The Dude abides.

This month, The Big Lebowski makes its debut on Blu-ray with a special book edition. The cult classic from Joel and Ethan Coen tells the story of Jeffrey Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), also known as "The Dude."

What most people don't know is that the character of The Dude was actually based on a real person.

Jeff Feuerzeig created a documentary short on Jeff "The Dude" Dowd as part of USA Network's Character Project. The doc, aptly titled The Dude, is about Dowd's life, the details of which were touched on in humorous moments of The Big Lebowski. Similar to the movie, it shows us that there is a lot of depth, heart, and amusement to be found in the ordinary.

The short also explores the subculture of Lebowski fans around the nation. In the film, The Dude goes to a festival where fans dress up like characters from The Big Lebowski. There is a lot of partying going on, but there is also an intrinsic love for what The Dude represents--a guy who just wants to enjoy life, but sticks by his principles. It's also great to see Dowd and then watch The Big Lebowski all over again through new eyes.

You can check out the Character Approved documentary in its entirety on the USA Character Project site.

[Image: USA Character Project]