're a Lebowski. I'm a Lebowski. You know, fuck it. Did I piss on your rug? Fuck it.

No. Don't know. Woo. Pissed on my rug. As I like I said, woo pissed on my rug.

Do you dress like this? On a weekday, sir? Get a job, sir. What day is this? When he's telling him when the big Lebowski is like, I went out and achieved anyway.

I lost the use of my legs. I'm fucking amazing. I'm the best. Do what your parents did. Go get a job and the whole thing.

And when, the dude says, fuck it. And this becomes a thing through the whole movie. Walter says it. Multiple people say it. Ah, fuck it.

And, normally, it's the people who, are not as wealthy who are saying, ah, fuck it. More so than anyone else. How many favorite lines do you have from this movie? Because this is A thousand. This is one of 888.

The dude walks out and How'd your movie go? The door as as the big Lebowski's screaming pretty good. Old man has had any rug in the place. Fucking incredible. Yeah.

Great line. This is And they do. The guy carrying it after that. He doesn't Brandt doesn't go check with him. He just gives him the rug.

Give him the rug. Yeah. He doesn't open the door and be like, did you say he could take a rug? Good way to get rid of this guy. And I love then we meet Bunny when she's like, blow on them.

I can't blow from over here, silly. You're not blowing. Would he mind? No. He's a nihilist.

Must be exhausting. Exhaust. Exhaust. It's so funny to me because as I've gotten older and I've talked to Matt about this, I feel like every year as I get older, I become more and more of a nihilist. Oh, God.

Yes. And I don't think nihilism is exhausting at all. I'm kind of the dude. I think I've been the dude for a long time and didn't realize it. Maybe slightly more motivated, but not a lot.

That's that's a good good path to chart. You know, what I was kinda thinking just on this most recent or not. That's that's the important part is when you start trying. The dude and the nihilists are kind of flip sides of the same coin. They both have a lot I agree.

Similar like, just the idea of fuck it. That's a very nihilist, but he does it in a way that's not it doesn't have that kind of destructive edge almost of nihilism. It's more like the other side of the coin. It's more like dudeism, sponsor of the pond. Well, hey.

We believe in Nassim Lebowski. Well and the nihilists believe in the the concept, the power, the construct, because we give a power of money and want that. The dude does not give a flying fuck about that. He just wants to bowl and be left to his own devices. All the dude wanted was his run back.

And and his goddamn rug back. And the again, another favorite fucking line like boom boom boom boom is I'll suck your cock for $1,000 Brent can't watch though or else he has to pay a 100. That's fantastic. I'm just gonna hit a cash machine. The face he makes.

He's so happy. He's so happy. Spirited. Yeah. Twenty grand, man.

Yeah. All I gotta do is oh, they haven't given him that yet. So Yeah. That's coming soon. Yeah.

That's not a Pomeranian that Walter lets out. It's it's Cynthia and Not even Kainan. Yeah. And Marty Ackerman's Pomeranian just showed up. Pomeranian.

It has fucking papers. I can't leave it at home and lose it. Over the line. That's one of my favorite. Over the line is great.

And poor Smokey, who just seems like a sweet dude. So my cat thinks my little butt, mustard, Tabby, the dumbest, sweetest, fucking moron you'd ever care to get mildly nibbled on by. Maybe a bite. It's probably a bite. I tried to cover for him.

He the dog, the Pomeranian's going nuts, and I'm watching that today, and Binks loses his fucking mind. He is not happy about the dog barking in his house and surround sound. He is very unhappy. So, I I I didn't feel great about that. Yeah.

But it wasn't over. What was the reaction? Smokey in this situation. Run and hide or Yeah. Did the cat run and hide or what?

Oh, yeah. He did. He jumped in his tube. He was not about it at all. He was Smokey.

I think he told my girlfriend about it when she He was a pass and then it happened. To the league. Yep. Yeah. But Oh, he tattled?

Yeah. But it wasn't am I fucking when he came so this time watching He looks like Stalin, man. This time he looks a little like Stalin. This time watching the movie, I've told Matt, Rudy looks like Mao Zedong, so they can't be together. Never in the same space ever.

They They'll take over the they'll start World War 3. Yeah. Clearly. They will. He when he takes out the gun this time, that is it it has zero repercussions.

Other Yeah. No. Get kicked out of the league. The tournament continues. The cops come in behind them like fucking Keystone cops.

I did not know that. Barely pay attention to it. And it just kinda, like, gets washed from the rug even though the rug. But we but what this does do is we're we're getting a lot more character, and we're learning. These are nineties early nineties boomers.

My dad, if this were my dad is more of dude at this time. Like, my dad protested the Vietnam War. Vietnam. Yeah. It's a country.

There's a photo of him standing on the bridge for the Seattle 7. Yeah. He he blocks I dabbled with fascism myself. Not Nam, of course. Not Nam, of course.

And and That's right. These 2 these 2 people who are now best friends connected they are connected, like, together at the hip would be, like, juxtaposed in this in in the late sixties, early seventies, which I just think is a A 100%. Which is such an interesting idea. It's it's really strange that it's like, wait, John, Melius, and Gabby Hoffman or whatever are, like, best friends? Like, what is this?

This makes no sense. And then Donnie who's like John Waters or something. Oh my god, Donnie. I so dude get does get a message from the league. Like, these are the repercussions or a stern message.

Well, and Smokey. Hey, dude. It's Smokey. Just to let you know, gonna talk to the league, maybe forfeit the game to us. Sorry.

Sorry. We'll see. And the league leaves a message and says, you're a a teammate of yours, a Walter Soapcheck, withdrew a firearm during league play. And I love the deliver Did you know and Matt knows this. What my at one point, my Xbox handle was Soapcheck Security.

Fungus. That's good. That's really good. I wonder where that business is. I assume it still stands.

I wonder And he gets a on it. I also love the conceit of the voice mail, the the in this throughout. Yes. I was thinking, like, that's not something you could really use anymore. I mean, you can kinda do it on your phone, but, like, the way it's just kinda playing while he's doing something else.

I'm I think there are other reasons for this, but I've always been kinda curious to the idea that it's set in 1990 when it was when it came out in 1998, filmed in, like, 97. Like, 7 years back is a very it's not long enough to be, like, oh, it's a period piece. I don't think it's because of phones necessarily, because, I mean, cell phones that were around in 98, but they weren't ubiquitous. I I assume it's mostly the Desert Storm, the Gulf War kind of Well, I think it's the Gulf War, and it's the class. And it's the connection class.

The connection to Vietnam, I think. Like, being closer to them because they're Yeah. Never should have been there. That could definitely be a part of it. But, also, I mean I I mean, he does have a car phone at some point, but also, like, phones and phones ringing are very kinda constant presence and voice mail, that kind of Nope.

Phones are gonna If you do the operator. Gave you the beeper. And the the dude gets gets that message from the league, and this is where, Mani, the landlord shows up, tells, the dude about his cycle. You know, my aunt's quartet. And it's one of the only times there, man.

Dude is shot from a bug's eye, almost essentially like he's a god. From Oh. He's an influential, powerful individual in this dynamic, and then Monty is shot from a god's eye from below where the dude is up on these stairs looking down on him. And it's this is one of the beauties of the things that existed in filmmaking really, really common in the, I think, fucking forties, fifties, whatever. But also in this movie and a lot of good movies is you create power dynamics this way, and you understand that, like, it doesn't necessarily the matter that the dude doesn't have a job or consistent income.

Yeah. Because he has emotional and psychological power over this guy. It's wonderful. Dude, this man who's so weak that yeah. He he he's he's sheep he's the landlord.

He's sheepish about even asking for rent His money. 10 days. Yeah. I love that he tells him the 10th, and the dude's like, far out. Like, he Yeah.

He just Yeah. Sure. Got it. He's not even telling him, like, why? And he's like, oh, you can slip the rent for a minute.

Oh, right. Right. Yeah. Oh, yeah. But do you think he actually does?

You think he ever pays it? I think he did. I think he does. I think he does. I think he did.

Good question, though. I mean, in 1991, his rent's probably, like, $300. Yeah. Oh, yeah. In Venice Yeah.

For sure. For a 1 bedroom. One bedroom. One bedroom. Yeah.

Yeah. It's a pretty nice I I was taking A decent one bed. Free watch. It's a big apartment. Like, it's it's not A classic California apartment.

