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The Dude isn't an asshole. The Dude is all that many aspire to be. He learns not to bathe with ferrets. It's a lesson I repeat to myself every day.
I think that movies should be able to pull this type of positive transformation off in a subtle way. When it's overt, like in Peaceful Warrior or the latter Matrix movies, it can become like tedious, pseudo-philosophical fluff. I'd suggest that the quest for meaning was actually really well played in Casino Royale. It's arguable whether that change was positive, but character development from a philosophical standpoint was there. The nice thing was that they didn't make it the showcase. It was simply a part of character development. Take as another example Children of Men (one of the best science fiction movies of my generation). Here we see an apathetic outlook on life turn to hope over the chain of amazing events that make up the road of trials.
More importantly, no one can think in heat. Get to an air conditioned area and take a breather!
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