10 Things Even Lebowski Achievers Might Have Missed
By Jeff Otto
Okay, so you've watched The Big Lebowski religiously over the past 10 years, perhaps even while sipping a White Russian or yelling out lines like "I can get you a toe, Dude." Maybe you've even partaken in certain "visual aids" in order to enhance the experience. You own both DVD editions, it's on your iPod, and you still can't resist watching at least a few minutes every time you catch it on cable. You consider yourself a proud Lebowski aficionado, a true "Achiever."
But do you really know everything about this ingenious, multi-faceted, deeply layered Coen Bros. masterpiece?
On September 9, yet another DVD edition hits shelves -- the 2-disc, 10th Anniversary Edition. It's packaged in standard casing, or in a black-and-red plastic bowling ball for an extra $10 bucks. We know which one you'll choose.
To help "enhance" your crisply mastered video and audio Lebowski addition, here are 10 things you might have missed. They might make you just a little less "un-Dude."
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The movie has three cameo appearances:
1) During the interpretive dance sequence with The Dude's landlord, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman is in the theater audience.
2) In the diner scene with the nihilists, the girl with the missing toe is singer Aimee Mann. This is also the only scene in which The Dude does not appear.
3) In Log Jammin', Tara Reid's female co-star is porn star Asia Carrera. |
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The Dude's shirt with the Japanese characters is the same one worn by Jeff Bridges in The Fisher King. |
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The second time we see them, Jackie Treehorn's two thugs have switched outfits. |
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Donnie wears a series of personalized bowling shirts throughout the film -- however, none of them actually bear his name. The Dude wears a bowling shirt with the name Art. |
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The blue Volkswagen driven by Coen regular Jon Polito, who plays Private Dick Da Fino, is the same car driven by detective M. Emmet Walsh in Blood Simple, the first Coen Bros. movie. |
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When pederast The Jesus goes door-to-door to neighbor's houses to confess his prior conviction for sexual misconduct, he has a bulge in his pants. Actor John Turturro had a large bag of bird seed stuffed down his pants to create the bulge. |
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The license plate on Bunny Lebowski's red convertible says "LAPIN," which means "rabbit" in French. |
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Three words and one drink appear a bunch of times:
281 -- Times the F-word is used in the movie. (For a hilarious recap, an exceptional Achiever has assembled a handy-dandy refresher.)
60 -- Times the word "dude" is spoken.
47 -- Times The Dude says "man."
9 -- Number of White Russians consumed by The Dude in the course of the movie. |
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During the nihilist breakfast scene at the diner, Peter Stormare's character orders pancakes. Stormare's previous Coen character from 1996's Fargo, Gaear Grimsrud, mentions that he wants to eat at Pancake House, but he never actually gets the chance. |
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When picked up by The Dude for the money drop-off mission, Walter is standing outside his business, Sobchak Security. On the store window the words "Peace of Mind" are written. John Goodman's character in Barton Fink, Charlie Meadows, tells Barton he sells "Peace of Mind." |