The Big Lebowski (1998) - Parents Guide Movie Rating
- MPAA Reason
- Rated R for pervasive strong language, drug content, sexuality and brief violence.
- BBFC Reason
- Contains strong language and sex references THE BIG LEBOWSKI is a US comedy about a slacker who becomes embroiled in a kidnapping plot after he is mistaken for a millionaire with the same surname.
- BBFC Ratings info
- THE BIG LEBOWSKI is a US comedy about a slacker who becomes embroiled in a kidnapping plot after he is mistaken for a millionaire with the same surname. Violence: Infrequent scenes of strong violence include a sequence in which a man bites another man's ear off. Language: There is frequent use of strong language ('f**k') throughout, as well as occasional use of moderate bad language including 'cock' and 'dick'. Sex: Occasional strong sex references include mention of masturbation, fellatio, and anal sex. Occasional scenes of drug use occur in which the protagonist smokes marijuana, and a sequence in which he is drugged and experiences a hallucinogenic trip. There is also infrequent breast nudity.
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Sex & Nudity
moderateThe Dude shades a notepad revealing a doodle of a penis and testicles on a piece of paper. It's a doodle and not flesh and is mild. A scene where characters watch a few seconds of an adult film on a small screen. One woman is in very revealing clothing, and one of them is fully nude (you see her breasts for like half a minute, then 2 characters make out.) A woman bounces on a trampoline. Breasts are briefly shown and it is in the background and it's blink and you'll miss it. A woman is forward in a meeting with the "Dude" discussing sex and making a reference to the male anatomy (penis). A woman is hoisted on a harness whilst creating a painting. She is then seen shirtless from a distance for a bit. A woman in a bikini asks a man to blow on her toes to dry nail polish, she then says she will give him a blow job for $1,000. No sex or nudity. There is a brief discussion about a character who is a registered sex offender and the time he did in prison. According to Walter, said character exposed himself to an eight-year-old and was forced to inform everyone in his neighborhood before moving in. One of the main characters works at a porn studio, so there are some scenes that take place there. A scene in which she arrives there shows her topless from far away, but breasts are still briefly visible There are several close up scenes of a topless woman sitting crossed-legged as she floats upward off the screen. All nudity in the film is for comedic purpose and is not really to be sexual or provocative. Multiple instances of brief breast nudity and sexual humor, but other than that fairly clean No pervasive scenes of nudity, only a few female topless scenes---which are all notably brief. Other than that there is some mild themes of sex, as well as brief conversations and dialogue revolving around the topic. Never graphic. Some crude humor A man in a dream looks up a bunch of women's skirts ( nothing shown ) A nude woman runs past a window in a backyard. No detail can be seen.
Violence & Gore
mildThe violence is played for humor, but some instances are intense. A severed toe wrapped in gauze is sent in the mail. There is some blood on the bandage as it is unwrapped. Thugs come into The Dude's home and smash his belongings with a cricket bat. Walter uses a crowbar to destroy a Corvette. The owner of the Corvette later uses the crowbar to destroy The Dude's car. A police officer throws a coffee cup at The Dude's forehead and pushes him to the floor. A thug interrogates The Dude by shoving his head into a toilet. Another thug urinates on The Dude's carpet. A man gets hit in the stomach by a bowling ball; he almost vomits and appears to be in pain. A brief fight scene happens at the end of the movie. Walter beats up the nihilists and bites off the ear of one of them. Afterwards, he is shown with blood on his beard. The scene ends when Donny suffers from a heart attack and dies.
Profanity
severe274 "f" words, 36 "s" words, 10 slang terms for male genitals (the "d," "c," and "p" words along with "rod" and "Johnson"), 1 slang term for female genitals ("beaver"), 22 "ass" words (6 using "hole"), 7 hells, 2 damns, 1 S.O.B., and 7 uses of "G-damn," 5 of "Jesus," 2 of "Jesus Christ," and 1 use each of "Oh Jesus," "Lord," "By God," "For Christ's sakes" and "God" as exclamations.
Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking
moderateThe Dude is shown smoking marijuana a couple of times and he is constantly high. The Dude drinks "White Russians" in several scenes. In one scene, The Dude drinks beer and smokes marijuana while driving, causing an accident. Characters smoke cigarettes.
Frightening & Intense Scenes
mildThe instances of people breaking into the Dude's home an assaulting him may be difficult for some viewers. Overall the film is a comedy and even the tense moments are meant to be took jokingly. MA15+ ( Frequent Coarse Language ) The kidnappers send a severed toe in order to induce their victims family to pay up. Donnie dies in the film due to a heart attack as a result of killing three men. This is however done for comedy purposes.