The Fabulous Baker Boys

How do you attempt to write a review for one of your favorite films? I fondly recall The Fabulous Baker Boys as a cinematic highlight in my life, and know that the following review will probably not do it justice, but well.... In his debut feature, writer-director Steven Kloves' took some very old plot-lines and with care, skill and sheer respect for the film medium, created a minor masterpiece which bears up to repeated viewing and guarantees hours of endless entertainment - trust me, I've seen this film so many times, it's embarrassing to reveal the exact number. For 31 years, Frank and Jack Baker have played piano together. Child stars turned lounge lizards, the two peddle their middle-of-the-road tunes in any bar they can book. Times are tough, and the once fabulous act has grown tired, hackneyed and somewhat embarrassing, especially for younger brother Jack (Jeff Bridges), who's embittered and weary of the muzak he plays, the dead-end life he leads. Older brother Frank (Beau Bridges) sees their act as a business, a means of supporting his wife and children, something to do in order to survive. Unlike Jack, Frank has no dreams of musicality and, quite honestly, he's a hack who doesn't really like what he does, but who is content to keep on doing it. As the duo hit a particularly lean patch, they decide to take on a singer to spice up their act, and after a hilarious montage of terrible wannabes (including a particularly inspired Jennifer Tilly), the dubiously named Suzie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer) slinks into their lives and so begins a happy professional collaboration that garners them success, respect and a small measure of fame. Personally, however, Suzie's arrival marks the beginning of the end for Frank and Jack. An ex-social escort too proud to tell the many tearful tales she has, she's a kindred soul for Jack, two cynical losers who may have a chance at happiness. Things turn sour when a commitment phobic Jack bails on Suzie, and she leaves the act. The Baker brothers are reduced again to small-time acts, and in a particularly demeaning engagement, Jack and Frank's long seething resentment and frustrations come to the surface. When the dust settles, each goes his own way, their relationship changed but intact. The question is, would Jack ever stand a chance with Suzie? This film is a smoldering scorcher, packed with pitch perfect performances and a script that is as surprisingly deft as its ideas are old and unoriginal. Steven Kloves' dialogue is music to the ears. He expertly captures the tone and mood of the characters, and crystallizes years of hurt, longing and pain in short, succinct sentences that speak volumes. Using a confident, sure hand, he steers his sleepy, slow-burn script to classic status. The pace is just right, and the languid charm the film possesses is one of its greatest assets. Of course, much of the film's credit must also go to the actors, all of whom are flawless. The top-lining brothers give career-high performances in this film. Beau embodies the domesticated suburban quality which defines Frank so fully that it is hard to imagine him as being any different in real life. Although a somewhat pathetic character, Beau nonetheless finds the dignity and respectability in Frank and it is his clear and honest portrayal of these qualities which make his story so much more poignant and touching than it appears on paper. If there were a "sad" life amongst the trio of leads, Frank's would be the saddest simply because he's chosen to be oblivious to his own disappointments and regrets - the price of fatherhood and of being a husband and provider have forced his hands and shaped his life, and Beau's performance, made up of small revealing gestures and silent looks tells the whole story behind the man. As Jack, Jeff Bridges again turns in a startling portrait of a man gone wrong fighting his way back. Jack Baker has talent, and he knows it; he sticks with Frank because he's lazy, but also because deep down inside, he's fearful of taking the chance and not having anyone to blame should he fail. Everything about Jeff's performance speaks of Jack's abject misery, anger and the restlessness that's always chafing against him. Not only does he look the part, he seems to become the character. It is hard to imagine another actor being able to so fully play the part with the same level of complexity, depth of emotion and completeness. It helps tremendously, as well, that he lights up the screen beautifully opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in a career-altering role. Long relegated to window dressing or showing up in undeserving projects, Pfeiffer's career suffered a major setback due to her involvement in Grease 2. With Sweet Liberty and Into the Night, however, her luck began to change; when The Witches of Eastwick came along, she became a newly-minted star. The Fabulous Baker Boys, however, gave her credibility. As the sexy siren who wreaks havoc in the lives of two brothers, she's a modern-day Lauren Bacall, sensual, intelligent and bruised. Pfeiffer's Oscar-nominated performance here is stunning; there's not a moment where she makes a wrong move or wanders into shaky terrain, and she completes the incredibly realized triangle that Kloves' script has engineered. The scene of Pfeiffer crooning "Makin' Whoopee" whilst lolling about on top of a baby grand piano is often sited as the highlight of modern cinema this film offers. I suggest an alternative: the scene where Suzie makes her stage debut with the Baker boys. Nervous but too tough to admit it, she drops her cue cards, swears colorfully into the microphone and gropes about for a recovery. A frantic Frank then forces a bemused Jack into an impromptu duet of "Ten Cents A Dance" before Suzie returns in fine form and the three of them begin to make lounge music history. As it plays, this scene is amusing, and arguably slight, but the subtext of three desperate souls relying on each other, clinging onto the shreds of dignity they are left with in order to make a shot at something better, and succeeding, is both exhilarating and melancholic. The audience knows that before they go on the stage, the act was nothing; when they leave, they would begin the journey of success and eventually falling apart. The time on that stage was the one moment everything was perfect for them. In a canny and sublime way, The Fabulous Baker Boys captures this magical tension and wonder amongst them, and sustains it for its entire duration. This is one the best films you'll ever see. Trust me on this.

