The whole brevity thing.

The Big Lebowski — 2/5

I've disliked 'The Big Lebowski' from since I first watched it, and my dislike grew to hate through the then-rising public perception of the movie—and that of course is dumb and stupid, and so with time and distance and an increased appreciation for the layers in Coen Brothers movies, I thought I'd give it another go to see if I could see something in it. Mostly no? I still find these people to be obnoxious. But also maybe there's something interesting there? The Dude became celebrated as this prototype of the laid back slacker who just wants to enjoy his life... but he's absolutely not that guy. He's got anger and resentment and impatience and he's not just sitting around abiding his time; he's an active agent—he wrote the first draft of the Port Huron statement, and now he wants his rug back. He's only 'The Dude' when it suits him, when it gives him an easy out. And that's true of everyone here. They've all got self-espoused values, things they stand for, things that they claim to define them, which they quickly discard when it becomes inconvenient. Or, rather, it gets pushed aside when there's money to be made. The artists, the nihilists, the war hawks, the capitalists. Money makes an individualist of us all. Say what you will about the tenets of National Socialism—but at least it was an ethos. I dunno. I might just be forcing it. All I know for certain is that I still don't enjoy watching it.