big big american crime comedy film written produced directed stars los_angeles avid bowler assaulted result mistaken identity learns millionaire named intended victim millionaire trophy wife kidnapped commissions deliver ransom secure release plan goes friend schemes ransom money star appearing supporting roles film loosely inspired work stated wanted kind story moves deals characters trying mystery having complex plot ultimately original score composed longtime collaborator disappointment box office received mixed reviews time release time reviews tended positive film cult favorite noted characters dream sequences unconventional dialogue eclectic soundtrack library congress added films deemed cultural historical aesthetic significance plot los_angeles jeff assaulted home hired demand money wife owes man named soon realize attacked wrong leave meets bowling friends vietnam veteran encouraged walter approaches eponymous big elderly wheelchair bound millionaire seek compensation ruined request promptly refused steals telling assistant boss told house subsequently meets young trophy wife days later contacts stating kidnapped wants deliver containing million dollar ransom recognize later different pair appear apartment knock unconscious arrange delivery ransom walter suggests instead filled dirty underwear laundry grab leave later night car stolen real ransom inside daughter contacts reveals took explaining porn stars kidnapped asks recover ransom illegally withdrew family foundation angry failed deliver ransom shows severed green painted toe allegedly belonging delivered later gang german invade apartment threaten identifying says german actually friends forcibly brought asks whereabouts says wants money owes drugs white russian cocktail leading unconscious dream sequence involving bowling comes police custody verbally physically assaulted police chief cab ride home gets thrown asks cab driver simply change radio station red sports car past viewer sees driving toes intact finds completely greeted figures look ransom money home sex says hopes conceive child protest idea father tells doesn hand child upbringing explains father money mother wealthy left money exclusively family charity later tells walter understands story apparently hated wife heard kidnapped withdrew money foundation kept gave money saying contained million dollar ransom kidnapping ruse took trip friends purported kidnapping able money confront refuses admit responsibility thrown wheelchair walter believes affair apparently bowling teammates return bowling alley leave confronted parking lot set car fire demand ransom money hearing walter know try walter violently biting ear excitement suffers fatal heart attack walter beach ashes walter turns informal eulogy tribute vietnam war accidentally covering ashes brief argument walter says come fuck man let bowling bowling alley story narrator tells viewer pregnant little expresses hope walter win bowling tournament cast bachelor living venice beach neighborhood los_angeles film protagonist enjoys living room marijuana white russians bowling favorite band eagles bridges heard told brothers written screenplay vietnam veteran best friend bowling teammate walter places rules bowling second reverence rules adopted religion judaism evidenced strict stance rolling violent temper given pulling order settle disputes conspiracy theorist stating gulf war oil claims constantly references vietnam conversations annoyance walter based screenwriter director member walter bowling team good avid bowler frequently walter parts story missed understand provoking walter frequently repeated response shut fuck line reference brothers previous film character constantly talking big movie title wheelchair bound lost use legs korean war apparent multi millionaire married father late wife film primary antagonist refers perspective referencing lifestyle obsessed achievement characterizes highly successful accomplished revealed simply allowed run efforts mother estate actually money avant garde artist feminist work commended strongly fond mother took replacement maternal family pursuits lifestyle lead falling conservative father introduced helps quest finding missing money sake mother estate end beds solely conceive child wants straightforward manner precise style speaking young gold digging trophy wife born correctly pronounced started attractive high school cheerleader ran away family farm outside minnesota find stardom los_angeles soon found making pornographic videos eventually led marriage according tried role big personal assistant plays stranger old time cowboy narrator sees story party perspective thick laid texas accent end film seen bar bowling alley enjoys good directly occasions expresses disapproval use profanity adds parts speaking camera commenting enjoyed story wealthy loan shark lives employs assault beginning film owes large sum money states disappointment nature enterprise market fallen erotic romantic brain purely sexual material describes man treats objects like women play group respectively german musicians appeared porn film girlfriend pretend ones kidnapped character originated set spoke mock german accent opponent team bowling league semifinals latin american resident speaks thick cuban american accent refers person jesus english pronunciation spanish according walter months exposing year old originally thought