(5 stars for the film, 4 stars for the blu-ray) "The Fabulous Baker Boys" was released theatrically on October 13, 1989 garnering almost universal praise from critics grossing $18.4 million against a production budget of $11.5 million. It was directed and written by Steve Kloves starring an amazing cast featuring real life brothers Beau & Jeff Bridges in addition to a stunningly sexy & positively smoldering Michelle Pfeiffer. The basic plot involves a piano lounge duo who are brothers played by Beau as the older and Jeff as the younger who try hiring a gorgeous singer played by Michelle to help revive their sagging careers. Complications ensue when the younger brother falls in love with the female singer causing friction in the brother's creative & professional partnership. This film is truly a wonderful treasure trove of cinematic riches in terms of the appropriately understated direction, snappy & engrossing dialogue, dynamite performances and jazzy score. "The Fabulous Baker Boys" was originally released on blu-ray back in 2015 by Twilight Time in a limited edition release of only 3,000 units which sold out almost immediately. As to why it took until 2022 for a blu-ray re-release to happen is truly perplexing. Thankfully the boutique label MVD Entertainment as part of their Marquee Collection imprint have come to the rescue getting the film back out on blu-ray once again. This newest blu-ray release is thankfully not a limited edition release. The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio utilizing the AVC codec at a rock solid bit rate often times staying in the low 30's so no compression artifacts are to be seen. While this seems to be an older HD master provided by MGM (which also seems to be the same transfer from the long out of print Twilight Times blu-ray release), overall I thought the movie looked solid if not revelatory. While a new 4K or even 2K scan of the original camera negative would more than likely yield superior visual results, this HD transfer is still a decent uptick in quality over the ancient DVD. The movie has a reserved and dialed back color scheme which was apparently a stylistic choice that suits the subject matter perfectly in my opinion. Contrast and black levels are also solid. Audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track sounding bright, clear and punchy. English subtitles in yellow font are included for the hearing impaired. Special features are as follows: - Audio commentary with writer-director Steve Kloves, hosted by Twilight Time's Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman - Audio commentary by director of photography Michael Ballhaus - Isolated music and effects track presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. - deleted scenes (480p; 21:16) - original theatrical trailer (1080p; 2:47) - TV spots (480p; 1:03) - The Fabulous Baker Boys: 1989 behind the scenes featurette (480p; 6:56) - Jeff Bridges & Beau Bridges: 1989 behind the scenes featurette (480p; 3:15) - Michelle Pfeiffer: 1989 behind the scenes featurette (480p; 3:36) "The Fabulous Baker Boys" is a truly great film from top to bottom. MVD Entertainment thankfully have got the film out on blu-ray once again after not being available for 7 years. While the picture quality is not a knockout by any means, it still looks solid enough , sounds fantastic and features a nice selection of archival extras. While some newer interviews would have been nice, beggars can't be choosers.

This was part of what may be the last great era of American films, the late 1980's when great, warm, human, tough films such as "Bull Durham," "Say Anything," "Field of Dreams" were released and there was a feeling of optimism in the country. "The Fabulous Baker Boys" is a minor masterpiece of that time - and unjustly neglected. Leonard Maltin gives it two and a half stars in his always uneven (and unreliable) movie review books. The film, without a doubt, deserves three and a half stars - at least. Michelle Phieffer has never been better - and her performance is superb here: sexy, sweet, tough, knowing, graceful. She sings with real emotion and style - you wonder why she never did some kind of tour. The Bridges, Jeff and Beau, are so much in sync here, playing off each other as if they've been acting together forever, that you realize you are viewing not only a tremendously entertaining film, which it is, but also a moving and bittersweet film about finding your true voice - and your true life. Jeff Bridges has always been underrated. He's just regularly great in everything, so I guess no one notices how fine an actor he really is. Beau, too, so superb in "Norma Rae", could not be more different here. And Michelle is one of the most beautiful actresses in the history of cinema. Is there anyone quite like her today? Most of the actresses we now admire tend to be British. They are better actors too. BUY this DVD, don't rent it. It's worth adding to your permanent collection. The writing is great, the performances are great, the music is great, and the ending is perfect. This is one of the finest films in American film history - a minor masterpiece. And maybe just a little better than that.

