In The Parlance Of Our Time

If you’ve read much here on Macdrifter, you’ve probably seen some Big Lebowski Easter eggs. It’s one of my favorite movies and it’s also the secret handshake for people that share a certain perspective on the world. It’s with that backdrop that I wholeheartedly direct you to the latest At the Movies episode.

The Big Lebowski instilled two important movie watching tics in me. First, I pay attention to the background of movies. I watch seemingly unimportant characters at the risk of missing prime plot points. In a good movie, no character is totally unimportant. In a great movie, they are very important.

Second, I prefer to watch a good character piece multiple times rather than watch a simple action movie even once. I probably haven’t seen as many new movies as most people, but I sure as hell have seen some great movies very thoroughly.

As Dan and Merlin note in At the Movies, The Big Lebowski almost compels you to watch it more than once. My theory is that it becomes more enjoyable as we build artificial relationships with the characters. I feel like I know The Dude. Watching the movie again provides the same ease I get when chatting with a friend. The characters in The Big Lebowski are humanized and even familiarized with multiple viewings. I feel like I understand why The Dude is drawn to Walter. This only happens with emersion in their world. We accept their quirks and affectations because they become familiar.

As a side note, I’m convinced that my long time love affair with Roderick on the Line is derived from the same awkward comfort I get from The Big Lebowski. I’m not sure if John Roderick is The Dude or Walter. Certainly, Merlin would make a good Donny.