Look. I forgot The Jesus Rolls was coming out in a few days, too. Ever since the big announcement, where John Turturro achieved his lifelong mission of making a spiritual successor to The Big Lebowski (where he plays the beloved supporting character Jesus Quintana: a side role that steals the show), The Jesus Rolls was being discussed for quite some time. And then, it just vanished. Maybe around the time of its Rome Film Festival showing. If that’s the case (I’m not sure, as i lost track), then that isn’t the best of signs. Either way, Turturro got his chance to take a swing at this project, and at least there is that.

Should it even have existed in the first place? We know why it does for Turturro, who directed, wrote, and starred in this vehicle. What about for the rest of us? For the Big Lebowski super fans? For those of us (myself included) that really like The Big Lebowski but maybe not as much as those that watch the film religiously? Catching lightning in a bottle is a freak accident that usually isn’t planned. We live in the digital age where filmmakers now know of the underground circuits that champion their films in a way that was hidden before; I’m talking about cult fanbases. The Big Lebowski wasn’t as critically or widely loved upon release as you may think. It took the growing cult reception to create the legacy the film now has. It’s no longer a secret that people adore this film, either. Widely considered one of cinema’s funniest, most quotable pop culture staples, there’s at least some sort of understanding as to why someone would try to achieve this result again.

I wanted to put a legendary Jesus quote here, but they’re all profane.

Again, catching lightning in a bottle twice just doesn’t happen. In the digital age, filmmakers know who loves their work. Of course, this may create an incentive to now appease this audience. Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero tried just that years after The Room became a midnight viewing party for many. They took part in Best F(r)iends, which you may have forgotten about a year or so later (I know I did). Was the film fun? It did alright. Was it The Room? No, and nothing will be The Room. This is also true for The Big Lebowski. The Coen brothers don’t even want to touch this film ever again. They know it was by chance that this film caught on, and so they didn’t want to go anywhere near The Jesus Rolls in any stage of its development (even when it was a fever dream of Turturro’s nearly twenty years ago).

Once again, nothing will ever be The Big Lebowski, unless someone tried to remake the film. Turturro doesn’t do that. Instead, he is remaking the controversial French film Going Places — known for its hyper sexuality, and considerably high levels of misogyny — with the Jesus Quintana character serving as a lead. Huh. This is beginning to sound like a questionable idea. If you want to remake such an iffy cult film like Going Places, maybe a modern view with some appropriate commentary would suffice. Using a side character in an already existing, widely popular film as this character is strange. Using a character known for their sexual assaults (let’s not forget Jesus is a pederast) in a film of this nature is downright objectionable.

Why didn’t Jesus’ disturbing past bother us so much during The Big Lebowski? I know why. He was meant to be a punchline. Not a focal point. A gag character. An oddity in a film about many oddities (nihilists, severed toes, and “marmots”). We can deal with “The Jesus” because he isn’t the main person we’re following around. The Dude is just a loser. Walter is nuts. Donny is reserved but charming. They’re not sex offenders. Do we really want to go through a remake of a testy film with a character from another film who himself is testy? Is this really the best idea? Is this really a Big Lebowski sequel at all? Should this have even been made?

At the end of the day, this feels like John Turturro leaping through hoops to get this film made (many main producers is usually a sign that a lot had to happen for a film to work out). Is it even worth it at this point? I guess we will see when The Jesus Rolls finally hits theatres in three days. For me, there are many red flags popping up here. The desire to achieve miraculous greatness again. Deviating from the original source by instead remaking another film. Highlighting a problematic character within a completely different problematic source material. Giving this toxic character the entire screen time, instead of keeping them as the occasional gag they’re meant for. Personally, I see nothing but gutter-balls ahead.

Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.

Did We Need a Big Lebowski Spin-Off?