The Dudes Abide: The Coen Brothers and the Making of The Big Lebowski

by Alex Belth

In the autumn of 1996, Joel and Ethan Coen were a few months from filming their seventh feature film, The Big Lebowski. Their sixth, Fargo, was released that March to acclaim; awards would follow. Alex Belth, a 25-year-old aspiring filmmaker, landed a job as their personal assistant on Lebowski — and for the next year, was the fly on the wall as the Coens created the movie that would become an enduring movie classic. First as their personal assistant and then as an assistant film editor, Belth observed everything from the pre-production work of location scouting, casting, and rehearsals, all the way through filming and post-production. Belth witnessed when Jeff Bridges and John Goodman met for the first time and rehearsed their iconic roles as The Dude and Walter; when a private screening was held for Alan Klein, the Rolling Stones' notorious former business manager; and long editing sessions with the Coen brothers in the editing room, as they tied their movie together. The Dudes Abide is the first behind-the-scenes account of the making of a Coen Brothers movie, and offers an intimate, first-hand narrative of the making of The Big Lebowski — including never-before-revealed details about the making of the film, and insight into the inner workings of the Coen Brothers' genius. About the Alex Belth, praised as New York's best sportswriter by the Village Voice, is the creator of Bronx Banter, a blog about the New York Yankees. He began his career in the film business, working for Woody Allen, Ken Burns, and the Coen Brothers. Belth is the author of Stepping Up, a biography of Curt Flood, and the editor of The Best Sports Writing of Pat Jordan and Yankee Stadium Memories. He has written for Sports Illustrated, SB Nation, and The Daily Beast and Deadspin. His story on iconoclastic sportswriter George Kimball was included in The Best American Sports Writing 2012.[Cover Design by Adil Dara]

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Film, Memoir, Biography, Media Tie In, Pop Culture

48 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 23, 2014

Reviews

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for Fans of The Big Lebowski

This is a great memoir written by the Cohen Brothers' personal assistant during the production of The Big Lebowski. Alex Belth's stories, as well as his writing, are wholly entertaining, especially if you love The Big Lebowski as much as I do.

[Dave Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant fluff piece, super short
This cute little read could have been called "My summer working for the Coen Brothers". It's a short little compilation of journal entries rewritten into something more narrative. How short is this? The audiobook is one hour forty-five minutes.
Few new insights, but it definitely has a lived experience immediacy.
Kind of a low commitment wish fulfillment story for people who dream of interning for Hollywood directors. Not bad for it's narrow niche.

[Ambisaurus Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick entertaining read

This book was a quick and entertaining read that gave some insight into the making of the Big Lebowski that I hadn't thought I'd needed until now. I loved how relatable and easy the narration was and would recommend this to any fan of the movie or of the Coen brothers in general.

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the first book I've read about Lebowski, won't be the last. This one from the point of view of The Coens' PA on the gig. So some great insights, some comedy, some fascinating trivia. All good. Easy read too. Recommended.

[Martti · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must say that I don't quite understand the whole Coen brothers phenomenon, but I like to learn about the backend of the movie making. To get to know about the people and how the sausage is actually made. Sadly it's a very brief audiobook about the process.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A moderately entertaining behind-the-scenes look at the making of THE BIG LEBOWSKI, as told by the Coen brothers' personal assistant during that period. The most interesting bits revolve around the brothers themselves and their unpretentious-yet-artful approach to filmmaking; the least interesting bits are when the author interjects himself into the story--as though we care about his union troubles or what kind of food he served for dinner. Since I'm only a casual admirer of THE BIG LEBOWSKI, this book provides more information than I actually care to know. Thankfully, it's short enough not to feel like a lousy time investment.

[Prudence · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring account of the making of a very funny movie.

[Brandon Teasley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, super short. But cool little back story on the making of the Big Lebowski. Funny hearing about the casting candidates because in retrospect it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing these characters. It all fits so perfect

[Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dudes Abide is not your typical Hollywood tell-all. At just the right length, this unique piece reveals the process that a group of filmmakers went through to create The Big Lebowski.

