Lebowski Fest: why the Dude is the perfect male role model

They're Jason Bourne, Bryan Mills, or any number of Sylvester Stallone's thick-necked, mumbling action heroes.

Give thanks, then, that such widespread fanaticism endures for the very finest of cult movie characters: The Dude (aka His Dudeness, Duder, or El Duderino - if you're not into the whole brevity thing) from The Big Lebowski.

Despite being released to lukewarm reviews and paltry returns at the box office in 1998, the Coen brothers' absurdist tale - of a middle-aged layabout seeking reparations after his beloved rug is soiled by thugs - was a slow-burning triumph. The first cult hit of the internet era (earning over twice as much from DVD sales than in cinemas), it is now hailed as a stoner classic, quoted from university campuses to inner-city offices.

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So loved is the movie and its hirsute, White Russian-sipping main character (played by Jeff Bridges), that in 2002 Lebowski Fest - a fan convention that features a screening, quiz, costume competition and plenty of bowling - was born.

There have since been over 100 such events, with UK legs held in London and Edinburgh, and Big Lebowski stars John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, John Turturro and Jeff Bridges all having made appearances. The fledgling community of ardent Lebowski fans (nicknamed 'Achievers') boasts over 100,000 members online.

"It's just a party, basically, for people that like The Big Lebowski," says Lebowski Fest founder Will Russell, ahead of its return to London, at the O2's Brooklyn Bowl on 25 September. "Turns out, that's pretty much everybody."

For fans, the 1998 film embodies a treasure trove of in-jokes, T-shirt friendly quotes and Raymond Chandler style jeopardy, however it is the laid-back, devil-may-care outlook of its slacker main character that makes The Big Lebowski so timeless and, ironically, aspirational.

The dictionary definition of comfort in one's skin, The Dude thinks nothing of wearing a dressing gown and jelly sandals to the supermarket, lighting candles before a bath, or wearing a hair clip when bowling with friends. Watch the film for longer than 30 seconds and you'll notice The Dude's go-to beverage is a not a chilled lager, but a cocktail. A milk based one at that.

A self-professed pacifist, having his head thrust down a toilet by musclebound goons brings about no anger in The Dude, nor when his volatile best friend draws a gun during a bowling match, or a gang of Nihilists attempt to extort his (non-existent) cash. Indeed, over the course of 98 minutes, The Dude's voice seldom raises above a peaceful baritone, the height of his irritation reserved for a limo driver that very nearly causes his White Russian to spill.

Food for thought next time an oblivious stranger jumps the Sainsbury's self-checkout queue, or Microsoft Word decides to delete a full day's work, just because.

Somehow, despite his rightful status as a shaggy-haired, dope-smoking throwback of the 1970s, The Dude is a shining beacon for modern times. In an age where overworked males are handcuffed to their desks, glued to their smartphones and bogged down with unprecedented stress, we could all learn a thing or two from man who takes solace in whale music, remains Zen in the face of adversity, and whose competitive nature starts and finishes within the finger-holes of a bowling ball.

"He's not a 21st-century man," wrote Andy Greene, in a Rolling Stone article from 2008. "Nor is he Iron Man - and he's certainly not Batman. The Dude doesn't care about a job, a salary, and definitely not an iPhone. The Dude just is, and he's happy."

For some, The Dude is more than a character, he is a state of mind; a way of life, even. Lebowski Fest's Will Russell, who also owns an amusement park in his native Kentucky, is living proof. And though we cannot all quit our jobs, pour a 'Caucasian' and head over to MegaBowl, we can apply his ice cool, hassle-free attitude to daily life.

"The Dude, man," says Russell, sounding every bit like his idol. "I think he did it. The Coen brothers wrote the new Bible... except it's a movie."

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/11864000/Lebowski-Fest-wh...

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