'The Achievers: The Story of the Lebowski Fans' explores the Dude phenomenon

The 1998 Coen brothers film "The Big Lebowski" is now an undeniable pop-cult force: For many it is literally a way of life.

By Scott Timberg
LA Times

July 30, 2009

Eddie Chung, a former philosophy student who is accustomed to pondering life's deepest mysteries, is still stumped by something that shapes lives by the thousands: Why has "The Big Lebowski" become the most popular and all-consuming cult film since "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"?

"I don't think," said Chung, a 38-year-old Southland filmmaker, "that's an answerable question. It's like asking, 'Why did Britney Spears become popular?' "

Maybe so. But as with Spears, the 1998 Coen brothers film is now an undeniable pop-cult force: For many it is a way of life. The mystery of the film's resonance is something Chung has pondered for five years now, since he walked into a Lebowski Fest in Las Vegas in 2004.