On Tuesday, June 1, The Big Lebowski finally returned to Netflix. The beloved 1990s comedy has been missing from the catalog since February of 2019, and it left fans in mourning when it was first removed. Now, that sleight has been rectified, and you can watch the movie to your heart’s content.
The Big Lebowski stars Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski — one of the most-quoted protagonists in film history. It also stars John Goodman, Julianne more and a host of other iconic performers of that era. It revolves around The Dude’s accidental involvement in a criminal confrontation which clashes with his slacker philosophy. If you’ve never seen it before, you will most certainly recognize some of the references, quotes and memes drawn from it upon first viewing now.
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In the age of streaming, seeing a movie added to a service you already subscribe to has become the equivalent of coming across it on cable on a lazy afternoon or happening upon it in the bargain bin while shopping. The Big Lebowski has never exactly been out of reach per se — the movie was always available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital in online stores like Amazon, iTunes, YouTube, Vudu and Apple TV. It was also streaming on Cinemax Go and FuboTV already. (You can get a free trial of FuboTV here.)
Still, Netflix remains the ubiquitous center of the “streaming wars,” and seeing a movie there guarantees a bit more universality. It also helps revive a movie in the public consciousness, especially in certain circles on social media where film retrospectives are popular. The Big Lebowski achieved that on Twitter last week, when Netflix announced its June catalog update.
“Big Lebowski on Netflix June 1st… can never skip that one,” one person tweeted. Another added: “Big Lebowski on Netflix is dangerous for me,” and a third added: “Just rewatched The Big Lebowski on Netflix and also enjoyed this rumination on its philosophy – think that’s overcomplicating a movie? Well, that’s like, just your opinion, man.”
As popular as the movie is, it was not necessarily a commercial triumph in its time. The Big Lebowski just barely made back its budget at the U.S. box office, though it nearly doubled that internationally. That only serves to make its enduring legacy more impressive. You can stream The Big Lebowski on Netflix now.
