A lot of those questions can be answered with "The Dude abides..." and the assumption that some people just manage to Get By.
That said, I wasn't a huge fan of the movie, either. It just didn't grab me, and I think it missed its final, best note. At the end, he should have lost his house but gotten the rug. It would have been a much more satisfying answer.
Instead of pot and finances, let's talk about the movie. It's a Coen Brothers comedy with snappy dialogue and a convoluted plot. There is some physical humor and a couple of really great sight gags, but that isn't what makes it a comedy.
As played straight, the plot would be perfectly filled in with and accomplished by a film noir hardboiled detective a la Bogart as written by Raymond Chandler. The humor primarily comes from the out of place lead. He isn't unmotivated -- he works to indulge his own laziness -- or stupid, he's just walking to a different beat and so constantly surprised by the script. The Dude is so completely out of his depth when caught up in events that it doesn't matter whether he resists or plays along, the story continues charging forward and taking him with it.
A lot of thought went in to making The Big Lebowski, but watching it can be a completely casual experience. Drop your sympathies at the door, and either boggle at the spectacle, or laugh at the clown.
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That said, I wasn't a huge fan of the movie, either. It just didn't grab me, and I think it missed its final, best note. At the end, he should have lost his house but gotten the rug. It would have been a much more satisfying answer.
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As played straight, the plot would be perfectly filled in with and accomplished by a film noir hardboiled detective a la Bogart as written by Raymond Chandler. The humor primarily comes from the out of place lead. He isn't unmotivated -- he works to indulge his own laziness -- or stupid, he's just walking to a different beat and so constantly surprised by the script. The Dude is so completely out of his depth when caught up in events that it doesn't matter whether he resists or plays along, the story continues charging forward and taking him with it.
A lot of thought went in to making The Big Lebowski, but watching it can be a completely casual experience. Drop your sympathies at the door, and either boggle at the spectacle, or laugh at the clown.
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Um, no haven't seen it yet but from everything I've heard about it so far - it may be on the stumble across viewing list at some point.
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