Before I begin, I should offer brief disclaimers to those readers who might be quick to judge: First, I am neither easily impressionable nor overly sentimental. Second, I am by all accounts critical of most things. And lastly, this column is about a film. It is not a review, but rather a reflection, so those who haven’t seen the movie in discussion will likely be lost.
With that said, I can comfortably go on. I have modeled my life and personality after a single fictional film character.
Now comes the explanation.
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Most “cult classic” films come and go without much more than a Criterion Collection release, forever immortalized on the DVD racks of self-righteous twentysomethings. But some manage to create a sub-culture of fans so devout in their viewership that all other films pale in comparison.
“The Big Lebowski” is one such film. Its title character, Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski, is the said fictional persona who has spawned a rabid following and maintains a messianic status for me and others almost 10 years after the film’s 1998 release.
So when I read that Studio 35 was showing the film Sunday, along with a beer tasting (courtesy of the good folks at Columbus Brewing Company), I could all but hide my giddy reaction.
And it was while lounging in the theater that I realized just why the movie strikes a chord within me each time I watch it.
It’s not the winding (and ultimately unimportant) plot outline. It’s not the stellar cast of actors, all veterans of other Coen brothers’ films. It’s not even the endless amount of one-liners or possible bumper-sticker slogans throughout the movie. No, it’s The Dude’s ability to shrug at any situation, his contentment with doing nothing at all and his lackadaisical quest, if it can be called that, for simplicity in life that draws me and other fans toward him. He’s a pacifist with no political motivation. He’s a hippy without a finger to wag. That is to say, The Dude abides.
Other movies by Joel and Ethan Coen, the Oscar-winning directorial team responsible for a handful of the best movies throughout the decade, manage to marry dark comedy with drama successfully but none has created a buzz similar to “Lebowski.” The biggest indication of this is Lebowski Fest, a memorial festival featuring bowling (the movie’s primary focus), live music, movie trivia and look-alike costume competitions. Originally started in 2002 in Louisville, Ky., the annual festival has since expanded domestically to Los Angeles and New York, and now globally to London and other cities in Europe. Then, of course, there’s Dudeism.
Dudeism is the most recent addition to the cult-hysteria surrounding the movie, but it is arguably the most productive thing to come from such an unproductive character.
Briefly put, Dudeism is the half-jokingly written philosophy of The Dude. It advocates a simple and happy lifestyle, a go-with-the-flow outlook and the renouncement of stress and vanity – and a healthy dose of White Russians and Creedence Clearwater Revival. A Dudeist would align most likely with the beliefs of a Taoist, and humorously enough it is the creator of Taoism, Lao Tzu, who is credited with being the first and ultimate Dudeist.
I remember reading the Dudeist creed, titled “The Tao of the Dude,” at dudeism.com a few years ago, but it wasn’t until Sunday’s viewing of the movie that I re-read it, this time intently and with reason.
Like an epiphany, I now I have an explanation for my indifference and what some wrongly label apathy.
I’m a Dudeist, man.
And if it says so on Facebook (it does), it must be true.
John Cropper can be reached at [email protected].
