It doesn’t take long in episode 382 of the Nerdist to see the similarities between Jeff Bridges and his now, archetypal portrayal of Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski. The actor is obviously less put upon than the famous Coen brothers character, but his demeanor is soooo Dude.
He’s a little slurry, surprisingly cogent, and you can actually hear his perma-smile coming through the speakers.
In fact, he’s so relaxed, it’s almost jarring when he tries to strategically steer the convo toward his new movie R.I.P.D., a 3D supernatural action romp, where he and Ryan Reynolds play cops assigned to “protect and serve the living from an increasingly destructive array of souls who refuse to move peacefully to the other side.”
Yep, that’ll be one adult ticket for the matinee, por favor. I love an absurd premise.
Matt and Jonah are nowhere to be found in this ep; there is an unidentified third party who chimes in every now again, but for the most part this is Hardwick and Bridges, mano-a-mano.
Bridges is not as forthcoming as one might expect him to be. You get a sense that as a showbiz legacy (his father is Lloyd Bridges), he’s learned how to expose just enough of himself over the years to make an interview entertaining but not overly revealing.
He talks about Tron; he talks about The Big Lebowski, and he talks about his relationship with his father and his brother, Beau. But he never goes deep enough to make this interview compelling.
I get the impression he’s hot off a press junket for the new movie, and Hardwick, though he tries to dive deeper, has no option but to vibe off of Bridges’s momentum. If you’re a Lebowski fan, it’s certainly worth a listen. If you’re not, don’t expect too much from this one.