going bigger role film read script realized small brothers let come lot ideas character like shining bowling ball scene dances backwards says inspired minor characters private investigator hired parents daughter home mistakes brother video artist blond landlord police chief tony uncredited actress starred pornographic film uncredited bowler final scene bowling consultant film production development inspired man brothers met trying find distribution feature member seattle seven liked drink white russians known partly based friend brothers member faculty vietnam war veteran reportedly lived dump apartment proud little tied room knew introduced brothers trying raise money blood simple friends told kinds stories life including ones actor writer friend inspirations walter fellow vietnam later private investigator helped track confront high school kid stole car film car found 8th passenger seat belonged amateur league changed bowling film social sport sit drink smoke engaging conversation met filmmaker los_angeles making incorporated love guns military character walter introduced brothers best friends source create character known gang typical served inspiration film big wednesday according character based artist worked naked swing character jesus inspired performance seen play called played type character thought let run said interview film overall structure influenced detective fiction said wanted generate certain narrative feeling like modern story set los_angeles wanted narrative flow story moves like book different parts town different social classes use stranger voice came remarked little bit audience substitute movie adaptation main character speaks screen didn want reproduce obviously echoes commenting plot seeing point view time old significance bowling culture according important reflecting period end fifties beginning suited retro movie slightly sent far away era truly gone screenplay big written time brothers wanted filming episodes television program making film decided meantime according movie conceived relationship sprang scenes came idea setting film contemporary people inspired story lived area told incident thought decided integrate elements author fiction script cites long goodbye primary influence film sense big kind informed edges started writing script wrote pages let sit finishing normal writing process encounter problem certain stage pass project come script way accumulated pieces future movies order scene thought heavy exposition added art world known late process original script car owned car big fit changed ford pre production funded backed budget million casting film remarked tend write people know worked parts knowing going play role big write john steve didn know getting role preparation role bridges met actually drew lot lived little place like drugs think little creative actor went closet film wardrobe person picked clothes thought wear wore character clothes home actor adopted including ample belly originally wanted different kind beard walter brothers insisted called chin thought film look wanted avoid usual retro 1960s clichés like lava lamps posters grateful dead music consistent bowling thing wanted movie pretty bright poppy said interview example star motif featured predominantly film started film production designer design bowling alley according came idea laying free form neon stars similar free form star thing interior carried film dream sequences dream sequences involve star patterns lines point dream sequence gets knocked stars overhead second dream sequence environment backdrop stars remembers beach house inspired late 1950s early 1960s bachelor pad furniture brothers told wanted beach party themed hollywood looking party young fairly aggressive men walk drinks quality discussed look film pre production told wanted parts film real contemporary feeling parts like dream sequences stylized look bill choreography film dance sequence went hour rehearsals brothers offered choices classical music pick chose pictures exhibition rehearsal went phase piece principal photography actual filming took place week period location shooting los_angeles including bowling sequences weeks berkeley dream sequences converted airplane hangar according time directed bridges come beginning scene ask think burned way reply yes usually jeff corner start eyes sent script working lost world worked weeks film early late production went january april set days takes final speech architecture scenes house shot designed built described look fantasy scenes crisp highly lit order afford greater depth focus apartment said kind light pretty nasty look visual bridge different looks photographed night scenes instead adopting usual blue blue street lamp look orange light effect brothers shot lot film wide angle lens according easier hold focus greater depth camera movements dynamic achieve point view rolling bowling ball brothers mounted camera like spit according lane challenge relative speeds forward motion rotating motion cgi create point thumb hole bowling ball soundtrack original score composed veteran brothers films writing screenplay dropped condition condition cover hotel california songs mind asked bone later work brother pick songs soundtrack film knew wanted different genres music different times remembers bone came far able secure rights songs kings added tracks captain rights relatively obscure bob_dylan