geben zusammen eine wunderbare Mischung. Der Film aus dem Jahre 1989 unter Regie vom Steve Kloves, der sonst mehr für die Drehbücher zuständig ist (auch bei H. Potter...), ist einer DER Filmen, den man sehen sollte, nicht aber MUß! Die Brüder Frank und Jack Baker (Beau un Jeff Bridges) spielen als "zwei fabelhaften Baker Boys" jeden Abend in diversen Bars Klavier. Die zwei spielen seit eh und je.., beide ganz gut, aber die Musik ist verstaubt, die Witze immer gleich. Der ältere Frank (Beau B. ist wirklich 8 Jahre älter) und der jüngere Jack (Jeff B.) spielen seit 31 Jahren, hatten ertwas Erfolg, aber der schwindet mit jedem Auftritt. Frank, der eine Frau und zwei Kinder hat, will die beiden moderner machen. Jack interessiert sich mehr für Jazz, hat viele Liebschaften, wohnt mit seinem Hund in einem heruntergekommenem Loft, wo ihn Nina (ein Mädchen aus dem Wohnblock besucht, wenn ihre Mutter wieder einen neuen Freund hat). Sein Leben ist eintönig, er trinkt zuviel, raucht ohne Pause. Frank beschliesst, dass die Baker Boys eine Sängerin brauchen um mehr zu verdienen. 37 Sängerinnen "singen vor" (interessant gemacht), alle grottenschlecht bis am Ende Susie Diamond auftaucht. Sie ist zu spät, aber die Brüder geben ihr eine Chance. Vielleicht, weil sie sehr sehr gut aussieht? Susie singt sinnlich, ihre Stimme passt perfekt zu den beiden Klavierspielern. Es wird eine Zusammenarbeit, und die hat fast sofort Erfolg. Jetzt sind grössere Bühnen ausverkauft, die besten Hotels der Stadt sind ihnen wollgesonnen. Susie wird zunehmend DIE treibende Kraft. Sie kann sogar Jack aus seinem Winterschlaf wecken. Als die beiden am Silvester alleine spielen und singen, kommt es zu einer Liebesenacht, obwohl Jack das nicht will. Nach diesem Auftritt ist nichts mehr wie früher. Frank, sonst so stille und besonnene, sehnt sich die alten Baker Boys zurück. Nach einem Streit verlässt Susie die beiden. Die spielen jetzt wieder in leeren Bars/Kneipen. Aber, diesmal ist Jack nicht mehr bereit so weiterzumachen. Die beiden trennen sich nach einem Streit entgültigt. Jack bekommt die Möglichkeit Jazz zu spielen, er verträgt sich zwar mit dem Bruder, zusammenarbeiten werden sie nicht. Am Ende will er auch bei Susie reinen Tisch machen. Er wartet auf sie, sie sprechen miteinander, wie es weitergeht und ob, das... es bleibt... Warum ist der Film so gut? Erstens, spielen alle wirklich perfekt. Michelle Pfeifer singt selbst und beweist einiges an Können. Manchmal erinnert sie mich an die wunderbare Marylin Monroe. Ihre Stimme ist nicht gewaltig, sie singt leise, aber je länger, desto leidenschaftlicher. Die beiden Bridges Brüder sind immer gut. Jeff ist selbst ein guter Sänger, was er z.B. in Crazy Heart beweist. Beau Bridges ist eine Konstante im Filmgeschäft, seine Rolle im Film Hotel New Hampshire (er spielt Win Berry) und anderen sind immer gut. Der Film spielt zwar in Seattle, die Hotelszenen wurden aber im Hotel Ambassador (Los Angeles) gedreht. Dort wurden auch die Szenen des Film "Reifeprüfung" und "Catch Me If You Can" gedreht. Robert Kennedy wurde im Hotel ermordet..., so hat es eine bewegte Vergangenheit. Der Film ist inhaltlich ziemlich einfach, so müssen die Schauspieler ihr Können beweisen. Die Besprechungen auf Amazon sind leider mehr der DVD gewidmet. Natürlich ist die technisch nicht ganz gut. Der Originalton kann man nur mit UT hören. Aber, ich bewerte den Film und NICHT die DVD. Hoffe, dass er im Blu-Ray erscheint für alle, die ihn perfekt sehen wollen. Bis dahin empfehle ich ihn trotzdem. Der Schauspiel, die Szenen, die Musik, die Landschaft - alles sehr gut. Und dazu noch ein Regiedebüt mit gleich DREI Filmgiganten! Ansehen (still meckern wegen der Technik), sonst aber - enjoy it!

Great movie! As soon as it ended, I wanted to watch it again.

This is the best movie ever made. It envelops you in the environs of the movie, whether it's the city, the venue, the peoople. The characters are fully rounded and thoroughly engaging. The main actors are second to none. The story is brilliant, the secondary characters add to the film without distracting from anything. You've never seen Makin Whooppee until you've seen Michelle and Jeff (Suzie and Jack) do it and you will never see it as good again. I've watched it over and over again over at least 20 years and still love it as much. The heart and soul, the music and the passion and the grit. This is just like a list but as far as talking about this film, the list is endless. Ultimately it is one thing: perfect.

Film dur à cause de son contexte ( USA des années 80 en pleine dépression ) mais magnifique grâce à ces fantastiques et fabuleux acteurs. Vaut le détour ne fut-ce que pour la scène de Makin' Whoopee ...

The chemistry between all three is wonderful, particularly Jeff Bridges and Michelle Pfieffer. And wait til you hear her sing. A wonderful movie. Love it and have watched it several times.