The Poster Memorabilia blog

The Coolest Cast You’ll Ever Meet

Five legends, a bowling alley full of Dudes, and one fan who came as himself.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

You know, I think The Big Lebowski has my favorite cast ever. I mean, think about it: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, and Julianne Moore in one movie? That's wild! These people are legends now, and two of them are actual Academy Award winners. How could a mid-budget comedy caper have this much talent?

Not only is this a stellar cast, but they're a great bunch of people, too. I met them at the 2011 Lebowski Fest in New York City. And yes, you read that right. There is such a thing as “Lebowski Fest,” and it's everything you're probably thinking it is.

Lebowski Fest is an annual gathering of the movie's biggest fans. They screen the film, go bowling, and drink as many White Russians as they can. Jeff Bridges has even attended the festival himself, and he's played shows with his band, The Abiders, whose name is a nod to his iconic character, The Dude.

2011 was special since it was the biggest cast turnout the event has ever had. I mentioned earlier that the film had some big names, and they all appeared that year. It was a great promotional event for the movie's Blu-ray release.

I went to that Lebowski Fest, also my first and only time, just to see them. I wanted to get all their autographs and to hear their stories about making the film. It's not even my favorite movie, but I love this cast so much that I traveled all the way to New York City to meet them in person.

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I even attempted to dress up like “The Dude.” Apparently, most fans cosplay as the character all festival long. They grow out their hair (or wear wigs), wear sunglasses, and put on their versions of that famous sweater.

If they're not cosplaying The Dude, they're likely dressed up as John Goodman's character, Walter Sobchak, instead. As for me, cosplay was a no-go. I went as myself, which is what I wanted to show the cast anyway.

Now that I think about it, it's pretty amazing how this one movie cultivated such a following considering it's not a major franchise. You mostly expect this sort of thing from Star Wars or Marvel fans. But here is this low-key, one-off comedy film that inspired legions of moviegoers to make up an entire festival based on its main character. You can't say that about any old mid-budget hit.

“This is my all-time favorite ensemble of any movie ever made.”

Going back to the cast, I stand by what I said earlier. This is my all-time favorite ensemble of any movie ever made. Did they give their best performances in the film? No. Are they even remembered for their roles here? Apart from Bridges and maybe Goodman, no. But I don't care. This great movie had a great cast, and I couldn't have asked for more.

I did, however, ask for their autographs, and they were all cool about it. They all signed my poster, and I even took a selfie with Bridges. I had to do it. He's the coolest guy ever, and I know I would've regretted it if I didn't get a picture with him.

Honestly, I doubt there'll ever be a movie with a cast that can trump this one. It's just a feel-good flick you'd put on when you're feeling down, and the cast never fails to have me laughing my brains out every time.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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