I Hated "The Big Lebowski".

You never saw it, but definitely hate it?

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I never said I hated it. I said I had no desire to see it. I don’t get the hype about it. I have seen snippets (trailers) and find it unappealing. Which I wish I did, because I like Jeff Bridges. He’s a super cool and chill fun guy. Had coffee with him when he was in town filming a movie but that film has zero appeal to me. Much like I know the films I really love do not appeal to others.

I see.

I figured since the thread is about not being alone in hating the movie, and you said OP isn’t alone that you also hated the movie.

You don’t get it because you’ve never seen it…

p.s. I don’t see how you can say you love Jeff Bridges and not want to see his most iconic role. He used his own clothes for that character. He pulled from his own experiences and not the person the Dude was based on. It’s also one of the only movies of his that Jeff Bridges will watch over and over (he said in an interview that he rarely watches his own movies.)

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How could you possibly ever “get the hype” about something without experiencing said thing? You cannot judge the movie off the trailer. You cannot judge it off “the hype”, and you certainly cannot judge it off others’ opinions.

Just for example, I cannot stand “Miller’s Crossing,” another Coen Brothers cult favorite. People gush and gush about that movie, how great it is and such and such and blah, blah, blah. I found it completely boring, not funny, and a bit pointless. But, I did sit through it, and gave it a shot.

It speaks to a deeper human fault that you are willing to dismiss something without trying it first.

Personally I think the movie is pretty genius and a definite stoner favorite.

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For the sake of argument, and the fact I’m bored, I kind of disagree with this statement.

This day and age you cannot trust Hollywood. They have got into the habit of throwing crap against the wall and praying it sticks. Sometimes it works for them, other times it doesn’t. Because of this, and the price to go to the theaters*, I absolutely make a judgment call before I leave my house.

(Going to the theaters is a bit more expensive for me than the average Joe. For one thing, I live about 60 miles from the nearest good theater. And for another, my husband refuses to go to any theater except the dine in. He hates rubbing elbows with strangers and he wants a beer if the movie sucks.)

Anyways, this is what I consider:
1.) Who directed it?
2.) Who stars in it?
3.) Who produced it?
4.) What is it about?
5.) What do the critics say?

Let’s look at that Robin Hood movie that just came out:
1.) Who directed it? Otto Bathurst. Who? I have no clue… let me see what IMDB says… a bunch of TV series I never watched and a straight to TV movie. BUZZER Strike one.
2.) Who stars in it? Taron Egerton. Who? Again, no clue. Looks like he’s been in a bunch of shows I’ve never watched and the Kingsmen. Well, this isn’t a strike for me because I don’t mind new blood but it’s definitely not a check either.
Jaime Fox. BUZZER Strike two. Jaime Fox has stared in two good movies in the last 15ish years (Ray and Django Unchained and I give Quentin Tarantino more credit for Django than Fox because that man can get blood from a turnip.) In my view actors like Jaime Fox are attached to movies that are in trouble just to have a big name on the poster.
The rest of the actors are a bunch of almost no-names like Jamie Dornan who’s biggest movie was Fifty Shades of Suck. That would also be strike two.
3.) Who produced it? This only comes to play with me for movies like Star Wars. I’m not giving Disney’s Star Wars another chance because every thing they have turned out is meh (episode 7) to crap (episode 8.) If Disney sold Star Wars (which I know probably won’t happen in my life time) I might give it another chance.
4.) What’s it about? This is where I turned to the trailer. Robin Hood. Again? I’ve already seen this movie 5 times (1950’s version, Disney’s fox version, Men in Tights, Kevin Costner’s version then last and not least anymore, Russel Crow’s version.) Thanks but I don’t need to see another version of a tired story. BUZZER Strike three.
5.) What do the critics say? This is the last thing I consider because critics are sometimes flat out wrong (The Last Jedi.) However, since 1, 2 and 4 were strikes for me, I’m going to see what they said. 15/47% on Rotten Tomatoes and 5 out of 10 stars on IMDB. BUZZER Strike four.

Now without ever seeing Robin Hood (2018), I’m going to say with confidence: it sucks!

Now let’s look at The Big Lebowski:
1.) Who directed it? The Coen Brothers. Hey, I heard of them! True Grit? Loved it. Burn After Reading? Enjoyed. No Country For Old Men? Loved it. O Brother, Where Ar Thou? Enjoyed. Fargo? Loved it. CHECK
2.) Who stars in it? John Goodman! Snap, I loved him since Roseanne! Jeff Bridges! Who doesn’t love Jeff Bridges? Julianne Moore?! Omg, one of the greatest actresses alive. I can’t count the number of amazing movies she’s been in. Steve Buscemi? Hell yes! He’s in two of my favorite movies! Hell, even smaller parts were played by great actors like Peter Stormare, John Turturro and Philip Seymour Hoffman. CHECK
3.) Who produced it? Again, not applicable in this situation.
4.) What is it about? A ransom gone wrong. Could be interesting. CHECK
5.) What do the critics say? I’m not sure about then but for someone that hasn’t seen the movie, it’s 8 out of 10 stars on IMDB and 82/94% on Rotten. CHECK

Based on my system, I would see this movie with confidence that it will be money well spent (and it would have been if I heard about it in 1998.)

You may disagree and break it down a hundred ways, and that’s fine, but we’ll have to agree to disagree. Books, covers and all that.

Going to the theatres is not an option for me. Movies I watch are streamed.

