When the Coen brothers’ stoner noir The Big Lebowski first hit theaters, it received mixed reviews from critics and bombed at the box office. However, more than two decades later, it’s a beloved cult classic that’s even inspired the religious following of “Dudeism.”
- Nearly a quarter-century after its debut, The Big Lebowski remains a cultural touchstone; from relaxing games of bowling to white Russians and rugs that really tie the room together, many of the film’s funniest moments remain permanently ingrained in the minds of fans.
There are very few comedies with the staying power of The Big Lebowski, and it’s largely thanks to its endlessly quotable dialogue. From major characters like the Dude and Walter to minor characters like Jesus and Brandt, everyone in The Big Lebowski has a bunch of memorable lines.
Isn’t This Guy Supposed To Be A Millionaire?
“Obviously You’re Not A Golfer.”
The Big Lebowski’s introductory scene follows Los Angeles lowlife Jeffery Lebowski grocery shopping while Sam Elliot provides a mystifying voiceover. When he returns home, he’s jumped by thugs working for adult film magnate Jackie Treehorn who mistake him for another Jeffrey Lebowski. They rough him up before realizing that he isn’t their target.
Hilariously enough, when the thugs are going through The Dude’s belongings, they find a bowling ball and ask what it is, which prompts Lebowski to respond with “obviously, you’re not a golfer.” It’s a great bit of dry humor that helps to set the tone for the rest of the film.
It’s Like Lenin Said
“I Am The Walrus.” - Donny
The Dude is pretty quickly wrapped up in a weird scheme concerning a millionaire who shares his name and a trophy wife who probably isn’t in as much danger as she seems to be. Upset about the situation, The Dude tries to complain to his friend Walter and quotes Vladimir Lenin, though he trails off mid-sentence.
Donny tries to pick up on this and interjects with “I am the walrus,” which is a quote from a song by The Beatles, indicating that he mistook Vladimir Lenin for John Lennon. This only adds to the ire expressed by Walter, who keeps trying to relate the situation to his experience in the Vietnam War.
Don’t Be Fatuous, Jeffrey
“He Fixes The Cable?”
Halfway through the movie, Maude, The Big Lebowski’s daughter, tries to help The Dude unravel what’s really been going on with her stepmother, Bunny. In order to prove Bunny Lebowski’s connections to Jackie Treehorn, she shows him an adult video titled “Logjammin’’” in which she stars.
In it, an actress can be heard saying “you must be here to fix the cable,” before Maude stops the video, stating “you can imagine where it goes from there.” The Dude, not one to miss a chance to flaunt his crude wit, replies with “he fixes her cable,” prompting a kind of eye roll from Maude.
The Ruined Rug
“That Rug Really Tied The Room Together.” - The Dude
The conflict that initially drags the Dude out of his tranquil, laid-back comfort zone is a bunch of hired goons mistaking him for the millionaire Jeffrey Lebowski and trashing his apartment. One of them pees on his rug and he becomes determined to replace it.
While the older Lebowski is much more concerned about getting his kidnapped wife back safe, the Dude just wants a new rug, because the soiled one “really tied the room together.”
You Have No Frame Of Reference, Donny
“Forget It, Donny, You’re Out Of Your Element!” - Walter
The Dude, Walter, and Donny are the best of friends, but Walter has very little patience for Donny. Whenever Donny opens his mouth to contribute to a conversation, Walter screams, “Shut the f*ck up, Donny!”
When Donny drops into the middle of a conversation after taking his turn in the bowling alley, Walter tells him he’s already missed too much to catch up now: “Forget it, Donny, you’re out of your element!”
That’s A Bummer, Man
“Strong Men Also Cry.” - The Big Lebowski
When The Dude first encounters the true “Big Lebowski,” he is berated for his lackadaisical attitude, but, sometime later, he’s called back to Lebowski’s mansion because he suspects that the same people who assailed The Dude also kidnapped Bunny Lebowski.
During their second meeting, The Big Lebowski is downtrodden, believing in the authenticity of the ransom note he had been faxed and remarking that “strong men also cry.” The Dude is pretty disinterested, openly smoking marijuana in front of his visibly upset counterpart and offhandedly calling the kidnapping of his wife a “bummer.”
What’s This Day Of Rest S***?
“Nobody F*cks With The Jesus!” - Jesus Quintana
John Turturro had already worked with the Coen brothers a few times before he was cast to play Jesus Quintana in The Big Lebowski, considered by most to be their best comedy movie. Described by Walter as a “pederast,” Jesus is one of the most memorable supporting characters in the movie.