It's probably 5 It looks like classic Los Angeles. Square feet. Back at Big Lebowski's and fucking Philip Seymour Hoffman firing on all cylinders, walking the dude through With his head down. Mr. Lebowski and opening the doors.

And he's just like a goddamn shooting star. And the music. Oh, it's so good. Oh. What makes a man, mister Lebowski?

Another one of my million favorite lines. Fantastic goals. Mind if I do a j? I just love at that moment. I I noticed this time too where he's like before he says dude, he, like, takes something out of his mouth like a like a crumb or something.

He's like Yeah. He flicked something out of his beard or teeth. Yeah. I don't know, sir. And it's all dramatic and he he's like, are you surprised at my tears, sir?

And we learn that Bunny has been kidnapped. Men also cry. And and Brandt is crying. That's my favorite part. He's Yeah.

Smithers. He is Smithers. Oh, you're so hot on the phone. He's Smithers. He's a 100% Smithers.

Totally. It's so good. It it's like Philip Seymour Hoffman taking Smithers and going, but this goes to 11. Like, it's almost literally that to me. You probably shouldn't have seen that.

Goddamn it. It's good. And So you're quite good. The I like the dude's face while he's reading the ransom note and his eye because he's smoking a joint and his he's, like, his eyes are adjusting to it. He's, like, looking at it.

And we learned that Bunny has been Consecutive 20. Yeah. I I love the voice over there of him reading it. And the motion of the dude is being employed to go and deliver the money because do you think that the the carpet pissers did this? Well, dude, we just don't know.

We just don't know. You are in a position to confirm or disconfirm that suspicion. It's a perfectly cromulent word. His her life is in your hands, dude. Her life is in your hands.

I was told to repeat that. I was told to repeat that. Her life is in your hands, dude. Nobody fucks with the Jesus. And they come in with that Spanish language version of Hotel California.

And to me, that, like, as you California. Watching the movie and if you're paying attention, that immediately sets him up as, like, a nemesis. Like, a bad guy. Mhmm. Yeah.

They bring in the eagles. What anytime something's, like, antagonizing the dude. Yeah. Yes. He's kind of really But he's a pervert, dude.

What do you mean? Because we don't even know at this point. Like a pet her ass? What's a pet her ass, Walter? All your friend, little kid.

Shut the fuck up, Donnie. Now he spent 6 up months up in Chino for exposing himself to a minor, to an 8 year old, to an 8 year old. 8 year olds, dude. I just like how dude's like, yeah. And he's like, no one, I'm serious.

And then the little the little stuttering door. And then, like, opening his mouth, like, this is just like greasy big dude who opens He's drinking a beer. So clearly, he probably would kick his ass. But, hey, they gave dude a beeper. I was gonna I don't know if we wanna get into this, but has anybody seen the spin off, the Jesus Rolls?

No. Because I have not. No. We we've talked about planning on it. Yeah.

I think we share the same reason why we haven't seen this, and that is one of 2 things that happens in this movie, The Jesus Rolls. Either it retcons the entire thing, basically. He was never a pedophile. That whole thing was a misunderstanding. It doesn't happen.

Maybe the movie is about him. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, maybe it was wrongly accused.

Maybe, you know, maybe it's only about him clearing his name. I don't know. Uh-huh. That's one option. Or the only other option is it is a movie where the protagonist who you were supposed to root for is a child sexual predator.

That's funny. Which is easy. Those two things, which is worse, I'd say. I'd argue is worse. So It has to be the first one.

It has to be. John Turturro. Can't in in, you know, in 20 or 2018 or 2019, whenever this came out, you you can't make a movie these days with a About a badass? Lead care. Yeah.

You know, I I watched to live and die in LA partially because I was like, oh, that's right. John Turturro's in this, and I've been on this freak kick, freakin kick, freak freak kick. And Freaking. He's just one of the absolutely exceptional gems of acting period. I know he almost always plays supporting your character, but he is so Exactly.

Wonderful. Have you seen I mean, I love him in the Batman. Yeah. But have you seen the show the night of? Yes.

Oh my goodness. Oh, yes. And speaking of cats. 8 or 9 years ago. Yeah.

You know what? I know it was that long ago. Let's not spoil it. No. I don't.

I think people should rewatch I would rewatch that. Oh, absolutely. I don't I don't know what this is. The night of it, it was a HBO show. He's a cab driver.

I think that's all you need to really know. So we're in the office AKA sitting in the plastic pottery chairs. Man. Yeah. Okay.

And all I gotta do is answer this little beeper when they call. Dude gave dude a beeper. They the dude breaks down Bunny's plan. The oh, she probably kidnapped herself. He pretty much susses the entire mystery out in the first, what are we, 15, 20 minutes in the film.

And Walter's like, yeah. Makes sense. Like, he's not a 100% right. There's, you know, there's there's new shit that comes to light, but he pretty much nails it. One of the parts that Immediately.

Kills me every time is dudes in the middle of talking about it. And Walter just goes, life does not stop and start at your convenience, you little shit. And Donnie just goes, what's wrong with Walter, dude? I the walrus. And it just keeps that just keeps going.

I'm the walrus. Lenin said, you can't I'm the walrus. Shut the fuck up, Donnie. Shut the fuck up, Donnie. V I Lennon.

So do when Jesus, like, rolls up to them and he's at like What the fuck is this man? The fucking purple suit and the purple bowling ball and fucking Liam. That whole sequence. Liam. But this is this is the beauty of Coen Brothers movies to me is roles like Liam or roles like the girls in Fargo that are like, yeah.

One wasn't was a real funny looking one. Roles that are seem to be filled out by people that have no real acting background Yeah. That don't care that they're in a movie. Yeah. That somehow in this one lightning in a bottle situation are, like, bang.

And that's to the credit of the Coen Brothers a 1000%, as well as the folks doing it. Yeah. And the casting. Whatever they use for casting. Yes.

But, yes, I love tongue on the ball. And we're getting this idea Iconic. That the dude has to he has getting paid $20 to deliver the money to get back Bunny. Even though he thinks she kidnapped herself, and Walter is now convinced that she kidnapped herself. Yeah.

Because these guys are fucking amateurs, man. They're amateurs. I said, I thought she kidnapped herself. You're the one who's so fucking sure. Yes.

Goddamn right, dude. He will be more than happy. That this is correct. And the dude goes back home, and the rug that he stole is stolen. And he's listening to pins fall and counting how many pins fell as if that is a strategy to use while Yeah.

It's like he gets in the zone. It's, yeah. It's like a meditation tape, basically. It's like a If you notice if you'd look at that tape, it says it says, like, the 1989, like, bowling championship, and then there's a line as if to say, like, on side b, and then it says Bob. And that's a Bob Dylan.

Well, let me Yeah. As I've been playing golf a little bit more as much as I can when I can, you visualize where you wanna hit the ball. You listen to, audio of balls falling in the cups. Of balls falling in holes. Something like that.

I watch a lot of porno tour? Oh, no. Yeah. It's the x x x. You know you know you're not supposed to be the balls in the hole.

Right? Well, so I would quote something to Matt, but it wouldn't be appropriate. But, dude, you don't do it. We we had a second connection there for them. Oh, don't do it.

But the the dude now dude gets a phone. Yes. He has got a a portable phone for 1991. And it's and it's so portable. It's the same thing.

Her life is in your hands, dude. Say that. I like how he pulls it out of a safe. He pulls the briefcase with the money, presumably, and the car phone out of the safe and just piles them in dude's arms. And and I think we should say the whole plot of this movie at this point is that the big Lebowski, the millionaire's wife, as far as we know, has been kidnapped, and she is being held ransom for a $1,000,000.

Yeah. And the dude is going to The Big Lebowski's house to pick up a suitcase with the $1,000,000 and a phone so they can get ahold of him because he's gonna act as a courier to drop this money off to the guys who kidnapped The Big Lebowski's wife. By himself specifically one day only. Otherwise, Brent would have gone with him. But Which is obviously not true because he's being set up.

But that's a spoiler. And Walter decides to join in. Well, I don't think Walter decides to join in. I think that the dude asked him to come along. Why does he drive up to his security place?

And pick him up. He does go to the security place. Yeah. But he also says, you're the one who wanted to come along. Like, I don't know if that means He just convinced him.

Yeah. I think you're right. Like, it wasn't the dude's idea. Sure. But though but Walter convinced him easily.

