Me & Ebert

"The Dude Abides"

Confession time: I think The Big Lebowski is a little overrated. Yes, it has some inspired moments and great performances and the Coens are the best ever, but it just doesn’t do it for me from start to finish. Maybe it’s the fact that the main character, Jeffrey Lebowski (or as he prefers, “The Dude”) can’t finish a sentence without stammering or uttering the expression “you know,” or “man,” or something similar. A minor gripe, I know. And it isn’t what makes the movie not work me – but more on that later.

Lebowski follows the adventures of the Dude, a burnt out stoner who bowls with his buddies seemingly every night. We are introduced to the Dude in a convenience store, where he is bathrobe-and-sunglasses clad and writing a cheque to pay for a carton of half & half. The cream is a key ingredient to the Dude’s libation of choice – the white Russian, a drink he is rarely seen without.

After an unexpected visit from a strange man who urinates on his rug, Lebowski unwittingly finds himself at the centre of a screwball comedy. And oh man, is it screwy. The Coens stuff every scene of Leboswki with larger than life characters. Porn producers, bowling rivals, nihilists, and of course, Donny.

When Lebowski came out in the late 90s it was a sleeper hit, failing at the box office and not garnering much critical attention. It has since attracted a huge cult following, attributed (by me) largely to the philosophies espoused by The Dude himself. Namely, living minimally and just “abiding.”

In the final analysis, this is less of a movie and more of a mash-up of set pieces and scenes, loosely strung together, all populated by a rogues gallery of memorable characters.

Bonus: my favourite scene of the movie and the only part that really made me laugh out loud (my tastes are clearly sophisticated):

This has to be one of the weirdest movies on this list; it’s definitely the weirdest I’ve seen so far. Admittedly, I’m no movie critic. In fact, one of my main reasons for undertaking this project is to motivate me to see some movies that are different from the typical Hollywood fare and, by extension, movies that I wouldn’t necessarily know about or decide to check out.

That being said, I’m glad I checked the movie out. It’s a slow-boiling thriller that might take a while for you to fully get into (especially since the first shot of the film is about five minutes long and the camera never moves). But there is a payoff, after I finished the movie I immediately wanted to watch it again, definitely some key scenes.

In a nutshell, Cache revolves around a small family (husband, wife, teenaged son) living in Paris. They live on a quiet street. One day a videotape arrives on their front porch, the videotape contains footage taken of their house from the exterior. While innocuous enough, it sends a message: you are being watched. Then some crude illustrations and more tapes arrive. What follows is an examination of how people will behave when they suspect they are being observed.

I’m not going to pretend that I understood everything that happens in Cache, as I get the sense that this movie was purposefully enigmatic. What I appreciated was the oddness of it: the lingering shots, the POV movement of the camera, and the genuinely creepy nature of the tapes and drawings. I don’t believe that there is a satisfying conclusion to this movie, however, so be forewarned: if you need a movie to wrap itself up neatly, do not watch Cache. On the other hand, if you don’t mind walking away from a movie with something to think about and discuss, by all means see this one. (Then let me know what you thought, because I am seriously confused guys!)