Monday, February 18, 2008

Walter Sobchak

Never in the history of film has there been a more hilarious case of post traumatic stress disorder than in the case of Walter Sobchak in "The Big Lebowski." While this may seem a cruel thing to say, I would be lying if I did not admit that I laughed harder at this character than any other in the film. I would feel bad about laughing at his behavior if the characters in the movie didn't seem to have the same unsympathetic feelings towards him. One of the funniest lines to me is when Walt says, "Am I right?" repeatedly and the Dude finally replies, "You're not wrong Walter. You're just an asshole." After watching him go on and on with his tirades about Vietnam and Shomer Shabbos, something became very clear to me. That one thing was that Vietnam did not make Walt the way he was, Walt was born that way, and no set of circumstances in his life could ever change the fact that he is a complete asshole, plain and simple. Although a very loveable (and quotable) one.

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