Well, Walter decides to drive. Where the fuck are you going, man? He just I'm driving, dude. And then he gets the call, like Grab the ringer. Chop chop.

Yeah. We're on our way. Grab the ringer. We're on our way. We?

Yeah, man. I'm not driving the car, handling the money, and talking on the phone. No. At the same time. Not fuck up.

They hang up. Are you fucking the shop down too? And the whole plan is as they approach this bridge, this wooden bridge in Simi Valley, which at this point is completely undeveloped apparently. Walter's plan is to throw the ringer which is filled with this dirty undies dude, the whites. My fucking whites.

He's gonna throw this out and he's got an Uzi with him and he's gonna beat the the kidnappers to get money back. But he doesn't know at the time, his idea he thinks they're gonna meet face to face. Yes. And he's gonna give them the money and then beat the shit out of him when they see that it's because he's a fucking he's an idiot. And he's gonna have the Uzi with him anyway and he's not rolling out here naked.

He's fucking Peter Griffin, man. He like he's very very confident. He's very very confident but he's he's a real dipshit. He's got and he's got PTSD. He does.

That for sure too. Yeah. Oh, yeah. If you wanna get into the mental state of these characters, there's a whole host of diagnoses you can make. Oh my god.

But well, that's a whole other Yeah. But then they go down. They find out that the actual plan is to throw the money out. Yeah. It's like, you gotta throw it over the bridge.

He's like, no, dude. That doesn't work. Well, why don't you call and fucking explain it to him? Your plan's so fucking simple. Yeah.

That's the beauty of it. And so Walter takes the ringer, the leather briefcase. By the way, did anybody see Walter's bowling ball bag? It's fucking beautiful. It's, like, ornate, and painted, and, like, vintage leather.

It's gorgeous. So he throws this ringer that is a leather suitcase that's worth arguably even at that time probably $500. Wow. That's filled with all these dirty street marked underpants. The whites.

And, the we don't know. Just some folks with accents are like, just give us the fucking money. Just want the money. They throw the ringer. Do you know the oozy, dude?

Walter throws himself out of the car at 15 miles per hour. Once we get 15, I'm rolling out of here. You You didn't think I was rolling out or naked, did you? And that whole moment, he he hits the ground so hard that looks so painful. Oh, god.

And then the Uzi is just going to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to Shoots the car, and the car goes off to the left and crashes. And that's the entire sequence. And then the motorcycle is just like a beep. Motorcycles get up and drive away. Yeah.

The nihilists are gone while the accented people are gone. And then We don't know yeah. We don't know who yet. And the dude's You got it. I got it.

And the dude's out of breath immediately. Fucked up from, like, falling, and he's like, fuck it, dude. It's a lag. The the fact that the Uzi went off and and almost shot him and killed him Yeah. And popped, like, the tire on dude's car.

And again, Walter just goes, dude's car got a little dinged up, but it went alright. Well, it went pretty good. Fucking fucking way. Make our hand off. The transition to the bowling alley.

All the transitions in this movie are so good. Phone's ringing, dude. Oh. Hey. Fo Thank you, Donnie.

Ringing, dude. Donnie. That we're back at the bowling alley and dude is completely dejected. It's just ringing off the hook, and he is just blank face ignoring it. They're gonna kill that poor woman.

Oh, they're gonna kill that poor like he's conducting. Kill that poor This is the first time I have to ask. Is this the clip from the movie that I add? They're gonna kill that poor one because we get one thing for sure. I have another one.

It's your birthday. I I'm gonna pitch later. Your birthday. So here, we're gonna keep going. And is this where we get to the moment where is this movie called Dude, Where's Your Car?

The the fact that, like, a whole entire movie was probably built off that quote and the idea of, like, getting stones fun. Right? Yeah. Your phones ringing is parked in a handicap spot, perhaps they towed it. And again, damn it.

You know it was stolen. We're getting, like You know it was stolen. I love the relationship again because Walter is con Whoopsie. Constantly antagonizing. The dude is constantly having to, like, combat him.

And meanwhile, Donnie is just sort of the, like, yipping chihuahua in the movie. Donnie's just a bystander through this whole movie. He's truly the one I say you can stamp yourself on the dude. The one person you can really stamp yourself on that's completely and totally blank is Donnie. There is nothing as far as we've been through, there is nothing definitive about Donnie other than he's throwing rocks and throwing stones and whatever.

He's the best bowler. And he's the best bowler, and he is apparently a very sweet guy who is just constantly getting shit on by Walter. So this is a whole thing. I don't know if we wanna get into, but have you heard about have you both heard about and what do you feel about the fan theory that Donnie isn't real? That Donnie is in Walter's head, maybe an old war buddy.

And I heard that, and I'm like, well, that's ridiculous. Yeah. Disagree. He never interacts with Donnie. The whole movie, he never interacts.

The only thing he really does is when he says, thank you, Donnie. Home, Donnie, which he could have been replying to Walter just confusing him. That that feels like a that feels like a a deep reach. That that's a Jar Jar Bricks style reach. I don't I mean, I absolutely don't subscribe to it, but it was in my head as I was watching this because I heard that somewhere.

And as I was, like, going through, it's like, oh, dude never talks to Donnie. He never speaks to Donnie. Sam Elliott says at the end, like, I didn't like seeing Donnie go. I don't like seeing Donnie go, but he's omniscient. He sees what we see.

He's the guardian angel in my opinion. Wow. I don't wanna have this conversation anymore. I I think Donnie is I think Donnie is a 100%. It's my it's my birthday.

Keep going. It's your birthday, and we don't have to have Donnie not be real. Hey. Why don't you sit down? If it's your birthday, tell me what happened.

Tell me what you want. Tell me what was in the car. Tell me what you're worried about. Papers, papers, business papers. Uh-huh.

And what do you do for unemployment? I'm unemployed. It's such a good line. And then he says business papers. He says paper my business papers.

And what do you do? I'm unemployed. Immediately caught in a line. As the cop He's just looking at the weed pipe. Is pushing around the weed.

Yeah. He's he's smelling the With his weed pipe. It's It's a bowling Not much over the briefcase though though or the credence. So the the dude's car has been stolen as as Ben mentioned, and the dude has reported this. This is the thing that is kind of irrefutable at this movie about this movie whether you like it or not.

The writing is tight as a goddamn drum. Mhmm. Like, it just goes boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Like, everything makes sense sequence to sequence, moment to moment. I did not need to rewatch this movie and make any notes.

Me neither. At all. The plot unfolds like clockwork and it works in such a great way. The reveal here that my name is Maude Lebowski. I'm the other Lebowski's daughter.

I'm the one who took your rug. Well, I guess we can like, we get we get that reveal as well as the we know this is missing. And so now we get introduced into the world of mod, which is just another like, this this movie just unfolds like an, like, an onion or an ogre, if you It does. It balloons like a flower. I'm curious about your guys' thoughts about this.

There are not a lot of reliable narrators in this movie, but I think one of the only people that in the end that you can rely on is, like, giving you the straight story, just riding the tractor all the way Dick Farnsworth and Great story? No problem. Straight story. There's Julianne Moore. Go.

And everything she's telling you is what she knows, what she believes. Like, there's no bullshit to her. Yeah. And she's a 100% right as well. That's another thing that makes this kinda, I think, stand out as far as, like, a mystery or noir is several characters have solved it at this point or had just told you Walter solved it.

The dude's solved it. Knows everything. Walter solves it. Dude solves it. She she knows exactly And, yeah, what Maud what Maud tells you is what we find comes to pass.

That's absolutely what happened. He embezzled the money. He took the money. She was never kidnapped. Does the female form embarrass you, miss Lebowski?

Lebowski? Vagina. When she says vagina. Can't even say the word. Vagina.

Like a whoopsie. Oh, that oh, yeah? A vagina like a whoopsie. Otherwise But a man will refer to My dick. Or his rod or his Johnson.

Johnson. Johnson. Johnson? Then she shows him the cinematic masterpiece that is log jamming. Log jamming.

Jamming. One of my one of my top five films of all time. It's all my letterbox. You want me to fix 9 and a k at run b m c? And it it stars it stars Bunny well, her stepmother.

Bunny La Jolla. I don't know. Benny La Jolla. And you can imagine what happens next. He fixes the cable.

Carl hungus. He fixes the cable. He fixes the cable. So I Carl Hungus. Carl Hungus.