As for me, I don’t get that deep into things. If it looks good, I’ll check it out. If there’s some kinda crazy cult following, I’ll see it. I studied film and have been watching movies for many, many years, so I too am well aware of all the criteria you consider. That being said, I thought Tommy Wiseau’s ‘The Room’ was worth a watch if only for it’s shockingly bad production - like watching a car crash. But, that movie wouldn’t pass any decent movie-watcher’s criteria, would it?

If you truly adhere to that stated logic, you’re going to miss a lot of interesting movies. Who directed? Maybe the dude is amazing on his first time out (Nolan, Aronofsky, P.T. Anderson, etc.). But you wouldn’t have known who those people were, so you never would have watched ‘Following’ or ‘Pi’ or ‘Sidney’.

Who stars in it? Well, maybe unknowns, and so? Some of the best movies I have ever seen starred unknowns. I kinda want to say that every actor or actress is unknown, in their first role. Some come from TV or music so that may not always be true, but many greats simply weren’t part of the pulling power in their first films.

Who produced it? Well, OK, maybe, but a producer credit can sometimes mean everything, and sometimes mean nothing - and you never really know which unless you read trades or get really deep into following production. Just because JJ Abrams’ name appears before a film, and the Bad Robot logo as well, does not mean the movie will have that Abrams flair. Case in point: the Cloverfield movies.

What is it about? Subjective, we cannot debate this. :sunglasses:

What do the critics say? Again, not really something I personally give credence to, specifically because of what I just said in the last paragraph. Opinions are like assh… I mean, opinions are subjective. If you consistently read a particular critic, and you agree consistently with their opinions, then I can see putting trust in them. I cannot see putting trust in something like Rotten Tomatoes or an IMDB rating. Those ratings simply reflect popular opinion, and again, what of that? I hated ‘The Matrix’, and I loved ‘Mother’. That’s 180 degrees opposite of public opinion.

I do because like I said, I don’t trust Hollywood anymore. 15+ years ago I would go see a movie cold but not anymore.

Then you’re doing the same thing I am just not as “deep”!

A movie only has to hit most of the points.

This is true and I might still go see a movie with a first time director. But, I would be weary.

This is true and no names isn’t a bad thing. Matter of fact, the example I used (Robin Hood) got a strike because of a “big” actor that’s done two good movies in the last 15ish years. I’ve seen a bunch of movies that Jamie Fox has been in and all but two sucked. It looks like to me that he jumped on board to help the movie, which is a bad thing in my opinion.

… but not always. Ron Perlman is an actor that does a lot of crap movies but I love him anyways.

That’s why I said that only comes to play on a case-by-case basis.

9 times out of 10, I agree completely but again with the example I used, it matters. I’m not going to see a 6th version of Robin Hood or a 5th version of Spiderman.

But it’s like you didn’t read my last paragraph. I said that critics don’t always matter and that I will turn to a critic rating only when a movie has a bunch of strikes against it already.

EDIT: Read the “Edit:” below if I am not making any sense.

Alright. Well, we can dissect this nine ways from Sunday, and all we are going to get is that we both have very personal and unique methods of selecting which movies we watch. Great, more power to the both of us.

I still recommend you see a movie, or listen to a song, or read a book… or get to know a person… before you make a snap judgment based on “previews” or preconceived notions.

I respect a negative opinion, a positive opinion, or even indifference, but it’s a shame that I cannot even really ask you what you thought of The Big Lebowski, because you’ve never seen it. I’d be interested to know why you think it doesn’t live up to the hype. If I didn’t care what people thought about the movie, I never would have clicked on this thread.

Side note: Ever see “Inherent Vice”? IMO, that movie is very similar to the Big Lebowski at the core - both are about an alcoholic/addict that basically float their way through investigation/avenging of crimes. The only thing is that Joaquin Phoenix kinda looked like he showered, whereas Jeff Bridges certainly did not.

It would be really cool to discuss both films, the juxtaposition and our thoughts on them. But… oh, well.

Edit: You know, I just reread this thread from the start, and I am not actually even sure what you (Tovi) and I are discussing or debating? I realize now that you said from the get-go that you have seen TBL, and think it’s an “awesome movie.” So, are we just discussing the statement that you can judge a movie by its trailer?

My original response about pre-judging things was directed at NIghthowk. I think maybe I got sidetracked one too many times during this thread. Wouldn’t be the first time.

So, for the sake of some kind of clarity (LOL), my opinions are:

  1. The Big Lebowski was an awesome movie.
  2. You cannot judge a film from the trailer alone.
  3. You should experience things personally before judging them.

I don’t even quite know what I am discussing here anymore. Have a good one!

You’re being very undude.
That’s just, like, your opinion, man.

Yeah and I didn’t mean it as a debate, I guess. Like I originally said: I was bored and just wanted to have a discussion, that’s it.

My only point was I judge movies all the time before I see them and I listed the reasons why.

Yah, I hear ya. Also, debates are fine by me, I don’t mean for that term to verge on something like “argument”, 'cause that’s not where I’m coming from.

Anyway, for my part I was confused between two ideas and two people, I kinda combined them into one opinion, and sent that your way. I’m sure it was confusing at times to read back, LOL.

Have a good one.

nothing is fked here dude nothing is fkd there not gunna do sh there not gunna kill sh** what can they do they are a bunch of f**in amateurs.

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Sorry to bust your bubble. The “dude” (AKA Jeff Bridges) is definitely the dude! The big lebowski is a classic. Loved this film and I’d rewatch it any day.

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This was a valued rug?

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It tied the room together.

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