Ever wondered how The Dude has any money in The Big Lebowski? How does a man afford a lovely rug, a flat, an expensive weed habit and an obsession with White Russians without ever seeming to make any money? Its a source of comedy in the film, as the other Lebowski urges him to get a job because the bums will always lose. After this discussion, The Dude helps himself to a rug. At one stage, the fact that The Dude seemingly has some sort of income was going to be addressed in the film. Apparently, an early draft explained that he was an heir to the inventor of the Rubiks Cube. Certainly, the Coens could milk a few laughs from that character detail. However, Joel Coen made the decision to exorcise references to Rubiks Cubes from the script and leave The Dudes income as a mystery. It works marvellously, helping to build The Dude up as an almost-mythic figure who doesnt need a job or any other income streams to survive. If the film had presented him as a layabout skirting through life on inheritance money and royalties cheques, perhaps The Dude wouldnt have become the cultural icon that he is today. Good call, Joel.
