This week we are reviewing The Big Lebowski, the 1998 comedy directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tara Reid, John Turturro and Sam Elliott.
An unemployed LA slacker known only as the Dude gets mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, has his rug urinated on, and is dragged into a kidnapping plot he wants absolutely no part of.
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Before the film, the Aussie arrives with a story about getting locked out of his Tesla because his phone died and being told by a man at a charging kiosk that it was $40 for the privilege — delivered so matter-of-factly he could not even get worked up about it. The Scotsman tops it with a story about a close friend who texted mid-tattoo to ask whether he should get the word grateful on his wrist, was told nope definitely not in no uncertain terms, and did it anyway.
The Scotsman had never seen it. His entire expectation was a stoner film full of slow talking and not much else. He loved it. Watched it twice. Came in genuinely enthusiastic, started the podcast in a state of near euphoria, and then — about halfway through — talked himself back down to earth and landed somewhere a bit flatter than he expected. He is slightly annoyed at himself about this. The Aussie, who brought it to the show and had seen it many times as a younger man, is so relieved there is no fight that he almost cries.
The film discussion covers all the key scenes — the rug, the bowling alley, the Big Lebowski's portrait monologue, the millionaire's daughter, the nihilists, and the funeral. The Aussie makes the case that "I don't roll on Shabbos" is the best line in the film and delivers it multiple times on air with enormous personal satisfaction. The Scotsman agrees the bowling alley scene is where the entire dynamic of the trio is established in a single sitting — the Dude reacting, Walter escalating, and Donnie being ignored — and that it is one of the most efficient pieces of character writing he has seen.
John Turturro's Jesus Quintana gets his full moment. One scene, almost no plot relevance, steals the entire film. Both hosts agree the casting across the board is close to perfect and that you cannot imagine anybody else in any of these roles.
There is also a debate about whether this film sits closer to Fargo or Pulp Fiction, a comparison between John Goodman here and his role in Flight, and the Scotsman running out of steam mid-episode and admitting it on air.
In Rohan Reminisces, the hosts cover 1998 — Titanic winning Best Picture, Nicholson doing his OCD steps on camera, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck picking up their first Oscar, Google being founded, the Apple iMac G3, Bill Clinton and the dress, France winning the World Cup, Michael Jordan's last dance, and Frank Sinatra dying. The Scotsman has now covered 1998 so many times he calls for a format change. The Aussie takes mild offence.
The trivia covers the budget, the underwhelming box office run, the real-life Dude who inspired the character and still shows up at fan events today, Jeff Bridges wearing his own clothes throughout, John Turturro building the Jesus Quintana character entirely himself with no script, and Lebowski Fest — a touring fan convention running since 2002. The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2014.
The Aussie lands at 3.6. The Scotsman comes in at 3.5. A rare episode where the scores are almost identical and nobody is yelling at anyone. The Scotsman signs off going to have a White Russian. Both hosts immediately realise they should have been drinking White Russians throughout.
