Billy Madison, Con Air, & Big Lebowski Are Set In The Same Universe, Says One Theory
It's not enough for Hollywood to consistently crank out franchises, crossovers, and cinematic universes. People are now trying to string together separate movies of the past into one cohesive narrative, like "The Polar Express" and "Back to the Future" existing in the same reality. In yet another example of this, TikToker @confusedbreakfast has done the seemingly impossible and created a plot thread going through "Billy Madison," "Con Air," and "The Big Lebowski."
@confusedbreakfast This is gospel #biglebowski #thebiglebowski #stevebuscemi #billymadison #conair #fantheory
The movies are all connected by characters played by Steve Buscemi, and the theory posits all of them are the same guy. Starting with "Billy Madison," Buscemi plays Danny McGrath, who receives an apology from Billy (Adam Sandler) and subsequently crosses him off his "People To Kill" list. Danny clearly has violent fantasies, and he may have actually murdered other people on that list, as Buscemi plays serial killer Garland Greene in "Con Air." Apparently, he got a name change between movies. But while he's presumed dead after the plane crash, viewers see that he's still alive and living it up in Las Vegas.
With his newfound freedom, he may have decided to lay low in California, changing his name to Donny Kerabatsos in "The Big Lebowski." There's even a subtle hint Donny could be a serial killer as he wears bowling shirts with different names throughout the movie. These could be shirts from people he's killed. And when Donny dies, only The Dude (Jeff Bridges) and Walter (John Goodman) are at his funeral. Everyone he would've known previously would think he's dead from "Con Air," explaining the lack of family. But does the Steve Buscemi Cinematic Universe fan theory hold water?
There's one big flaw connecting Billy Madison, Con Air, and The Big Lebowski
Ignoring how all three Steve Buscemi characters have different names and have pretty varying personalities, the theory could hold up. In fact, Danny ends up shooting a guy in a public setting at the end of "Billy Madison," so perhaps the authorities arrest him right then and there, leading directly into the events of "Con Air." However, there's one vital detail that derails everything @confusedbreakfast sets up.
"Billy Madison," "Con Air," and "The Big Lebowski" were released in 1995, 1997, and 1998, respectively. The release order dictates the chain of events in the fan theory, but "The Big Lebowski" actually takes place before "Billy Madison" and "Con Air," as it's set in the early 1990s. This is seen at the beginning of the film when The Dude puts the date on a check as September 11, 1991. Additionally, President George H.W. Bush is on television discussing Kuwait, so "The Big Lebowski" is technically a period piece.
The years in which "Billy Madison" and "Con Air" are set aren't quite so clear, but one would assume the films' events take place when they came out. Regardless, "Billy Madison" includes a reference to "Mortal Kombat," which first came out in 1992. No matter what, it seems like "Billy Madison" has to occur after "Big Lebowski," and Steve Buscemi's character visibly dies at the end of the latter. Donny is ash, so there's no way there could even be a fake-out like in "Con Air."
Apologies for raining on anyone's parade, but if nothing else, the theory's a good reminder that Steve Buscemi was in some truly stellar movies in the '90s.