A middle-aged man ionizing the idea Turn On Tune In Drop Out in the mid90s stumbles into a web of rug-thieving, trophy-wife-kidnapping, pornographers and philanthropists.

The protagonist, simply known as The Dude, is so out of left field, the audience cannot help but watch. Much like a passerby cannot help but to watch when passing a car accident on the highway. The Coen brothers deliver a more upbeat movie more like Raising Arizona rather than the haunting dark movies Fargo and No Country for Old Men.

The beauty of The Big Lebowski is to watch the characters interact with each other. The Dude’s laid back attitude is challenged when he is roped into delivering ransom money to kidnappers. The Dude’s friend, Walter Sobchak, is scarred by the Vietnam War and holds a grudge against society. The Big Lebowski is a wheelchair-bound veteran harboring a particular distain for any person who does not have the strong work ethic he pretends to hold. Jackie Treehorn is a slick pornographer and loan shark who proves dangerous when crossed. These characters meet in a violent tornado that pulls the audience into the weird story.

The Big Lebowski’s narrator actually steps into the story to talk to the protagonist. The two meet for a few minutes at a bar in a bowling alley. The narrator talks to The Dude as he would an old friend. Meanwhile The Dude looks to the narrator and asks ‘do I know you man?’.

The Big Lebowski is fun to watch. You don’t even have to be drunk to enjoy it. But it helps.

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Summary

Longest movie title ever conceived? Maybe. It’s the cold war and the United States accidentally sends the atom bomb to attack Russia. Nuclear annihilation eminent, a huge cast of characters tries to avoid an atomic firestorm on earth and start to prepare surviving the fallout.

Background

Dr. Strangelove was bases on the novel “Red Alert” by Peter George. George was deeply concerned about the bomb working in the Royal Air Force. The book’s story was dark and honest about the fears everyone faced during the cold war.

Peter George, Stanley Kubrick, and Terry Southern worked together creating the screenplay for Dr. Strangelove. The movie ended up more of a dark comedy than a tale of warning to audiences. Perhaps this lighter view allowed audiences to more easily accept the film’s cautionary theme.

Peter George however was not please with the comedic tone the movie took. George committed suicide not long after the movie’s release. One must wonder if George was so disappointed with the tone of the movie, he took his own life.

The film’s original release date was delayed because of President Kennedy’s assassination. The movie reflected the fears people had about nuclear bombs. America’s quiet conflict with North Korea mirrors this fear today, proving Dr. Strangelove is still relevant years after its release.

Entertainment

Dr. Strangelove is fun to watch. The movie is full of small jokes you can enjoy if you watch closely.

One scene shows soldiers defending an Air Force base. The soldiers fire at what they think are attacking Russians. The soldiers throw grenades and reload their machine guns with banners boasting ‘Peace is Our Promise’ in the background. Pure magic.

Many of the character’s names are tongue in cheek. The character who orders the nuclear attack is named Brig. Gen. Jack D. Ripper, a reference to the famous killer Jack the Ripper. The character giving us the famous shot riding a bomb, waving a cowboy hat shouting ‘yee-haw’ is Maj. T.J. ‘King’ Kong. One stubborn soldier unable to see the forest from the trees is aptly named Col. ‘Bat’ Guano (bat feces). Another sexually charged character is named Gen. Buck Turgidson.

Peter Sellers did some wonderful work in this film. Sellers played three roles in the movie. He played each part so well, it is hard to determine each role he played. This reflects Sellers’ amazing acting ability.

This movie is listed on the American Film Institutes 100 films, and rightly so. This movie dark theme reflected the fears people felt at the time of its release. Stanley Kubrick’s unique talent brought a strong novel that does not translate well to a movie into a great film.