As part of a rival team in the bowling league, Jesus likes to trash-talk the Dude, Walter, and Donny. But while Jesus can dish it out, he can’t take it. He refers to himself in the third person and proudly exclaims that “nobody f*cks with the Jesus!”
Uli Doesn’t Care About Anything, He’s A Nihilist
“Must Be Exhausting.” - The Dude
The Dude meets with The Big Lebowski and takes advantage of the hospitality of his butler to claim a new carpet for himself. On the way out, he meets Bunny Lebowski, who asks him to blow on her freshly-painted toenails. At that point, he spots a drunken man lying in a pool, and Bunny identifies him as the nihilist Uli who “doesn’t care about anything.”
Showcasing more of his trademark dry wit, Dude responds with “must be exhausting.” Unfortunately, Uli and his nihilist friends don’t keep that same lackadaisical attitude, as they repeatedly harass him throughout the movie and inadvertently kill Donny.
Mark It Zero
“Smokey, My Friend, You Are Entering A World Of Pain.” - Walter
Walter may be reckless, but he takes bowling very seriously. When he notices Smokey’s foot goes over the line during a league game, he tells him to “mark it zero.” Smokey contests that his foot went over the line, so Walter rapidly escalates the situation.
He warns Smokey, “Smokey, my friend, you are entering a world of pain,” before taking out a Colt M1911A1 from his bowling bag and holding Smokey at gunpoint. “Am I the only one around here who gives a sh*t about the rules!?”
White Russian
“Hey, Careful, Man, There’s A Beverage Here!” - The Dude
This is one of The Big Lebowski’s most applicable quotes in real life. When the Dude gets out of one car with one of his signature White Russians in hand, he’s grabbed by a goon and shoved into another car.
As he’s hauled across the street, the Dude desperately tries to keep as much of his drink in the glass as possible. He doesn’t mind so much that he’s being manhandled, but his beverage is in jeopardy.
Take It Easy
“F*ck It, Dude, Let’s Go Bowling.”
The older Jeffrey Lebowski gives the Dude, oft considered the Coen Brothers’ best character next to Fargo’s Marge Gunderson, a very simple task: drop off a briefcase full of cash so the kidnappers who took his wife will return her. But once Walter gets involved, it becomes needlessly complicated.
He plans to grab one of the kidnappers and beat Bunny’s location out of them, but he misses the drop-off and crashes the car. He tells an understandably panicked Dude, “F*ck it, Dude, let’s go bowling.”
Forget About The F****** Toe
“You Want A Toe? I Can Get You A Toe.” - Walter
The Dude starts to take Bunny’s kidnapping seriously when her husband receives her severed toe in the mail, but Walter still isn’t convinced. Not only does he think the blackmailers could’ve easily sent somebody else’s toe, he thinks he could’ve pulled off the same gambit himself.
He tells the Dude, “You want a toe? I can get you a toe, believe me. There are ways, Dude. You don’t wanna know about it … Hell, I can get you a toe by three o’clock this afternoon.” John Goodman makes this line even funnier by checking his watch to make sure he could actually get a severed toe by three o’clock.
Dios Mio, Man
“Yeah, Well, You Know, That’s Just, Like, Your Opinion, Man.” - The Dude
When Jesus is viciously trash-talking the Dude’s team, telling him how they’re going to destroy them in the bowling tournament, the Dude simply replies, “Yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.”
This might be a pretty low-effort comeback, but it’s also the perfect comeback because it’s always true and there’s no response to it. Jesus just stares at the Dude after he says it.
Is This Your Homework, Larry?
“This Is What Happens, Larry!” - Walter
One of the funniest scenes in The Big Lebowski sees Walter incorrectly assuming that a teenager named Larry stole the money and spent it on a sports car. He grabs a crowbar and starts smashing up the sports car that he believes belongs to Larry.
He screams to Larry in the house: “You see what happens, Larry!? See what happens!?” And then, the actual owner of the car comes out of another house, furious, and attacks the Dude’s car in retaliation. It’s a ridiculous slapstick moment, but it works because of John Goodman’s commitment to the bit (and particularly to Walter’s rage).
Sometimes You Eat The Bar
“The Dude Abides.” - The Dude
When the Dude bumps into Sam Elliott’s “The Stranger” character in the final scene of The Big Lebowski, he tells him, “The Dude abides.” The Stranger tells the audience in his closing monologue that he takes comfort in knowing the Dude is out there, “takin’ ‘er easy for all us sinners.”
“The Dude abides” is a paraphrase of the Biblical quote, “One generation passes away, and another generation comes; but the earth abides forever.” The Dude himself probably doesn’t put that much thought into it, but his laid back philosophy still holds up today.