So Maude is apparently the one really reliable narrator and has offered the dude a side deal. Figure this out, figure where the money is as you tried to drop off a ringer and nobody knows where the money is. I'm sorry about your jaw. See this doctor. He's a good man.

He's a good man and thorough. Thorough. And thorough. The, log jamming thing and, starring real life porn star Asia Carrera, I read. I read that.

Oh. And the fact that I I I was like, who's that strange person I've never seen? I've never heard of her. Seen her multiple times, but No. I, I didn't realize that was a person I've never heard of.

A a member of Mensa and a person with an IQ of apparently over, like, a 160, like, a crazy accomplished human being and an absolute legend. So shouts to, Asia. The limo scene where the dude is with the limo driver and he's like, I can't complain. Oh, man. Man, I got a fucking rash.

I got a fucking rash. The limo driver thinks his joke is so funny and the dude doesn't even laugh. He just kinda smirks. Mix it about him and his rash. I got a fucking rash, man.

And he gets out of that cab with his drink and let's all do it together because he gets hold into the next one and he's he's just shaking Fucking beverage here, man. A beverage and thrown into it. Goddamn it. I spilled it all over myself mostly. See, Paul spilled it I spilled earlier.

And he doesn't spill a drop, and he gets thrown into the back of another, limo with The Big Lebowski and Brandt. Where the fucking where's the money, dude? We we They did not receive the money. They did not receive the money. Well, new new shit has come to light, you know, in the parlance of our times.

We talked about, like, the fact that it's not improv it is scripted. This rambling incoherent back and forth never landing on a point diatribe here is just amazing. Yeah. I love I can listen to it all day. There are 3 or 4 points when we saw us in the theater that I was like, damn.

This is a movie theater movie. I did not know that, like, all respect. Yeah. Because I got sucked into a video. Which one?

Prom. And part of it was that limo scene with Brandt, The Big Lebowski, Amy Mann's toe, which I'm just figure I didn't know that that that was Amy Mann's toe. But, when The Big Lebowski gives him and he says, I will not abide another toe and that rambling, that has never been more effective for me than when Jeff Bridges being trapped in the frame and how insanely repetitive it is. It's never hit me that quick. And she owes money all over town, some to known perog.

Including to known per which is New shit has come to light. But even now that you're, you know, privy to the new shit, she yourself, man. What in god's holy name are you blathering about? I'm just saying she kidnapped herself. You You ever think about that, man?

And this is so convincing on the first view of this movie Yeah. Where they're they give him a toe, and they're saying all this shit. We will not abide another toe. Pain will come on you tenfold. And the dude meets with Walter.

They give him a toe as far as we know is an insane person who pulls fucking Colt 19 elevens on people and doesn't know what Pomeranians are and all this shit. Literally says everything. I'll get you a tow. I'll get you a tow by noon or whatever. You said by 2 o'clock.

2 o'clock today. I'll get Now polish and all everything. Come and enjoy my coffee. Amateurs. And they are because Walter and the dude meet and they At the same place that they go in for breakfast later.

It's almost like it sounds same place. Complex, but it's not. It's almost too simple to be that easy. Yeah. That they that Walter and the dude throw all this shit out there of, like, where the toad comes from, where the $1,000,000 needs to go, all wire and wine, whatever.

They put most of it together right there. And, Ben, you turn to me at the Eagle Theater at Vidiots, and we're like, fucking Walter. Just he knows everything. He's right. Yeah.

He's always right. Until he's not. But but he but he Enjoying my coffee. I'm enjoying my coffee. I'm staying.

I'm enjoying my coffee. But yeah. It concerns all of us, dude. He is The supreme court has roundly denied prior restraint. The dude the dude now is, like, feeling the pressure of the life I think the life of this girl, this woman, her life is in your hands, dude.

And so, like, he he he's worn out. He's fully in on this mystery now. Like, he he thinks she has been kidnapped. The call to adventure, the call to action, he has absolutely picked up the phone. Yeah.

Like, he has gone, like, fuck. This is bigger than me, and I okay. I'm going. I'm going. He's poor and he's embattled and all this shit, but he's doing it.

And so now he's going to try to find Bunny. They're gonna get that poor woman. But now and smoking a roach in the bathtub. I think he gets his car back first. Right?

No. He's smoking a he's smoking a roach first. He's in the bathtub. He gets a or he hears the answering machine. Right.

Right. Right. Yeah. Thing. We found your car.

He's like Far out. And then immediately, he can't enjoy that bliss for one moment. Private residence. I said, well, cut off your Johnson. I like that you're gonna be out of the tub.

He doesn't feel that concerned. Yeah. He's so confused by the term Johnson. He's so perplexed by it. Every time he hears it.

John? Fucking dudeism. X cream. But he doesn't he doesn't he doesn't feel that he just looks over and sees they broken and goes, this is a private residence, man. Everything he just saw.

Gonna work. They just fucking take a cricket bat to his stereo. In the fucking German stereo. And then throw a fucking mar which isn't a marmot. It's like a This is a ferret.

It's a ferret. It's a ferret. It's a ferret. That's a ferret. We'll do kindergarten cop at some point.

Mislabeling. I I can't wait to listen to that. And many of us of an animal being mislabeled. He goes to get his car. Yeah.

And it's been recovered. It was they kinda use as a toilet and moved on. Oh oh god. What's that smell, man? Those cough.

Do you guys have, like, detectives working on this or anything? Do you have any leads? Oh, yeah. We got the we got a bunch of guys working in shifts. We've got us working in shifts.

Who needs? And that to me is, like, if you call the police about anything these days is what your response will be. It's so good. Like that especially. Anything.

Like, man, do you have it? Anything anything now. You'd be like, yeah. They broke into my house. They'd be like, yeah.

Good luck with that. This is like We have burgers to deal with. This is almost the exact halfway point of the movie. And this is where I'm like, okay. This movie has a prologue, an epilogue, and 2 acts.

I don't know, and I don't really care, but we talk about act breakdowns a lot on this program. Yeah. And this movie is so good that I don't care, but it also could be probably staged as a play by someone who's talented enough to write it and Well, the Coen brothers talented enough to direct. I would I would argue that the Coen brothers, similar in a way to a lot of nineties cinema, honestly, they are very dialogue driven. Yeah.

Like the dialogue is so important to the story. Yeah. And I think that that is semi common these days. Like, there's, like, Yurgos is one of the Definitely more so now. Guys.

But I don't feel like the dialogue now it's so much more it's not so much about how the dialogue is written. It's not like Denis Villanueva has, like, a has, like, a way he writes dialogue. Chris Nolan doesn't have a way he writes dialogue. It's it's much more visual and structure based. I agree.

But I think, like, Tarantino and Kevin Smith and Robert Rodriguez, like, these are very dialogue driven, movies. Yeah. The way they was just kind of a maybe that was like a hallmark of the nineties indie revolution was they didn't didn't really have the money to go bombastic with the visuals and things like that, but they had the dialogue. And you mentioned Kevin Smith. That's when I think of, like, very idiosyncratic, very a style of dialogue that really has the filmmakers or the writer's signature on it.

I would say it's that, and it's and it's this movie, and it's so endlessly quotable, just a very specific style of dialogue. Yeah. I agree. I think that so much man, I don't mean to be that fucking guy. I mean, I'm only but 17 years old.

But the movies that were made in the nineties were a considerably more dialogue, emotional, character driven than I feel they have a tendency to be now. And that's not a knock on now. It's just fucking different. That's all I'm trying to say. My question for you though is did you write a lot of branded, the pop series?

Oh my god. Not exactly lightweight. When Sam when Sam Elliott shows up exactly a lightweight. Sam Elliott shows up Holy shit. Exactly right.

At the bar, you eat the bar, the bar eats you, takes a sip of sarsaparilla. It's like Clark College Penguins. Washington State makes perfect sense. Bye. And leaves.

I absolutely love that the narrator shows up again as as everyone's seen It's a Wonderful Life. Of course. Every Christmas. Every Christmas. And there's in, June.

Oh. Just summer. Oh, that's when we have our June Toyota clearance car sale. That's perfect. Christmas in July.

Time of the year? Christmas in July, or June, or both. Sometimes. It depends on what our dealership's promoting. 'Tis the season 4.

