How Well Do You Know The Big Lebowski?

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The Big Lebowski is one of those rare movies that gets exponentially better the more you watch it. This is thanks largely in part to the quotability of the Coen Brothers dialogue, along with the fact that the Dude will never go out of style. And why is that exactly? Because, plain and simple, everyone likes to be comfortable. And even if it’s not socially acceptable to run to the grocery store in a pair of sweatpants and flip flops, it still feels pretty damn liberating.

The Big Lebowski came out almost two decades ago, and in that time it has spawned its own religion, an annual festival, as well as a bunch of wannabe-Dudes. Of course, there’s only one Dude — Jeff Bridges. Just as there’s only Walter — John Goodman. Whether they’re debating the ramifications of Vietnam or the quality of a living room rug, this dysfunctional duo is endlessly entertaining.

Sure, everybody would like to call themselves a fan of The Big Lebowski, and maybe they may even know a few off the cuff quotes from the film. But for this quiz we'll be separating the true bohemians from the wannabes. It’s time to see how much you know about The Big Lebowski.

Question 1

What fantasy film does the Dude star in alongside Maude Lebowski?

After Jackie Treehorn drugs the Dude’s White Russians, a darkness washes over the Dude, and he finds himself starring alongside Maude Lebowski in a Jackie Treehorn production. The Dude has swapped his bohemian garb for the outfit that Karl Hungus wears in the porno film. The whole scene is set to “Just Dropped In” by Kenny Rogers and features the Dude dancing with Maude while he teaches her how to bowl. All before the pleasant hallucination devolves into another acid flashback.

Question 2

By what other name does the Dude refer to a White Russian?

When we get our first glimpse of the Dude, he’s taking a late night stroll through Ralph’s, shopping for a key ingredient in his favorite cocktail. The ingredient is half and half — which the Dude shamelessly pays for with a 69 cent check — and the cocktail is, of course, a White Russian. The perfect mix of caffeine, sugar, and booze, the Dude drinks nine White Russians throughout the course of the film — if you count the one he drops at Jackie Treehorn’s house. On one occasion he refers to the drink with this fitting nickname when he orders another round from Gary, the bowling alley bartender.

Question 3

What name does the Dude NOT suggest he can be called?

Though the title of the movie actually takes its name from the millionaire Jeffrey Lebowski, Jeffery “The Dude” Lebowski is indeed the central character. The Dude has a very distinct personality and lifestyle, adhering to a strict regimen of White Russians, bowling, and pot smoking. He’s a pacifist who’s known to extend a hand to even his biggest enemies — as shown when he helps pick the Big Lebowski off the floor so he can get him back into his wheelchair, even though the millionaire tried to frame him for stealing the ransom money.

Question 4

What distinct quality is the Dude’s carpet known for having?

If there’s one event that gets the ball rolling down the lane in The Big Lebowski, it’s that the Dude’s rug gets micturated upon by one of Jackie Treehorn’s thugs. This act of hostility turns out to be totally misdirected since Jeffery “The Dude” Lebowski is neither married or a millionaire. Nevertheless, the inciting incident gets the Dude sucked into an elaborate plot of missing persons, shady pornographers, and a million dollar ransom briefcase — all because the Dude just wanted to get his rug back.

Question 5

What object does the Malibu Chief of Police throw at the Dude’s head?

That Malibu Chief of Police is a real reactionary. Unfortunately, the Dude finds this out the hard way thanks to his indifference to listening to authority. The Dude gets himself picked up by the Malibu Police when he’s caught running down the middle of the street whilst having a fever dream. The Chief of Police insists that the Dude stays out of Malibu and away from Jackie Treehorn — the very person who drugged the Dude in the first place!

Question 6

What is the name of the Big Lebowski's butler?

It’s a massive shame that Philip Seymour Hoffman didn’t get to star in any other Coen Brothers movies outside of The Big Lebowski, where the actor turns a second string role into a truly original performance. This butler does little more than show guests in and out of the Big Lebowski’s mansion while delivering exposition, but Hoffman gives the character a wide range of quirks and idiosyncrasy that reach far deeper than simply being a caricature — making him the perfect fit for a Coen Brothers film.

Question 7

What war did Walter serve in?

Though the two may often be on opposite sides of the same argument, Walter Sobchak is still the Dude’s best friend and fellow bowling enthusiast. On more than a few occasions, Walter can’t help but relate their current situation with his experience in the service, despite the fact that there is no literal connection — and possibly not even a metaphorical one. Walter's propensity to live in the past, coupled with his tendency to grow hostile, may suggest that he is suffering from PTSD after watching many of his brothers die face down in the muck.

Question 8

Which adult film did Jackie Treehorn serve as a producer on?

