So i finally got around to seeing the fine flick about the Dude. But one thing confused me (I know, I know… it’s a Cohen pic so I should expect some holes).
Putting in gaps for those who may hover who haven’t seen it.
Hope this is enough.
Referring to the kidnapping of the other Lebowski’s wife:
How did the nihilists know about it? She was just gone visiting friends, the “kidnapping” note came the day she disappeared so Lebowski’s daughter couldn’t have mentioned it to her friends who then faked the kidnapping for money. Did I miss something?
Why do we need spoiler boxes if “(spoilers)” is in the title??? Oh, well.
Bunny and the Nihilists were in cahoots. They did the ransom bit while Bunny hid out. Remember that The Dude sees the Head Nihilist at the Big L’s mansion and in the porno with Bunny that Maude shows him. So they were long time “business associates”.
I disagree; she had merely mentioned to her party buddy (Karl Hungus) that she was going out of town for a few days, and it was Karl and his band who decided to run the ransom scam, assuming that they would have the money in hand by the time she came back.
And, that she had nothing to do with the fake ransom plan; she was simply running about on her own, oblivious.
Yeah, I don’t see where not believing in anything = not wanting large amounts of money. In fact, not believing in any moral code obviously makes it easier to agressively pursue large amounts of money.
But the point is it’s pretty clear bunny has nothing to do with it. How would the nihilists know she was disappearing for a few days? Or at least long enough to get the ransom and that she wouldn’t pop back in. It makes no sense.
Uh, folks, Bunny is in serious money trouble with Jackie Treehorn. This is in fact the key starting point of the movie when Treehorn’s guys hassle the wrong Lebowski. She needs money ASAP. The Nihilists don’t need a million, Bunny does. Maude also knows all about Bunny’s money problems.
This also explains why the Nihilists are willing to “drop their price” during the confrontation outside the bowling alley. They were willing to take anything to make up for their time and toe.
(And I wonder if Walter knows a recently infamous Wendy’s customer.)
True, but Bunny doesn’t seem to actually care very much. I mean, if she were genuinely concerned about coming up with money to pay off Treehorn, I think she’d have sold that expensive sports car instead of crashing it into the fountain in front of her house. I don’t think she gives a damn about the money she owes one way or the other, especially since Treehorn seems to be going after her husband instead of her.
Also, if she were involved in the fake kidnapping, I’d expect her involvment to be more substantial than spending a weekend in Vegas. I mean, if I were one of the nihilists, I’d be expecting her to shoulder a substantial portion of the risk to go along with the substantial portion of the ransom money she’d be getting to pay off Treehorn.
“You can guess what happens next.”
“He fixes the cable?”
But it requires a few viewings to catch all the subtleties in it… the first time I saw it, I thought it was just ok, but after a few watches, it turned into a classic.
Great quotable lines in it. Especially when there are a few people in a social group that have seen it.
As minimal a role as John Turtorro (sp) had, his jesus character is classic. There is almost nothing quite as perverted that I’ve ever seen that matches his scene where he touches his tongue to the bowling ball. Totally gross, but hilarious www.lebowskifest.com
Because Bunny is friends with the Nihilists. Remember when the Dude is at the Big Lebowski’s house and there’s a drunk guy in the pool? He’s a Nihilist! Also, one of the Nihilists was her costar in the porn movie. (“How’re they gonna go back to the farm after they’ve seen Karl Hungus”.) Obviously, she told the Nihilists she was going to Vegas for the weekend and they took advantage of her absence to try to scam the Big Lebowski.
Her carefree attitude when we see her later in her convertible implies (or at least, I infer) that she knows nothing about the plot.
Oh i got those guys were her friends and the nihilists. I just didn’t think it was directly implied that they knew exactly how long she was going to be gone. The movie gave me th eimpression that she was just flighty and could have been gone a day or could have been gone 2 months and no one would know. She doesn’t seem like the type to plan her vacation and then share the itinerary is all.
Another reason why I don’t think they’re doing it for Bunny is that, once made aware that the ringer was a ringer, they still insisted that The Dude/Walter/STFU Donny still hand over what little money they had. Just a bunch greedy nihilists, that’s all.
I think you’re doing a little too much character analyzation, BMU. You can’t see her saying “Hey, Karl, I’m bored, I’m going to Vegas for the weekend”? I don’t think it’s that weird, and since without her letting them know where she was the entire plot makes no sense, I’m happy to believe it. It’s never said explicitly, but it’s not totally outrageos to assume that’s what happened.
Also, the one nihilist whines about how girlfriend cut off her toe because she thought they were getting a million dollars. Doesn’t sound like they were doing it for Bunny to me.
I just saw it again (for some reason it screened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York). One thing I realized is that the Big Lebowski actually gets away with it! Sure, the Dude knows what’s going on, but the money remains taken out of the children’s fund, and into Lebowski’s hands.
Kind of a bummer.
Oh yeah, not only that, but the Dude is left without a rug! It really tied the room together…