Prom. On. Walter and Donnie and the dude go over this shared challenge of the nihilists Mhmm. And nihilism in general and how it conflicts with, I'm kinda lazy and I worked on whatever, but I don't believe in nothing. The dude believes in community, if nothing else.

Sam Elliott performance in that movie with, like, 2 steps of sarsaparilla and fucking bounces, I love. We get more Julianne Moore super fast. Julianne Moore is arguably my favorite actor. One of the absolute greats in my opinion. Yeah.

So absolutely stellar in this movie and in nearly everything. I wrote hand that rocks the cradle. I write the fact sheets. People will know this. She's so solid in that great little early nineties thriller in a supporting role.

She's like the rug of the movie. She really ties to the film. She really does. She really does. But they are going to go find so when he finds his gets his car, finds the fucking homework, and they're gonna go find Larry who they believe He crashes the car again.

That's Oh, yeah. That's true. That always makes The best just gotten the car back. We meet Yeah. Just oh, the way it hits the dumpster.

We meet David Thulez, who's amazing Oh, yeah. In this tiny little barely speaking role laughing is this guy? Again in the theater. The way this is framed is so different and so fucking hilarious, and I'm gonna drop it now. Matthew Foskett's writing a new theme for us for what you've been up to.

And I said No. Not for what you've been what you've been doing. Oh, okay. What you've been doing. Whatever it is.

It is Autobahn. I was like I go, will you like Kraftwerk or Autobahn? And he's like, Autobahn? And I go, you know, for Big Lebowski, it's not real, but you get it. Vincent O'Bare from Big Lebowski.

You know the sound. Well, Carvio Johnson. Well, Carvio Johnson. But Who the fuck is this guy, man? The trash of the car too in the theater where he tries to flick the dude tries to flick the joint out while he's smoking and finds Larry's paper and hits a dumpster and the car goes, like, 6 feet off the ground.

Yeah. On the front end. Just the back of it. Because That's another fun piece of, lore. We used to do that to when we were driving and I was in the passenger seat, you had a stage cigarette that you used to, like, pretend to flick out of your window, which was up so other people would see it, and then I would pretend to pour water on you.

That was how we prank passerby's. Fun little prank from a couple of kids. We we sure got them. I We couldn't see into your tinted windows. I told reenacting a video that's 40 focus.

2,003? I'm gonna not say what I was gonna say. So Monty Cycle. Like dance quartet? The dance quartet.

I love this scene. What happened? That's over by the In N Out. Shut the fuck up, Donnie. On Radford?

I love that's I sit near the In N Out. I love On Radford. Okay. I was really take I was really taken with the fact that that little character moment where Walter immediately just loses his shit as he does throughout the whole thing, and then realizes he's in a theater with the the what have you here, and covers his face and is just kinda, like, collecting himself for a moment, kinda, like, upright almost. And there's, like, 7 people in this theater watching this.

This is Looking confused. Oh my god. The skin on the finger. Doing the stands on the chair. And the leaves around him.

The It's a cycle. This sequence, this scene, couple scenes, I love the lighting through here. Yeah. It's so pretty. You really feel like you're in the theater.

Mhmm. It's so nuanced and so quiet and soft. And Roger Deakins. Right? Oh, man.

Roger Deakins. When they and they're driving to New York. And the music gets kinda serious and the, like, shadows and we get kinda Nuwari here, like, true Nuwari of them driving there. And, and a good evening to you, sir. Oh my god.

Where's the the writer of the of Brandon Folks series. Brandon for me We're both. Bigby sellers. Was a was a big oh, no. We're not policemen.

We didn't I didn't wanna give them. The Pilar. The house Thank you, Pilar. Caretaker. Does he still write?

Oh, no. He has health problems. He's in an iron lung. That's still good. A question.

I have a question for you guys. Okay. Was Larry Sellers hired by the Big Lebowski or some such to steal the car, steal the briefcase, and keep all this shit in motion, keep the dude confused? Like, was he told by Brent, like, don't respond to them. Stonewall them.

He's fucking stonewalling kid was fucking stonewalling me. I've literally never gave it any thought beyond it was just some punk kid who Yeah. Me too. In a car. But you might be right.

Like, maybe It feels so intentional. His car at the bowling alley. Is this your homework, Larry? Is this your homework? Is this your homework, Larry?

Is this your homework? We know it's his fucking homework. You little brat. What do you do? Is this your music?

Us. Tell us. 15 year old Who is who? They're gonna cut your dick off, Larry. They're gonna cut your dick off.

I'm gonna cut off your dick off, Larry. What? Dick off. Alright. This is useless.

Look out that window. The smashing of the Corvette. Because this is what happens, Larry. When they pull it off. This this is the scene.

I think if I had to sell somebody on this movie, I'd say this is like This is what happens, Larry. John Goodman This is what happens, Larry. Smashing an early nineties era c Ford, whatever it is. Corvette with a crowbar. Hey, man.

I'll fuck up your car, man. Which he he probably went back. Week. What the fuck are you doing? The dude's shitty, like, Noah Sedan or whatever it is.

Yeah. He just starts smashing, and Donnie gets out of it. I was just thinking when I was just rewatching it, they probably what considering the budget, which I think you've said, what, was it? 11,000,000, Paul? It's just 20.

20 something adjusted. Which not a huge budget. They probably they might have had one take. You might have had one take to smash up that. 100%.

There wasn't a double. 15. They weren't gonna replay. A double of that car. I mean, doubles doubles is triples is best, but doubles is safe.

Triples is safe. Triples is safe. Triples is safe. Triples is safe. Triples is safe.

Triples is safe. Triples is safe. Triples is safe. Triples is safe. Triples is safe.

Triples is safe. Triples is safe. The ice cream machines, when it's too cold, they have to shut them down. I just have to say I graduated from high school with your dad. I love after That's how we know each other.

A big event going to In N Out and then Yeah. There it is. So Taking a little drive away. Such such a great they they did it nothing went well. They achieved nothing.

The dude's car got fucked up, and they're by the in and out. And Donnie, again, just in the back. Steve Buscemi, he just knows there's an in and out nearby. And I think he's along for the ride and just riding in the back because he wants a double double and animal style fries or whatever. Yeah.

Come off. Steve Buscemi, like, how do you do, fellow kids? Again, just kind of there. Does he belong? Who knows?

But he's along for the ride. And now we get to Jackie Treehorn's place, the man who funded and produced and distributed long log jamming stars and starring Asia Carrera, who I guess was a pornography star. And Carl Hungus. That's funny. Carl Hungus.

Heard from you just now. Yeah. And La Jolla. I've had never heard that name before. Me either.

I Ben oh, wait. Oh. Also, I've never heard of Riley Reid. I don't know who that is. I don't know why you brought that up.

One of you must have brought that up. I didn't. Definitely did not. I'm so lost. I wish I knew what you're talking about.

You don't know who that is. I'm so lost. Yeah. No. That's But Jackie Treehorn's place.

Again, like, the the movie is so great at setting the vibe, which is, something I've been saying since the eighties when I was in my, like, forties, 50s. Right? Yeah. But, like, but, like, this movie again continues to unfold like a noir where we're just like Yes. He's being thrown down the rabbit hole of this mystery, and Jackie Treehorn is at is is truly the the the string puller.

The only thing that's missing is your ass. And so he's been invited wig. Yeah. He's been invited by the He's a big swing dick. To go see Jackie Treehorn.

And I like your style, Jackie. Gives him a drink and sketches a little dick pic. I did that for you. Oh, you did? Yeah.

And he gets drugged. My old veiny mom. He drugged he gets drugged by Jackie Chase. Explain what you've done there. It's a masterpiece.

And sent to worthy of the Ben Burrows Museum of Film Makes a hell of a Caucasian, Jackie. Send There it is. Go put that up at the Academy of The way he just the like, the way that one of the exhibits. That Jackie just fucking drugs him. Yeah.

And then Which and then the drug sequence, which we forgot to mention earlier, the dream sequence of the, bowling after he gets punched by the acid flashback. Yeah. He gets Oh, no. Wait. That's about to come up.

No. But he gets a dream sequence earlier. There's 2 of them. Yeah. Where he gets punched by Ma.

Blanket. Right. Right. And it's shorter. He sees the back of her.

So we've already introduced this motif of, like, he has he has like acid flashback really intense dreams. He had a situation where he bought drugs in the seventies for $25 and then 15, 20 years later, he got a payoff from those drugs again. What? What a return on investment. Those are good drugs.