When Jeffery pays a visit to Maude Lebowski, she shows him the opening scene of a p---o film where Uli Kunkel, AKA Karl Hungus, pays a visit to Bunny Lebowski so he can fix her cable. The film was produced by the well-known Malibu p---------r, Jackie Treehorn, who also employed the thugs who urinated on the Dude’s rug. Later, the Dude pays a visit to Jackie’s pad, where the producer admits that the standards have fallen in adult entertainment, though he still refers to himself as a publisher with a focus on political advocacy.

Question 9

By what method do the Coen’s kill Steve Buscemi’s character, Donny, in the film?

The Coen Brothers love to cast Steve Buscemi, who has appeared in six of their films to date, which include Miller’s Crossing, The Hudsucker Proxy, Barton Fink, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and Paris, je t’aime. The Coen also love to kill Steve Buscemi off, as his characters have been shot in the head, chopped up with an axe and put even through a wood chipper. In fact, Steve Buscemi often plays characters who are brutally murder on screen. Though his death in The Big Lebowski may actually be the most mundane of them all.

Question 10

What’s the name of the children’s foundation that millionaire Jeffrey Lebowski is a part of?

This foundation is aimed at helping underprivileged youngsters be able to attend college, and it is headed up by Maude Lebowski and her father. Jeffery Lebowski ends up taking a million dollars out of the foundation, and he tells Maude that he needs the money to ransom his wife back from the gang of nihilist kidnappers. But in reality, the self-proclaimed millionaire takes the million dollars for himself, and then he tries to frame the Dude for the missing money.

Question 11

What band was Uli Kunkel once a member of?

Maude Lebowski informs the Dude that the nihilists are not a gang of kidnappers at all, but rather members of a former German techno-pop band. Maude admits that she may have even been the one to introduce Bunny to Uli, her supposed kidnapper. The band, which is made up Uli Kunkel along with his fellow nihilists Kieffer and Franz, released only one album in the late 70s, titled Nagelbett — or Bed of Nails. The Coens made this fictional band a parody of Kraftwerk, a real German electronic group that originated in Dusseldorf in 1969.

Question 12

What insulting term does Walter refer to Jesus as?

Walter has no shortage of insult or threats when it comes to dealing with his adversaries. He pulls his gun out in the bowling alley when Smokey steps over the line, yanks millionaire Jeffrey Lebowski out of his wheelchair to prove he’s not a cripple, and takes a crowbar to a Corvette to intimidate a 14-year-old. He also has all the dirt on their bowling adversary, Jesus, who spent 6 months in Chino for exposing himself to an eight-year-old. Walter refers to Jesus as a pervert and a sex-offender, as well as this offensive term…

Question 13

The Dude may love Creedence Clearwater Revival, but what band does he absolutely hate?

The Dude is no doubt a music lover, and the character is seen jamming out in his car or listening to music on his Walkmen on a number of occasions throughout the movie. When his car is eventually stolen from the bowling alley parking lot, the Dude is distraught that his tape deck and Creedence tapes may be gone for good. We also know that the dude roadied for Metallica during their “Speed of Sound” tour, and while the Dude referred to the band as a “bunch of a**holes,” there’s another band the Dude seems to hate even more.

Question 14

What brand of coffee can do they transport Donny’s remain in?

After Donny dies of a heartache, we meet up with Walter and the Dude at a mortuary where they have come to collect Donny’s remains. They’re introduced to Francis Donnelly, who informs them that the urn is $180 dollars. When Walters says that they don’t need it, Francis ensures them that it is their most modestly priced receptacle. They range up to three thousand, after all. Walter asks if there’s a Ralph’s around, and they take Donny’s ashes to the ocean side in a can of this famous coffee brand…

Question 15

What breed of dog does Walter think he’s babysitting for his ex-wife, Cynthia?

Walter is very much a character who’s stuck in the past. He repeatedly pontificates about his time serving in Vietnam, he observes the ancient traditions of Shabbos (despite being Polish-Catholic), and he babysits his ex-wife's dog when she goes out of town. These obsessions with the past begin to wear on the Dude, and he grows visibly annoyed when Walter brings Cynthia’s dog to the bowling alley. While the show dog is actually a Yorkshire Terrier, Walter believes it to be this breed instead.

Question 16

Which Republican president is displayed on a poster inside the Dude’s apartment?

There’s definitely some political undertones going on in The Big Lebowski — why else would the Coen’s set the film in the early 90s and give George H.W. Bush and Saddam Hussien cameos? But like anything the Coens make, straight answers are hard to come by, which still makes it a bit of a mystery why the Dude would hang a poster of this Republican president bowling above his tiki bar. The two are ideological opposites after all. Or is it just that the Dude considers everyone an equal when it comes to going bowling?

