Was Donny really a surfer, or was Walter just making something up to cover the fact he didn't know anything about his friend beyond the fact he liked bowling?

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GrandPaGames1@reddit

I take this scene as genuinely tragic (minus the ashes going the wrong way) and choose to believe Walter was serious. I realize that’s a departure from the tone of the rest of the movie but the hug from Walter says to me that the scene was meant to be sad.

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ToiletTime4TinyTown@reddit

That’s how I feel, Walter’s the kind of guy who was probably shitty to all his friends right up until they “died face down in the muck” but now that they are something to throw a pity party about.

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drkmani@reddit

Not during league play

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---Agrajag---@reddit (OP)

I always thought the poignancy was emphasized by the fact we often know so little about each other, even people close to us or who we work alongside every day... and then when they go, it hits you that they are basically a stranger. The hug always makes me tear up not because of Donny (though it was sad to see him go) but it's Walter acknowledging what a broken fuckup he is, and the Dude forgiving him anyway. Like, we are all flawed. Still, it's all water under the bridge...

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DeuceOfDiamonds@reddit

Very valid interpretation, and I agree. The point is the isolation and passing through life without ever impacting someone else that far too many of us experience.

Friends like these, eh, Gary?

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GOAK26@reddit

Do ya have to use so many cuss words?

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DeuceOfDiamonds@reddit

Fuck're you talkin' about?

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Dmiller360@reddit

I’m sorry I wasn’t listening…

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no_vale_verga817@reddit

Stay out of Malibu! Deadbeat!

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GJKLSGUI89@reddit

Fuck it, Dude. Let's go bowling.

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no_vale_verga817@reddit

Stay out of Malibu! Deadbeat!

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zoobatt@reddit

Strong men also cry.

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IngenuityStunning755@reddit

Are you surprised by my tears?

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Steventhetoon@reddit

This line cracks me up every time 🤣

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IngenuityStunning755@reddit

Fuckin A man

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Palealedad@reddit

He's fakin' it.

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2wheelsThx@reddit

I've never be more certain of anything in my life.

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cosmicjunkbot@reddit

That and a pair or testicles

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TrainwreckTrials@reddit

Yea I got a rash man ......

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DiscHashDisc@reddit

*inhales joint* Dude, fuckin' A!

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roguepandaCO@reddit

Fuckin’ A man.

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Klogginthedangerzone@reddit

Fuckin’ A

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chipz-n-gravy@reddit

Strong men also cry.

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BendAppropriate614@reddit

like all of us here, I've watched Lebowski countless times. I happened to watch it a few weeks ago and for the first time I got choked up at that scene, Walter hugging The Dude. Are you surprised at my tears, Sir?

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No_Cow_9413@reddit

I think you nailed it exactly.

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indorock@reddit

It's the only scene in the whole movie AFAIK where Walter apologises for his fuckup.

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Dweebil@reddit

Donny who loved bowling.

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BuckManscape@reddit

Theodore Donald Kerabatsos.

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ca-nl-nj@reddit

Were you listening to Walters story?

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BoardsofCanada3@reddit

I mean, he knew his full name, they hung out, even in passing I'm pretty sure he'd learn that Donny surfed. Walter may have bullshitted just how much he liked it, because he genuinely didn't care about Donny's personal life and only knew two of his hobbies.

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AGuyInTheOZone@reddit

I rewatched the film not too long and the scene made me realize that this wasn't about the rug tying the room together or who was running all over town owing money to whom. It was a simple bromance, and as tragic as it is, many of us Bros have this depth of knowledge of some of our closest friends.

Grown men also cry, grown men also cry

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WhatIsTheAmplitude@reddit

Good night sweet prince.

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Why_So-Serious@reddit

Is there an origin story on how they met?

In my imagination, they met through community service hours that they all had to perform. You can easily see how Walter and The Dude could have had some misunderstands with the law that would have required forced community service, Hence the name Park Ckeaners on the back of Donny’s shirt.