Like getting residuals. Oh, yes, dude. Oh, here it is. The the buzz the Berkeley dream sequence. Amazing.

Starting yeah. This this comes in, and then the German expressionist kinda that giant, like, with a shadow. Fucking and he's the dude's on another potential side deal. He has one with maybe Maude, maybe one with Jackie Trehorn. And, Ben, as you play that song, Matt, I don't know if this did this for you.

At the movie theater, that sequence is fucking incredible. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's like I'm saying.

It's I mean, because it's a whole, like, the Busby Berkeley, the guy who did what was it? Like, varsity show, Footlight Parade, just the any of those big dance sequence numbers that seem like they're from, like, sixties or seventies, but you look in it from, like, the fifties because this guy was so far ahead of his time. And it starts with, like, that like I said, the German express expressionist shots where it's like it almost looks like like Nosferatu or something. He's Yeah. Yeah.

With a big shadow. Like Klausinski or even yeah. Previous. Yeah. Yeah.

And then you and then you get the the giant shoe thing, and and who's manning the shoe booth? But Saddam Hussein. And so Everything everything in it September 11, 91. Everything everything in it is a, is like a reflection of something that he's already, seen. Experience.

Yeah. We get Maude, and she's dressed as Viking. We got all these women with the big old bowling pin hats. Do you hit the look on on Jeff Bridges' face when he goes under their skirts? Yeah.

But even Oh, do you know the little the little backstory of that? Were they actually bottomless and he didn't know? So it it was there's just a little a little side thing, but, they pulled a prank on him to where when he's going under they're basically pulling him on a skateboard, and they had the, the prop and the costume people make up basically Merkins that got progressively larger as he went along to the point where when he's near the end, near the pins, there's just a jungle of crepe hair. That that was the the little prank they pulled off. Delicious.

I would have given this 5 merkins. Oh. Oh, yeah. But here we are. Can I give it 5 Pomeranian merkins?

You can. Okay. I I really wanna find places to find cracks in this movie. We have a tendency on this program to to have a lot of reverence and like a lot of things All of and swallow a lot of, dudeism.com Cream. X cream.

Cream as a garnish. Yeah. But, like, it's it's really hard where you go from a scene of, like, an acid flashback and fucking titties and shit. And it doesn't feel like anybody's being exploited and nothing feels like out of pocket. And then you go from an acid flashback and whatever to a Malibu sheriff hitting a guy in the head with a mug.

Brandon. And I know I'm Fucking fashion? Crazy shit, but it's hard to find cracks in the facade of this movie. It's really hard. He's singing the theme to Brandon.

Brandon. All the man there. We got a nice quiet beach Brandon. Here, Lebowski. Jackie Treehorn draws a lot of water in this town.

You didn't draw shit, Lebowski. You're asking. Don't draw shit. I'm sorry. I wasn't listening.

I wasn't listening. Ow. And and the the thing that, like, resonates here is that the Malibu sheriff and the concern of the movie and the concern of, etcetera, everyone in the pocket is that class is what's important. Mhmm. Perception is what's important.

Yeah. If you live in Malibu, if you make money, even if you're a smut peddler like Jackie Treehorn, all that's left That was a lot of water. Is your ass, is how much money you make or the taxes you pay or your zip code. And the movie does a really great job of constantly bringing us back to this. Again, I try to I I say I wanna try cracks find cracks in the facade, but it does an incredible job of, like, oh, you wanna try to find cracks?

Well, this movie is about the fact that kinda poor people get shit on and rich people are trash. Yeah. Is kind of wonderful, and it does a great job of bringing it back to that When he gets Over and over. When he gets home. Also earlier, he sees a blue, Volkswagen following him.

But when he gets home, Maude is waiting for him. Yeah, dude. And she's down to cloud. She's waiting for him. She is waiting with a capital w Jeffrey.

For him. Love me. Well, this is the only backstory we get for the dude and partly because somebody asks. Yeah. Music industry is over.

We're an hour and a half into the movie at this point, by the way, And this is the first thing we learn about dudes. But the exposition is the best part is that it doesn't really answer any new questions for you. Like, if you were to say earlier, like, oh, this dude speed of sound. Probably, like, a roadie for Metallica, you'd be like, oh, okay. Alright.

Speed of sound. Yeah. He was in the he was part of the Seattle 7, not the original. One one of. One of.

There were 6 other guys. Six other guys. Drive to the port Huron Stadium. And she's I don't know if I want to unpack the idea that she needs to get, have coitus with, a man who has the same name as her father. That's gotta be part of it.

What? What did you say? Yeah. Just just the idea that it's someone who would really irritate her father. Right?

Like Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'm sure. Yeah. Well, I'm, like, this weird car like, carnal, like, subconscious power over her father, guy with the same name.

Yeah. Is that what you're getting at? I yeah. I think he's I I Yeah. Yeah.

And then she's like, because he's so because her dad's such a piece of shit. She's doing, like, yoga to, like, improve conception, and he's, like, improve the chances. Oh, let me tell you something. Good spit take, bro. Let me tell you something, dude.

Can you do it again? No. If I do it again, I'll leave the deck alone. Stop. Yeah.

No. It was really clean. That was good. But, I mean, how terrifying is it when so Mod Lebowski shows up at the dude's apartment, and she's like, fuck me. Jeff Make love to me.

Make love to me. And he goes for it, and he smokes yet another roach, like, the 3rd or 4th roach he's smoking in this movie to again ingratiate in you. This guy does not have money. He he also He will smoke roaches. Doesn't give a fuck.

Mhmm. And doesn't give a fuck. And that mod is, like, doing this weird position. It's like it increases the chances of conception as we know through the fertility doctor that he's seen through mod that dude's got swimmers. He's a good man.

And And he's And And And he puts it together. He's like, oh, the doctor. Yep. Yeah. No.

She hit me here, man. I understand that. Please take it on your in the jaw. And he's listening to music that whole time while he's at the doctor, which is a weird thing. Yeah.

He moves the headphones so he can tell him to lower his shirt. But he goes after he the guy who's following him. I'm like you, man. The PI. I'm a show you guys Seamus.

Our brother Seamus. Yeah. My brother Seamus. What is it? Like an Irish month?

The fuck are you talking about? Code for PI? Brother Seamus? Is that like a character from I don't know. I wanna say it's like yeah.

Like Brother Seamus. Detective character. Text us. Like a series of novels. It's it's right there.

There's a, text the show or reach out to the show. Let us know, folks. I'm working for the Knutson. Brother, Seamus. The Knutson's.

Who the fuck are the Knutson's? Matt, you mentioned this off mic that this is very close to Fargo, North Dakota where I did. Where Bunny Lebowski is from. That's right. So we find out Knutsens.

From the fellow dick from the brother Seamus that Bunny's family or yeah. Fawn Knutsens. The Knutsens are from Moorhead, Minnesota. Moorhead, Minnesota is a real town that shares a border and kinda combines to make one metropolitan area with none other than Fargo, North Dakota. Familiar to fans of the Cohen verse, the Cohen Cinematic Universe.

I agree with you that there is a level of Joel and Ethan Cohen making things exist in a similar place in time. I think that a lot of this is part of a connected universe, and I think the Fargo television series that we've talked about on this program Highly recommend proves that. 10 out of 10. It's really good. It's a great show.

Watch this one. I'm surprised it's the first time we're bringing this up. I don't think we're gonna get another Coen Brothers movie. Shut up. Really?

Separate you think together. You don't think we're gonna get another Coen Brothers movie. Oh, you mean the I thought you meant on this program. I was like, you're a fucking idiot. What are you talking about?

Simple. Next week. This is the we had to force this one, though. In the year of 2024, I don't think our last Coen Brothers movie was Hail Caesar? I guess.

Yeah. Because Drive Away Dolls is I guess Buster Scruggs was Yeah. Because we did them separately. Oh, wait. It was Buster Scruggs after Hail Caesar.

It was. But it it felt, it was a That's cool. Release in the stream in on Netflix. Right? Or maybe it wasn't it was just a it was just Netflix release.

Yeah. I liked it, though. I like it. It's good. I I think it had I think Tim Blake Nelson.

Yeah. Yeah. I think it has great I I just felt like we were in for the long haul for these guys, and it feels like they've parted ways. I don't know. So you think interesting.