Usually, these types of efforts come in the form of full-length books that exasperate and exhaust the reader with tales of extravagant partying, outrageous temper tantrums and productions that are plagued by endless interruptions, delays, and disappointments...yet somehow come magically together in the end. Considering the insanity that takes place in The Big Lebowski, this "behind the music" account reveals a notable lack of drama behind the scenes. Problems arise. Mistakes are made. There is the hint that handling some actors may have required a softer touch. But there are no meltdowns. Nor are there any miraculous resolutions or last-minute breakthroughs. Instead, we get a glimpse of the tremendous amount of work it takes to pull off a huge project.

Fans of the movie will appreciate the details of how the scenes came together and what individual actors added to their roles (It was Torturo's idea to vigorously wax his bowling ball). But for every flash of inspiration, there are hundreds of hours of painstaking work required to bring those moments to life on screen.

In the end, he shows how easy it is to pull off a masterpiece; you only need organization, professionalism, good luck, and several doses of genius

[Meg Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Luckily it was free/cheap so I didn't mind. I felt like it was quite uneven. Some parts were well-written and full of interesting details. Other parts glossed over entire months with a few quick sentences. There were a few amusing anecdotes, but as a Big Lebowski fan I was a bit disappointed. Maybe I wanted a little bit more of an 'inside scoop' than I actually got.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will pretty much watch The Big Lebowski at any point where I see that it's on. It's a favorite and I see something new each time I watch. When I saw this as available on Audible, I immediately pressed play.
It's short and sweet, behind-the-scenes of the movie's progress and the Coen brothers thought process on cast, story, settings. It's a delight.
I can recommend this wee short memoir.

[Bob McCormick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Should be subtitled "Guy who is a bad assistant works on good movie "

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read but quite a few interesting tidbits for huge Lebowski fans like me. There are worse ways to kill and hour or two on a Wednesday night.

[Bookfairy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat behind the scenes view of the movie process, from an assistants viewpoint.

[Aaron Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Big Lebowski is one of my favorite movies of all time, and also one of my most-watched (for many people the two are not quite the same), so naturally I was down to read an account of its production by the Coen brothers' personal assistant. There's a limit to how truly revelatory a book like this can be, but if you're a die-hard Urban Achiever then this hits all the right notes. I loved the anecdotes, the asides, the accounts that brought home how personal this movie was for everyone involved. It's really gratifying to know that a movie famous for its quotability had that exact same effect on the people who made it, and that such an intensely lovable film had such an affable genesis (at least, as affable as the making of a major motion picture can be).

I would watch the films with all of these alternate castings:

"Robert Sean Leonard was a military Brandt, Tim Blake Nelson an insipid Brandt. Steve Zahn was a dense Brandt, Paul Giamatti a volatile Brandt, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who got the part, a big-assed Brandt. I didn’t recognize many of the younger actors who read for the role, but among them were Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, Jamie Kennedy, and Vince Vaughn. Catherine Keener and Patricia Clarkson read for Maude. Ethan said Clarkson gave an excellent enunciation of "vagina." Meat Loaf read for Marty, the Dude’s landlord; Joey Lauren Adams and Charlize Theron for Bunny; Billy Idol for one of the Nihilists; Drew Carey for Gary the bartender; and Matthew Lillard tried out for Jackie Treehorn’s blond goon."

Fun quotability anecdote:

"As the Boys edited, we heard the same dialogue over and over. Soon, I greeted Joel and Ethan by quoting the Dude and they'd quote him back. Our favorite lines were: "Awww, man" (when the Dude wakes up from the first dream sequence); "Shit yeah, the achievers"; "He thinks the carpet pissers did this?"; "Employed?"; "After effects?"; "Ron Kuby"; and, of course: "I gotta rash, man." It occurred to me that Bridges' voices cracked in these, and other, line readings. I don’t know whether it was a conscious choice on his part, but Bridges was doing his variation on the way the way the Boys spoke."