However Donny seems way too chill to have a run in with the law.

Here is the thing about Donny, he used to be a real bad ass, just flying off the handle and getting mixed up in fights. He would fight anyone for any wave out there. Until he was at the wrong play and the wrong time and got busted for his behavior. His Anger Management not only required community service, Park Cleaning, but also some heavy doses of meds that have completely chilled him out. He met Walter and The Dude at community service where Walter and Donny used to get into some spirited debates where Donny was clearly out of his Element. Donny has since has chilled out due to the Meds. Cynthia and the 3000 years of beautiful tradition from Jesus to Sandy Koufax has chilled Walter out a bit.

I don’t know about you but I take comfort in that origin story. Just a group of citizens paying their debt to society and making life long friendships as a result.

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Jodanmawashigeri@reddit

☝️not into the whole brevity thing.

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---Agrajag---@reddit (OP)

I always read it as Walter bullshitting to fill out his eulogy, but lately I wonder if Donny actually was a surfer who explored the beaches of Southern California, from La Jolla to Leo Carrillo and... up to... Pismo. But the story seems ludicrous. Pale, thin Donny a surfer?

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Shills_for_fun@reddit

One thing we learn is that Donny doesn't have pretty much anyone in his life other than his two friends. Namely family. Think about how sad it is that two guys you know from bowling are the only ones who see to your funeral expenses.

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therealtwomartinis@reddit

Sir, this is a mortuary, not a rental house

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TestesRex@reddit

Just because they're bereaved doesn't make them saps

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Prophet-of-Ganja@reddit

Some people don’t even have that.

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c-papi@reddit

Apparently there is a theory that Donny isn't real, as (from what I was told) Donny is only noticed by walter in the movie. I haven't heard much of it but I personally don't know, man.

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2wheelsThx@reddit

No, it's a horse-shit theory. Donny and The Dude do interact ("Phone's ringing, Dude." "Thank you, Donny."). Dude states he thought Donny was shot in the parking lot while giving him aid. Who are they at the funeral home for, and whose ashes are in the Folgers can?

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Ryforge20@reddit

What in God's holy name are you blathering about?

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GaiusBertus@reddit

I am the walrus.

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lIlIIlIIllIllIlIIIll@reddit

God damn I love this sub so much.

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Salt-Alarm-9103@reddit

They are all surfers! The Big Lewboski is the secret sequel to John Milius's Big Wednesday!!

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---Agrajag---@reddit (OP)

Big Wednesday

I did not know that!

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motorcycleboy9000@reddit

The story is ludicrous.

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Billy-no-mate@reddit

Those are good burgers, Walter.

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YouOk5627@reddit

Vagina.

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greatandhalfbaked@reddit

That had not occured to us, Dude.

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soiliketolurksowhat@reddit

Walter is always serious.

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Pulchritudinous_rex@reddit

That had not occurred to us dude

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useless_modern_god@reddit

You got a date on Big Wednesday baby!

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Pulchritudinous_rex@reddit

That is Matt Johnson!

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Gunkwei@reddit

Well, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.

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tbtc-7777@reddit

Donnie being a surfer is a lot more credible than some of the other characters' attributes. Fuck it, man, let's go bowling.

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NihilisticBlender@reddit

He hears him one mention surfing maybe, or not.

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mat_srutabes@reddit

I didn't like seeing Donny go...

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happyjeep_beep_beep@reddit

New shit has come to light.

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geowatt@reddit

Shut the fuck up Donny

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kiggitykbomb@reddit

Just because we're bereaved doesn't make us saps.

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saxbassoon@reddit

loved bowling

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PsychedelicHypnosis@reddit

He surfed the waves from La Jolla, all the way too….Pismo….

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Capn_Grammar@reddit

Yeah, are we going to split hairs here?