You we'll get movies from them individually. We got the tragedy of Macbeth And Drive Away Dolls. Drive Away Dolls, which are Joel and Ethan respectively. I liked Macbeth. I did too.

I've heard drive away dolls was not good. I haven't seen it. I haven't seen drive And so driveway dolls. I did not know to this day that when the nihilists meet for food and they all order lingonberry pancakes, that the toe amputee female member Amy Mann? I did not know it was Amy Mann until this moment.

So, like, the nihilists all beat up. Nineties singer songwriter. I mean, really. Yeah. Lickenberry pancakes.

One of the great voices. She's got an incredible voice. Voice is Carrie. Yes. That was a that was go ahead and write the bond if you got that reference.

Thank you. She was the lead singer of a band called till Tuesday for those of us who are of an older time. I feel like song. Fuck, bro. That scene is so wonderful.

Yeah. Where there like, again, it confirms that Walter's like, you want me to put green nail polish on a toe? I I can get that to you by 2 PM. No problem. These fucking amateurs.

Fucking amateurs. And we are finally getting this this mystery is revealing itself. By this point, we've seen because it was right before the tow. Right? We have seen Bunny at this point?

We have. Yes. We've seen Bunny drive down in the but he hasn't seen Bunny. We've seen Bunny. No.

We've seen long night night. In the same stop. Eagles, man. I hate the fucking eagles, man. She's listening to the He's pushed out of the car.

Devil Nick evil, Las Vegas. Oh, shit. And the shot We're bankrupt. The shot of both toes is great. Her feet.

Yep. Has all her toes. Yeah. And then the very shortly after, Amy Mann missing a toe. Yeah.

Again, confirming that the dude and Walter and 80% dude 20% Walter. Walter just But the story is right. The story is right. Walter just goes with the what the dude first said. He immediately jumps.

The dude will say something. He'll be like, that fucking bitch. She kidnapped herself. Like, he just immediately onboard. Yeah.

Life does not start up and start at your convenience, you miserable. You miserable. Who is he saying that to? You miserable I think he was just because Donnie because Donnie is like, who? Wait.

What did Donnie say? I thought Donnie was Donnie just asked a question, I think, but the dude I don't know. Watch that little sequence again because you're like, wait. What is he responding to in that moment? It's it's not clear.

Yeah. This is one of my favorite things. When the dude takes his version, Walter's version, puts it all together, and puts it all together and says, we threw a ringer for a ringer. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. He's Thinking about this tapes had become so uptight. And that's the thing. It's, like, worrying too much about the day to day or what's going on or whatnot is your downfall. Like, just, you know, be who you are.

Look at everything through a helicopter or what have you, a bird's eye view. And we find at one point where he's in the back of the text. It's like, you can't worry about that shit, man. Gotta live your life. Yep.

Fuck it, dude. And we finally get dude. Back to the big Lebowski's, and Bunny has returned. And, she's running around naked, and Brandon's picking up her clothes. Yes.

We're all very grateful. The Big Lebowski's very upset. Yeah. Don't go in there, dude. He's very angry.

This dude can fucking walk. Oh, yeah. The confrontation here when the dude Stay away from me, mister. When the dude takes his power as a person and says to the big Lebowski who's in a wheelchair, I know everything you did. I know everything this is about.

You're in an everything about you is a fraud. Mod has told me that this is all vanity. You have no money. This came from Mod's mother, your wife. Yeah.

It's all twist we got. It's all He's not really a rich man. Bullshit. And that's the thing is, like, he's Trump. Again, the class that yes, Ben.

That money is a fraud. Yeah. And, ultimately, that he is trying to have fame and, credit and accolades and admiration through someone else's work. He's a complete and total sham, and that's kind of the narrative about a lot of people who are from indentured wealth. And I love that this whole thing is really about the dude being like, hey.

You've been called upon. Yeah. Now is your time. And he does it. And his the way he's been called upon is to say, hey, this aggression, rich people will not stand.

Yeah. It's not okay. I've seen spinals in my day, dude. This guy fucking walks. Stay away from me, mister.

Should hurt me. Hey, dude. Dude. Don't He just throws him on the ground. Like, he said the whole even model standing.

The way he looks at it the way he looks at the Walter, like, help me put him back in. Just the the beat where he's just laying there. The dog starts going crazy, and then he's kinda silently staring. Just help me put him back in his chair, man. There's the dude doesn't wanna humiliate him in that way.

Like, that's not he's not interested in humiliating because he's differently abled. He wants to humiliate him because he's a fucking Right. Criminal. But Walter is wrong. This is where like, yes, Walter.

Yes. Yes. Walter like clues onto things and is right. But every mishap that happens throughout this Freaking motherfucker. Everything.

Like if the dude had just I mean, it wouldn't have it would have gone the same way, right? If the dude had given the other briefcase regardless of this one, they were both ringers, so it didn't matter. But from the dude's perspective, every moment that's kinda, like, gone on, the the the mishap has been because of Walter. And so this is another moment where it's like, fuck, Walter. Why is everything so like, he he just fucks up again.

And we cut we're we're we're gone from there, and we're back to office. The bowling alley. Yeah. I to be honest. I I really it bums me out that the main reason that makes sense for the Big Lebowski is shown that this whole thing was his design.

The fake kidnapping, the embezzlement, the whole thing, Mod Lebowski's mom had all the money, and the Big Lebowski was broke. And he was trying to pin it all on this fucking idiot, me, the dude. Is So on the Square community, wouldn't see as a a fan. Me? Exactly.

A loser. Yeah. And Aren't you? Oh, darn it. Ringer out for a rear.

And the idea that Walter picks the big Lebowski up from his chair and flails him around and kinda throws him on the ground because his spinal is really he's not a gold breaker. This gold prick nest. But that, like, the big Lebowski does not probably get his comeuppance that he deserves because Walter, like, grabs him and shakes him around because, like, we never know what happens from here with that. I I agree, but I think that, like, I think the film does a great job of inferring that the person who's truly trying to pick up the pieces and, like, solve this mystery is Maude. And I Yes.

I think that I think from a reliable narrator. That thread, you're like, oh, Maude's going to have him arrested. And I know it doesn't happen on screen. Doesn't have to. But it doesn't have to.

Because, like The dude is no longer part of it. Yeah. The dude's no longer part of it, but he's figured it out. Mod's been alongside in some degree, and now she's back or Bunny's back. And I think Mod is going to close the the woah.

Make make a move. We can close the case on that one. The end of the movie, the nihilist come back. And now, like, they were brought into this, and they were guaranteed some money, and now they have nothing. It's not fair.

His girlfriend lost a toy. And There's a nihilist around here. You bunch of fucking crybabies. And I love that they go they were guaranteed a million or something, and then they were gonna get and now they're just like, we'll take what's on you and call it even. Yeah.

It takes some we're getting out of this cheap, man. Take some dollars, man. What I I've never quite understood. How does that tie together with the nihilist and with Bunny? Did they just know she was going out of town and they decided to craft this?

Oh, well, say she was kidnapped or did they they hear the idea that she was kidnapped and thought that they would I think that all tie in? And is that important? Yeah. No. I think that the big Lebowski employed them in a way to get them to because he needs a he needs the threat in order to get the insurance money.

Right? Like, if he doesn't So how would he know? Because we know that mod at least knows of them or is is at least familiar with them. Yeah. So but how would The Big Lebowski know that?

Well, I guess, because they know his wife. I don't know. I mean, I I think the, like, again, the connective tissue there isn't that important. You know that there is some. But I think that's maybe the Raymond Chandler of it.

It's it's not as important. And, like, they're they're thinking they're guaranteed some money. You know, the Big Lebowski knows that he can get insurance money. So they're coming and they're asking for something. They're like, well, we'll call we'll take what's on you and we'll call it even.

For Just take the $4. Yeah. That makes me laugh. For the 9 tone wasn't single time. Every single format.

What's mine is that? You. What's mine is mine. Too. Alright.

Fuck you. Come again. Come and get it. Nihilist. Walter is fucking shit up because if they just give him the money Yeah.

Donnie would because here we get It takes what hap what what's on you when we calls it even. Donnie What's mine is mine, man? The saddest part of any movie. So Any movie. Yeah.

It's yeah. It's just an absolute it's cruel, really. Donny I noticed. Is an innocent bystander completely as I mentioned in the in and out ride. I feel like Matt I don't know if you're gonna back me up in a second here because I didn't mean to I mean Oh, I I do agree.