Belth tries to explain the Marv Albert scandal to Elvis Costello:

"This was when the NBA commentator Marv Albert was on the front page of the tabloids for dressing in women's clothes and, as his mistress testified, biting her during sex. Elvis looked at the front page of the Daily News and asked me who Marv Albert was. How to convey who the voice of the Knicks was and what he meant? Marv just looked like another front-page perv. I did my best to explain, and Costello nodded thoughtfully."

Overall you come away wishing that you could just hang out with the Coen brothers all the time while they make movies. I'm sure that in reality it's not quite this much fun, but I want to believe.

[A Cesspool · Rating 5 out of 5]

primary takeaway: a plethora of b-t-s annotations and making-of
anecdotals (not previously published, e.g. imdbor wiki)

There is a lot of behind-the-scenes and gist in this 'Kindle Single,' including (more or less) all three principle stages of Production [i.e. Pre- & Post-] -- a rarity since making-ofs typically memorialize whichever specific facet of production the author was initially tasked with overseeing; such as cinematographer, editor, distributor's autobio -- OR --
more frequently, third-tier financier aping mogul or uncredited script doctor pantomiming official feature archivist [when they were only sparingly visible on-set & are now just waiting until enough principal players ‘phase-out’ so they might pirate/publish those narrative(s) as their own].

Alex Belth's happenstance is very much a fluke, rather, lightening in a bottle-of-production memoirs imho. Rarely filmmakers of this caliber are this accessible, or feature films of this stature articulated so intimately --

Not the usual mindless boring getting to know you chit chat — regurgitated imdb trivia or warmed-over EPK talking points. Alex Belth's Lebowski monograph actually has something to say!

Probably one of my favorite, most devilishly fantastic anecdotes — almost certainly went over the heads for most — A throwaway line curtesy John Turturro about F. Murray Abraham Edward James Almos...

“Turturro is coming in to play the pederast,’ Joel said. ‘He said he’d do his best F. Murray Abraham.” Pp. 3

What's so absurdly abominable is Turturro almost certainly didn't mean to say 'F. Murray' -- that, or the author remembered it wrong, or intentionally camouflaged for legal reasons? -- since Abraham
　　1) wasn't then notorious for sexual deviancy, much less, child sexual predator [as Turturro glibly jibed], And
　　2) hadn't been cast in role or garnered accolades for performance anything close to the villany of Jesus Quintana (as characterized in TBL script)
However!
In late-1997 / early-1998 when Turturro was cast in TBL, around this exact same time,
　　　　　　Edward　　　James　　　Olmos
was most definitely in the news and making infrequent headlines involving a very nasty child custody squabble; not only accusing Olmos of sexual deviancy by -- Turturro's 1995 Clockers ' on-screen co-star -- Harvey Keitel, but specifically, for fooling around with an underage Florida teenage girl (allegedly Keitel’s daughter’s babysitter). Olmos even paid the girl’s family a cash settlement in response to the allegations, only to lie about it later.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and speedy read through a behind-the-scenes view of the making of The Big Lebowski. Belth was a young man looking to break into film editing when he lucked into the position of personal assistant to Joel and Ethan Cohen (aka The Boys). He followed them to LA and had a fly on the wall view of the casting, filming, and editing of one of the Cohen's classics. Belth has an engaging writing style sprinkled with humor and observations without getting too gossipy or name-droppy. If you have Amazon Prime, this is free Kindle Single and is worth a read for folks interested in the Cohen Brothers, The Big Lebowski, or the world of film making in general.

[Diana in SC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for "Big Lebowski" fans!

This is a great look behind the scenes at the making of "The Big Lebowski", one of the greatest comedies of all time, straight from the directors' personal assistant and apprentice editor. This wonderful short audiobook gives all kinds of neat details about the making of the movie and helps the listener get to know the brilliant directors, Joel and Ethan Coen. They had such a great, congenial working relationship with everyone, including their personal assistant. I will definitely re-listen to this gem about my favorite directors. The narrator did a great job, sounding natural and authentic.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice short piece on The Big Lebowski

I've always been a fan of The Big Lebowski. The New York Times had a glowing review and I knew I had to see it. It was even better than I thought and a masterpiece to me. The people in the theater were few and I had gone alone because no one I knew was interested in the film. And now it's a cult film! This short piece by ex Beith discusses his time as an assistant at 22 making this film. It is engaging and the length is just right. A pleasant tale to tell. I enjoyed it.

