Bad News: That Big Lebowski Tease Is Just A Dull Super Bowl Ad

The Super Bowl is as much an event because of the ads as the game, since so many companies go over the top with the commercials airing during the year's most coveted TV time. But just because someone spends a lot of money to make an ad doesn't mean it's going to be very good. Case in point: The Stella Artois ad teased last week that sees Jeff Bridges reprise his role as The Dude from The Big Lebowski.

The Stella ad, which is now up on YouTube ahead of Sunday's game, hinges on the idea of The Dude changing up his usual drink order. Throughout the Coen Brothers' 1998 movie, the stoner detective drinks White Russians--but in the Stella ad, he changes his order and goes for the Belgian pilsner.

He's not the only one. The Dude is joined by Carrie Bradshaw, Sarah Jessica Parker's iconic character from Sex and the City, who is known for drinking Cosmopolitans but switches things up in the ad. The change for the two characters shocks surrounding waitstaff so much, they drop several people's dinners onto the ground. It's not an especially good ad, seeing as neither Parker nor Bridges have good lines despite the fact both characters were birthed by comedies.

At least the ad is pushing a good cause as well as beer, though. The final moments of the commercial makes a very brief reference to a larger campaign Stella Artois is running, #PourItForward, which is defined by the idea of making social change as well as changes to drink orders. "Watch what happens when Carrie Bradshaw and The Dude change up the usual," the YouTube description of the ad reads. "If every pour of Stella Artois can help provide access to clean water for someone in need, why choose anything else? Join Carrie and The Dude as they choose to change up the usual and do good." As our sister site CNET notes, the #PourItForward campaign is a partnership with Water.org; for every Stella Artois purchased between now and March 31, Stella is donating a month of clean water access to someone who doesn't have it.

But somewhat disappointingly, that the tease for the ad Bridges tweeted is not some indication of more substantive content featuring The Dude coming down the pipe. There may yet be a little more of The Big Lebowski, though. John Turturro, who played bowling sex offender Jesus Quintana in the movie, apparently wrote and directed a spin-off film about the character called Going Places a few years ago--so while it doesn't seem there's more of The Dude on the horizon, there may yet still be something related to The Big Lebowski waiting in the future.