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The Big Lebowski is a 1998 American comedy film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film follows a few days in the life of Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), a burned-out, unemployed Californian slacker, after he is mistaken for a millionaire with the same name. While The Big Lebowski is not directly based on Raymond Chandler's novel The Big Sleep, Joel Coen has said that "[we] wanted to do a Chandler kind of story – how it moves episodically, and deals with the characters trying to unravel a mystery. As well as having a hopelessly complex plot that's ultimately unimportant." The Dude is mostly inspired by Jeff Dowd, a member of the Seattle Seven, and a friend of the Coen brothers, Pete Exline, a Vietnam War veteran. Walter (John Goodman), the Dude's best friend, was based on a good friend of Exline's named Lew Abernathy, and on John Milius, a fellow filmmaker. The original score was composed by Carter Burwell, a veteran of all the Coen Brothers' films. T-Bone Burnett, who also worked with the Coens on O Brother, Where Art Thou? (and later The Ladykillers), is credited as music bibliographer. The Big Lebowski did not do well at the box office, grossing only USD $17 million domestically, just above its $15 million budget. However, it received generally positive reviews from critics. The film, known for its idiosyncratic characters, surreal dream sequences, unconventional dialogue and eclectic soundtrack, has become a cult classic and has been called "the first cult film of the Internet era." Fans' devotion to the film has even spawned the Lebowski Fest, an annual festival that started in Louisville, Kentucky in 2002, and has since expanded to several other cities.