I think he's blameless. His hands are clean. He's he's an innocent. Something I was doing this on my, I don't know, 20, 30th time of watching is I kinda made an effort to watch Donnie while other things were going on because much like a magician's I did too. Misdirection, you're always watching Walter or the dude because they're so, you know, dynamic.

Donnie's like magnetic. Like I'm always watching Donny. Something I noticed this time I don't even know if you have kids. Yeah. Something I noticed in that last that last frame where or he bowls and he doesn't get a strike.

Yeah. On stage Yeah. The heart, he touches his chest. Exactly. He you see him do that, and then when he gets back when dude and Walter are talking about, Saddam Hussein or whatever it is, watch he's looking at his arm like there's a little bit of, like, pain in his arm.

Yeah. I didn't catch that part. So it's I always catch the sky. He wiggles his fingers. Yeah.

He kinda does this. He kinda looks at his hand, and it's like, maybe he's just doing that because he missed, and maybe that's just kind of an omen. Or maybe he's kind of experiencing heart trouble already. So maybe the nihilist didn't really I mean, I do I also do think as a film making Something was off. The film making Coming into that confrontation.

These rolled strikes every time, and then we see him leave one up. And the look on his face of, like Yeah. Is, like, death concern. Possible? Yeah.

Yeah. Is this real? It's a death knell. Yeah. But then the loss of Donnie and going into the, into the mortuary sorry.

What's, what is that price? What what what's this? I like I love how the way he takes off a 100 of sunglasses. $80 He only have to take them off. Modestly priced.

Honestly priced for sale. We do have to transmit the remains to goddamn it. But, yeah, the way he way he takes the glasses off, they're not really, like, just kinda hanging like that. He's trying to do them in like And they're like way. Amber.

They're like amber manic lenses with aviator They're the ones that Hunter s Thompson wears. They're the tea shades. Right? Yeah. Like the tea shades.

Yeah. Is that a mortuary scene? Is there a Ralphs nearby? And the Folgers can. Poor Donnie who's passed and this is the thing is, like, he ends up in a Folgers can or whatever.

Straight up to the both of you, Matt, I don't know you super well. If the 2 of you took my remains in a Folgers can and took the time to spread my ashes into wherever and up to and including someone else's face, I would be thrilled. My brother wasn't born till I was 18 or almost 18. Wait. 48?

28? You slipped up there. 18. No. You slipped up.

I did. 1911. So did I my cult, same model as Walter. So Right. It's one of those things where it's like the level of of community that it's shown through disadvantaged or people who don't have a lot of income or net worth or whatever the fuck you wanna call it, that they find community and love and acceptance in each other is one of the really fucking beautiful things about this film.

Not only that they shove the thing of the classist non achieving fucking lying fake that is The Big Lebowski that has done nothing, Oh, Oh, they're they're family. We find out in that moment that, Donnie had no family. They're they're the closest thing he has. And also, they're And he was a surfer. And he was a surfer from the beaches of Saint Louis to Pispa.

And, also, I think the human it really really touched me. The just the kinda human moment there where Walter is so contrite. Because what is all that shit about Vietnam, dude? I'm sorry. I'm sorry, dude.

You can almost say, maybe that's the only character growth in the entire movie that you can really point at. Oh, yeah. I don't think Walter would have done that so early in the movie. I think he was way more hard headed. You can you can make the argument that the dude doesn't change at all.

He's as placid and an unmoving rock as he's always been. He's already highly evolved, my brother. Exactly. There's nowhere else to go. He's the dude.

He's dudeism. He is he's a fuck it, man. Cream. But with yeah. Cream as a x cream.

But, yeah, Walter just in that moment just, you know, embraces the dude. Dude, I'm sorry. And then he brings it back to their favorite thing. I told Paul, I'm getting makes me cry. And in the theater, I I showed him tears.

Are you surprised at my tears, sir? You fucking hate. Strong men also cry. Strong men also cry. You you leaned over and you're like, right there.

I did. No. He did. I literally did. Lacrimal gland.

Matt is, like, leaning toward the camera and pointing toward his eye like, is this is there a salty discharge? Yes. It's his eye. Right? Yes.

His eye? He's pointing at his, ocular orbit. Yeah. For salty discharge, not something else. Dude, it's It's important.

X cream. It's important that the listeners know that I am pointing at my eye. You're pointing at your Riley Reid. I mean, your eye. I Yeah.

My my Asia Carrera. Never heard that in my eye. Confused. I don't know. What's that name?

I don't know. I don't I don't I don't know. Ricky Rude. We should be able to watch a little bit. Watch a little bit.

What? I guess a bush. So end of the movie, Sam Elliott shows up, prologue, middle of the movie, epilogue. Do the buds. And says bye and literally says, this is my one of my big, like, well, what the fuck?

It's like, who's my vessel in this movie? Is it the dude? Is it Sam Elliott? Is it whom is it here? But either way, that the Sam Elliott says bye to the dude and bye to everybody and bye to Donnie, where he says, like, almost as if he's one of us watching the film.

I didn't like when Donnie went. But then again, I know there's another little Lebowski on the way. Little Lebowski? Yeah. Maude Maude was successful.

How does he phrase it? He's like, it's the he says that mostly, I didn't like to see Donnie go. Yeah. Forgot how he phrases it, but he's like Yeah. I didn't like seeing Donny go.

Yeah. Well, my friends, me, me hoes, me amigos, we 3 amigos. We must I know it is my birthday, and I do want it to go on because when it ends, I know that I'm another year older and I'm closer to death. Yeah. But You're so much closer than you think.

I yeah. Wait. What? I don't Surprise. Surprise.

As he's, like, slowly stabbing me. Child's play, mister Benjamin. I don't think there's any surprise here. I'm still a strong 5 Pomeranians. Matthew, I imagine you're still strong 5 Amy man's toes.

I don't speak for him. I I I I feel like I it's my birthday. I can't. Oh, did you go down? No.

You didn't. I've never I could never ever be this hard in my life in real life. I'm 5 ringers. Yeah. I as I said, I asked whites?

The whites. I asked Benjamin as we saw this movie in the theatra. How long did it go without people having some sort of emotional reaction, visible emotional reaction? And for me, it was, like, I don't know, 60 seconds. Yeah.

And I was probably on board with that. And I really played my fucking hand at the beginning where I was like, yeah. So it's the theater, and then I watched it again today. Because I own it on 4,000 digital disc and cannot help myself. It's wonderful.

In the home audio experience, they did not phone it in. You're 84 k. Right? I am warhammer 30 k. Warhammer 40.

Oh, okay. Oh, wait. 4 oh, wait. 350? Couldn't make the 40.

Oh, you have a 90 888? Couldn't make the 40 under 40. 98. I'm 66. 69 420.

The 88 is over there. Can I can I give shouts not only to Matt Barrow for Ben's birthday bash, Happy birthday, Ben? Are we gonna sing? The fucking legend, Jamie Henwood. Can I get some?

Jamie Henwood not on you should follow Jamie Henwood on Instagram too. It is such a fucking joyous experience. Yeah. Anybody say tell me I'm wrong. Listeners, if you're telling me I'm wrong, I can't hear you and your appoint your opinion was already irrelevant.

Also, Chris Olds. Also, Matthew Foskett. Also, Ben McFadden. That's me. What a wonderful, wonderful kind of, like, early slash extended birthday because I am not gonna reach out to you on your birthday.

We wanna already went above and beyond. I I'm already doing something I'm gonna invite you. Do you wanna come come see a movie and go to a brewery? Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. I knew we would. Matt, thank you so much for being here, and Please come back. I, I would love to come back. I love you.

Maybe I you know what? I I love you, buddy, and I'm so glad I could be here for your birthday, and this was a great experience. I love you too. I think you're really cool. Jesus Christ.

I I I I love you too, Paul. Yeah. He just he just shoved him out of the way like Ben's fine. He's fine. Dude, thank you everyone.

Anything. Follow us at paulxbadly@runbmc@h tml5beagle on Yes. Exactly. Letterboxd at reviewxtopodcast on the socials. Don't fuck around.

This show is a total strike. Yeah. I know it looks like it's 3 hours. It is. But you should still listen to it.

I'll I'll get it there. Matt, I am Gotta whittle that one down. Thanks for being here, buddy. Hey. Thanks for having me.