song called man tough time securing rights cover dead flowers plays film closing credits stones manager owned rights song wanted convinced watch early cut film remembers got says hate eagles man stands says song beautiful going credited film music supervisor asked credit music hated notion supervisor wouldn want think management original music elements movie echo retro sounds early music defines character example chosen stranger time wrote screenplay german accompanied techno pop musical signature remarked interview character german electronic band homage band album cover record bed nails parody album cover group shares song album lyrics phrase believe repeated electronic distortion reference film reception big received world premiere film festival january capacity screened 48th berlin international film festival opening north_america march theaters grossed usd million opening weekend grossing million united_states million budget film worldwide gross outside million bringing worldwide gross critics audiences likened film modern western dispute crime novel revolves mistaken identity plot devices review wrote hard believe work team won oscar year original screenplay large profanity movie weak attempt paper dialogue gaps revised opinion later review recently stated favourite film variety magazine wrote film soundtrack mixes original score classic pop tunes fabulous covers usa_today gave film stars felt passive hero sustain interest startling brilliance suggest like pants review washington_post praised inspired taste weird peculiar sort neo entirely invented defined mastered bizarre like goes saying better praised bridges performance review new_york_times bridges finds role right watch performance executed grace seemingly lunch character played fine comic flair review wrote result lot laughs feeling awe involved doubt like rest year star review wrote delight abstract reality pure perfect world movies brothers roger_ebert gave film stars describing engaging review gave big stars added film great movies list wrote chicago reader sure packed filmmaking result pretty entertaining represents moral position relative figures invariably salt earth types like bridges movie review daily_news criticized film premise tired idea produces episodic film guardian criticized film bunch ideas bag allowed spill random film win prizes terrific jokes big currently holds approval rating rotten_tomatoes based reviews average rating site critical consensus reads typically stunning visuals sharp dialogue brought life strong performances legacy original release cult classic ardent fans film wrote film emerging cult status july realized film cult following attended midnight screening new cinema los_angeles witnessed people quoting dialogue film soon article appeared programmer local midnight film series decided screen big weekend turn away people theater held film weeks happened annual festival began louisville kentucky united_states fans showing expanded cities festival main event year night unlimited bowling contests including costume traveled contests held weekend events typically include pre party bands night bowling event day long outdoor party bands games celebrities film attended events including attended los_angeles event british equivalent inspired known held london religion devoted largely spreading philosophy lifestyle film main character founded known organization ordained priests world website species african spider named film main character described additionally extinct genus named film honor creators species described genus based million year old plant fossils texas called entertainment_weekly ranked 8th funniest movies past years list film ranked list cult films ranked magazine cult essential left field movie hits list addition magazine ranked greatest characters years poll film nominated prestigious grand prix voted 10th best film set los_angeles years group los_angeles_times writers editors criteria movie communicate inherent truth experience film director allowed list empire magazine ranked greatest movie characters poll roger_ebert added list great movies march suggested number times interested spin film character jesus project got ground direct writing use social political analysis film tool analysis number issues september slate published article interpreted political critique center piece viewpoint citing film references president gulf war journal article published feminist journal camera uses film explain feminist consequences sexual critique society analysis war ethics narrative mass communication issues home media released collector edition dvd october extra features included introduction young photography making big production notes addition limited edition edition gift set included included photographs lines film personal collection 10th anniversary edition released september features extras collector edition life strikes ups downs theatrical trailer dvd release story flying dreams interactive map jeff bridges photo book photo gallery standard release limited edition features bowling ball packaging individually numbered high definition version released universal dvd format june film released blu ray format italy august released blu ray limited edition package includes photo book years retrospective depth look annual film available blu ray box set released version region free work blu ray player
The Big Lebowski