The Dude Fǖ©ᶄing Abides: Applying Criminological Theories to "The Big Lebowski"

• In Event: Public Perception and the Crime Genre

Abstract

Although many scholarly works have examined the content of the film The Big Lebowski, such as those presented at numerous philosophical and psychological conferences, virtually no criminological study has closely examined this script/movie or applied it to criminological theory. In our analysis, we recorded all criminal acts—as well as deviant/analogous behaviors—presented in the film, and then applied relevant theories to each of them. The theories most clearly represented in the movie are low self-control, differential association/reinforcement, strain/general strain theories, conflict/Marxist perspective, subcultural theory, lifestyle/routine activities approach, techniques of neutralization, rational choice theory and labeling perspective. This study categorizes each of the many illegal acts depicted in the movie into the most likely theoretical model that explains the behavior of the characters. Finally, we briefly discuss the frequent and varied use of “F-bombs” throughout the film.

Authors

• Stephen G. Tibbetts, California State University, San Bernardino

• Kim Tibbetts, California State University, San Bernardino