Question 17

Which show did Larry Selznick’s father write for?

Larry is the ninth-grader who steals the Dude’s car and takes it for a joyride. The Dude discovers this after picking his car up from the police impound and finding little Larry’s social studies paper tucked into the leather cushions. Walter informs the Dude that Larry’s father is Arthur Digby Sellers, a legendary screenwriter who wrote 156 episodes (“the bulk of the series”) of this popular TV western. Unfortunately, Arthur Sellers now has health problems, and he can no longer write while inside his iron lung. What’s even worse? His son is a total dunce.

Question 18

What family does Da Fino say he’s working for?

Da Fino is a brother shamus, AKA a private investigator, who suspects the Dude of being in the same profession. Despite the Dude insisting that he’s of no such sort, Da Fino remains impressed with his work, “Playing one side against the other, in bed with everybody, just fabulous stuff.” The professional snoop insists that he has been trying to track down Bunny, but hasn’t been able to get a look at her. He informs the Dude that she ran away from the family farm years ago, and she’s desperately missed by her parents.

Question 19

What fast food restaurant do Walter, Donny and the Dude visit after interrogating Larry Sellers?

If you’ve watched The Big Lebowski more than a few time (or just have a photographic memory) you know that Walter owns his own company, called Sobchak Security. Therefore, the Vietnam War vet probably has a few open channels where he’s able to obtain the home address of the teenager who stole the Dude’s car. Walter informs Donny and the Dude that Larry Sellers lives with his father, famed TV screenwriter, Arthur Digby Sellers. He also learns that they live on Radford in North Hollywood, near this famous California fast-food restaurant.

Question 20

What is the last line in the film, as spoken by The Stranger?

The Stranger, played by Sam Elliot and his majestic mustache, serves as the long-winded narrator of The Big Lebowski. He sets the stage for the film, filling us in on the location, time period, as well as introducing us to the Dude. The Stranger pops up a few times at the bowling alley bar, where he imparts some wisdom onto the Dude, as well as the audience, over a of couple drinks. The mysterious narrator, who some like to think of as a guardian angel, delivers an ending monologue to the story, which ends with this specific phrase…

Question 21

What is Donny’s full name?

Donny is the third member of the Dude and Walter’s bowling team, though he often finds himself out of his element and a step behind everything the two are talking about. He is an avid bowler, often seen throwing strikes, and he is also known to be a surf enthusiast. The Coens wrote the part of Donny with Steve Buscemi in mind. But because they had previously made Buscemi’s character such chatterboxes, they thought it would be funny to cast him as a character who’s constantly being told to “Shut the f*** up, Donny!”

Question 22

Why is Jackie Treehorn trying to track down Bunny Lebowski?

Despite calling himself a social advocate, Jackie Treehorn treats objects like women, men, as he is a well-known p--------r and loan shark throughout Los Angeles County. At the start of the film, Jackie sends his two thugs out to track down her husband, Jeffrey Lebowski. But the two nit-wits end up at obviously the wrong place and accuse the Dude of being Bunny’s husband instead. At the end of the film, it’s unclear if Jackie is ever able to catch up with Bunny.

Question 23

What does Walter put in the ringer so it won’t look empty?

After the Dude speculates that Mrs. Bunny Lebowski may have kidnapped herself to squeeze a little more money out of her wealthy husband, his best friend Walter gets to thinking. Though the dude has already been promised a handsome salary for acting as courier for the ransom money, Walter thinks that they should just keep the million dollars for themselves. He brings his own briefcase to the drop-off, and throws it out the window instead of the money, much to the Dude's disapproval.

Question 24

What does the Big Lebowski suggest the Dude should do at the end of their first meeting?

Though they two may share the same name, the Dude and the Big Lebowski are diametric opposites. The Dude lives in a small bachelor pad in Venice, while the Big Lebowski owns a giant mansion where he lives with his wife. The Dude is an ardent pacifist, and the Big Lebowski served in Korean. Needless to say, the two don’t get along, and though all the Dude wants is to be compensated for his rug and warn the Big Lebowski that there are two thugs looking for him, the angry millionaire just calls the Dude a bum and a deadbeat.

Question 25

What year was the film released?

Believe it or not, The Big Lebowski was not well received at the time of its release, dividing critics and grossing just $17 million in the United States against a $15 million budget. Of course, all that has changed now, and The Big Lebowski may very well be the biggest cult film of all time. While it’s impossible to say why the film was an initial flop, it’s worth noting that the film was the Coen’s follow-up to the massively successful Fargo, which many considered to be far superior to The Big Lebowski.

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