What 1998 comedy film features a slacker known as 'The Dude' and a stolen rug?

The 1998 comedy about “The Dude,” a stolen rug, and a tangled kidnapping scheme is The Big Lebowski.

Jeff Bridges plays Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski, a laid-back Los Angeles bowler who is mistaken for a wealthy man with the same name. Two men break into his apartment and ruin his rug while trying to collect a debt from the other Lebowski. Seeking compensation, the Dude becomes entangled in a supposed kidnapping involving the millionaire’s young wife, Bunny.

Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, the film blends crime noir, bowling comedy, absurdist humor, and dream sequences. John Goodman plays the Dude’s volatile bowling partner Walter Sobchak, while Steve Buscemi plays Donny Kerabatsos. The story’s investigation intentionally becomes more complicated than the Dude’s relaxed worldview can comfortably handle.

The rug is an important plot object because the Dude repeatedly insists that it “ties the room together.” The character was partly inspired by film producer and activist Jeff Dowd, who was known as “The Dude.” Common mix-ups include The Man Who Wasn’t There, another Coen brothers film, but only The Big Lebowski centers on the Dude and his bowling crew.