[Eugene · Rating 3 out of 5]

For many of us immigrant experience takes different shapes and forms. For a former self-professed librarian, that journey have begun in 1992. The quintessential American comedy became a vehicle to navigate the American culture. Here the list of movies in order of the release dates that should be the prerequisite to passing the US. Citizenship exam.

Dumb and Dumber - 1994
Kingpin - 1996
The Big Lebowski - 1998
Joe Dirt - 2001
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story - 2004
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Jeffrey Lebowski - The Dude!

[Bill Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a lark: written by a guy who was a low-man on the totem pole for the making of one of the great cult hits of the '90s, The Dudes Abide is nonetheless very entertaining, and paints the Coens of the late-'90s (my cinematic heroes) as more affable and friendly than one might be led to believe.

There isn't a ton of gossip or insight, which is understandable given the author's desire to get the directors' blessings, but I'll take any opportunity I can to visit Walter, Donnie and the Dude any time I can.

[Irwin Fletcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much of a making-of book, it's basically an essay by a guy who worked on the movie though rarely on set and came away with a few anecdotes. Plenty of making-of books have been written by people who weren't present on the set or even alive when the film was made but they do research and interviews. This author doesn't do any of that, just talks about how he got hired and the few things he witnessed which aren't even that informative or entertaining. The special features on the Blu Ray are probably more informative and time consuming than this little read.

[Abdul Alhazred · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an inside view from a PA/assistant editor, and it'd make a fascinating hour talking to someone at a party, or maybe a fun podcast interview, but what it doesn't make is a good article. Finding out the Coens were okay with spaghetti and were casual to their PAs is fun trivia, but don't reveal much about the 'making of' as the title would imply - in fact our inside source makes it clear he never had discussions about editing philosophy or much else.
There's a lesson here about the medium and the message here.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for a fan of the movie

As a fan of the movie, (back in the early days of Facebook a quiz “what indie film character are you?” Named me the dude)I found this a fast and interesting read with lots of good behind the scenes information I didn’t know about the The Big Lebowski. The writing is not the best. It can ramble and be hard to follow and I doubt it would be understandable to someone who hadn’t seen the movie.

[Ira Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely fast read with some inside glances at one of the Coen Brothers’ favorite films. It follows from the casting throughout the production to the editing.

Honestly I was hoping fit a little more, but I liked how the author was kept on despite personal injury, and the Coen’s having to fire him.

Overall though it give you somewhat of the sense how the brothers work together on set. For diehard fans I think it’s worth the read, otherwise It’s just a glimpse of work on set.

[Nicola Batecola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something of a diary from "The Boys'" (as he calls them) assistant during the filming of one of the greatest movies of all time. Quite a short one too, but it's fairly cute and insightful, if not on the movie at least on the Coens. Film buffs and Coen fans should read this. Everybody else probably shouldnt. But then again, everybody else can go **** themselves.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loved this one. It’s a quick but fantastic deep dive into the making of The Big Lebowski. Alex Belth does a great job capturing the Coen Brothers' unique creative process and how a box office flop evolved into a massive cult phenomenon. If you enjoy the film, this provides the perfect context for why 'The Dude' resonates so much. A satisfying, fun read.

[Robert S · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dudes Abide is a short and entertaining read about the making of The Big Lebowski. Nothing groundbreaking here but a fun little read for fans of the movie or The Coen Brothers.

Definitely see the movie and then read this.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, breezy read about the making of The Big Lebowski with some winning anecdotes about the Cohen brothers and their creative process. Not a real book, a "Kindle single" more akin to an extended essay.

[Juan DLT · Rating 4 out of 5]

New information i didn't know...

I think the big Lebowski is underated and definitely needed more appreciation. There was a lot that I didn't know about the casting for this movie that I do now... I enjoyed it. I'll be reading it aging sometime soon!