Vietnam, Bowling, Rules: The new Big Lebowski DVD

Ten years ago I was bowled over by the Coen Brothers’ crazy dark comedy The Big Lebowski , which since then has become a pop cultural icon, complete with fan websites and an annual Lebowski Fest. The latest event in Lebowski land: the recent release of “The Big Lebowski: 10th Anniversary Edition” DVD.

Why mention The Big Lebowski in a space that deals with the arts and the Vietnam War? Simple: Walter, one of the three main characters (played to a tee by larger-than-life John Goodman—above, center ), is a big-hearted, big-mouthed Vietnam veteran.

Here’s what I had to say about Walter in my mini-review, which appeared in the April-May 1998 issue of The VVA Veteran :

In this strange but engrossing film, Walter constantly prattles on about his war days. It’s the early nineties, yet he goes around wearing jungle boots, cut-off fatigue shorts and dog tags. Walter also has a wicked temper, and is not hesitant to brandish a firearm or resort to physical violence.

Okay, Walter is another cinematic Nam vet nutcase. Still, the movie is played for laughs, and Walter is pretty damn funny. And how can you get upset with a guy who confronts a transgressing fellow bowler by bellowing:

“This is not Vietnam, this is bowling. There are rules!”


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