The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Steve Kloves

Writer (WGA):

Steve Kloves (written by)

Release Date:

13 October 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Romance

Tagline:

For 31 years it's been just the Fabulous Baker Boys... but times change.

Plot:

Frank and Jack Baker are professional musicians who play small clubs. They play smaltzy music and have never needed a day job...

Plot Keywords:

Brother | Piano | Audition | Singer | Lounge Singer

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Jeff Bridges	...	Jack Baker
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Susie Diamond
Beau Bridges	...	Frank Baker
Ellie Raab	...	Nina
Xander Berkeley	...	Lloyd
Dakin Matthews	...	Charlie
Ken Lerner	...	Ray
Albert Hall	...	Henry
Terri Treas	...	Girl in Bed
Gregory Itzin	...	Vince Nancy
Bradford English	...	Earl
David Coburn	...	Kid at Vet
Todd Jeffries	...	Theo
Gregory James	...	Hotel Masseur (as Jeffrey J. Nowinski)
Nancy Fish	...	Laughing Bar Patron

Runtime:

114 min | Australia:110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Gladden Entertainment

Trivia:

Debra Winger was offered the female lead, but turned it down.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When the little girl comes in through the window and tells Susie she "came down to walk Eddie", she goes out the door without the dog leash. The leash is clearly visible hanging on a peg right next to the door.

Quotes:

Jack Baker: There's always another girl.
[several scenes later]
Susie Diamond: So, did you find another girl?
Jack Baker: I didn't look.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Dallas: The Fabulous Ewing Boys (#14.7)" (1990)

Soundtrack:

Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me

Enjoyable story, thinly plotted but very well made.

Jeff and Beau Bridges - brothers in real life - are here united to play brothers on the screen. It's not the first time real-life brothers have played fictitious brothers in a movie (in fact, in The Long Riders several famous siblings paired up to similar effect). However, The Fabulous Baker Boys really benefits from the pairing. The sibling rivalry that runs through this film feels very credible and very convincing, possibly because Jeff and Beau aren't really acting but are simply using their real-life love/hate brotherly attitudes to fuel their performances in front of the cameras.

It's a fairly thin story, but well told. Jack Baker (Jeff B.) and Frank Baker (Beau B.) have spent years working together as stage pianists in various bars, hotels and night-clubs around Seattle. Their long-running act begins to run out of steam and they find themselves playing to empty rooms.... even their more established employers begin to express doubts about their ability to pull in the big crowds. They decide to hire a female vocalist to spice up the appeal of their show and, after over thirty awful applicants, they finally unearth a winner in the shape of Suzy Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer). Initially, Suzy provides them with a turn in their fortunes, but the future of the trio becomes cloudy when she and Jack develop sexual yearnings for each other. The problems don't stop there, with Frank and Jack slowly becoming more and more distant with each other as their views on how best to market their musical talents are revealed to be very different.

The Fabulous Baker Boys is extremely well-acted throughout, with Pfeiffer in particular giving an outstanding performance (she even sang most of her own songs). The main themes of sibling rivalry and unfulfilled talent are generally engrossing, and help to paper over the thinness of the story. Jeff acts rather moodily for much of the time and is very believable as a man working in the lower ranks of his trade when he could've reached the top. Beau is also in fine form as a performer who does what he does simply because it puts money in the family kitty. It's a hard film to describe, because it's not really about very much, but if you can adjust to the relaxed pace and just enjoy the leisurely development of the three main characters then you will come away from the film feeling thoroughly satisfied.