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CarCertain3064@reddit

In your wisdom Lord , you took him

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suckercuck@reddit

…as you took so many bright, flowering, young men— at Khe Sanh, at Langdok, and Hill 364!

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shutthefuckupdonny98@reddit

What in god’s holy name are you blathering about?

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ggghhhggghhhh@reddit

Donnie surfed! When the movie plays in San Luis Obispo, and Walter mentions Pismo in his eulogy it brings out a big cheer. Pismo is only about 15 minutes from SLO.

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Ok-Confection-2004@reddit

I always assumed that Donnie mentioned surfing once in passing and Walter just assumed that he was a big time surfer because he would never have actually been interested to learn more about Donnie.

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delidave7@reddit

He didn’t know shit about Donny. That’s what makes the scene and premise so hilarious.

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MarkEoghanJones_Art@reddit

Yes.

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BolivianDancer@reddit

I'm still baffled after all these years how the hell they combined a Scottish given name with Greek middle and surnames. It's among the more stupefying details from the film.

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bluntpencil2001@reddit

People can have multiple backgrounds. Greek father, Scottish mother, for example.

Or, you know, they just liked the name.

Greek father, Scottish best friend that he named his kid after.

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BolivianDancer@reddit

Greek fathers name their sons after their fathers. Almost inescapably, either Adonis has an older brother who got the Greek granddad's name, or if he's first born something really extraordinary happened -- like a war time story or something.

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Ryno555@reddit

You're not wrong, BolivianDancer, you're just an asshole

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---Agrajag---@reddit (OP)

We're not talking about the people who built the Acropolis here, Walter

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bustanut_dabmaster@reddit

Not the preferred nomenclature

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TrainwreckTrials@reddit

gif

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DeuceOfDiamonds@reddit

I say the latter. My headcanon is that the three don't actually know each other all that well, and probably know Donnie the least. That's one of the reasons the Dude calls the eulogy a travesty. And as others ITT have pointed out, it really is sad. We laugh, because Walter's vamping and relating Donnie's eulogy back to himself and his Vietnam fixation is funny, but the core of it is really tragic.

Strong men also cry. Strong men... also cry.

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ProperCap5400@reddit

Reading this thread makes me realize I need to watch Lebowski again.

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axlgreece5202@reddit

Has anyone ever been to this very spot? I tried finding it on a visit to LA a few years ago but if I was anywhere near where the internet says it is, it was all fenced off because of dangerous bluffs from La Jolla up to... Pismo.

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tapdancingsavior@reddit

San Pedro. Fenced off, but people still do it.

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balsadust@reddit

I really hated to see Donnie go.

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thebigdu@reddit

Donnie was a former NYC firefighter. Not exactly a lightweight.

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solidus0079@reddit

It’s possible he was. They did (attempt to) send his ashes out to the ocean.

gif

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bustanut_dabmaster@reddit

To the bosom of the Pacific Ocean 🥹

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NoseBig4267@reddit

Which you loved so well.

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udat42@reddit

In accordance with what his wishes might well have been.

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---Agrajag---@reddit (OP)

Shit, yeah, committing the remains to the bosom of the Pacific Ocean! My thinking about this case has become very uptight!

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freeway_gmz@reddit

Estaba en su elemento.

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papazwah@reddit

Until he started talking about ‘Nam. What the fuck does anything have to do with Vietnam??

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rinkerbam@reddit

I always thought it was sad that Donnie had no family or other friends.

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SmarmyYardarm@reddit

Some dudes don’t even have dudes like the dude and Walter.

For all anyone knows Donnie worked a lonely day job as a celery pitchman and only had bowling as any type of extracurricular activity.

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SmarmyYardarm@reddit

The surfing is not the issue here.

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dcamnc4143@reddit

In an early draft, Donny was supposed to be this pro level surfer dude; it was going to be his main character identity. I forgot where I read it, probably in one of the Lebowski books.

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