Dalbert Pringle
You know, this picture really should have been titled "That Fabulous Pfeiffer Gal" - 'Cause, believe me - When it came to the likes of Jeff & Beau Bridges - "The Fabulous Baker Boys" it clearly wasn't. Well, it wasn't.Set in the rainy city of Seattle, brothers Frank and Jack Baker are a pair of stale, small-time piano players. These 2 losers have been a pathetic musical duo, working the small club circuit for about 15 years. I mean, hey, it's 1989 and, like, these 2 morons are still playing crap like "Little Green Apples" and "Feelings" (retch) with about as much enthusiasm as you could possibly muster from 2 guys who quite obviously hated each other's guts to the max.Deciding to (finally) get hip with the times, the (un-fabulous) Baker boys make, what probably turns out to be, the first intelligent decision that they've ever made in the entirety of their dismal careers - And that decision is to add a female vocalist to their tired and talentless, little team.From this point onwards in the story it was clearly the impressive singing dynamics of Pfeiffer's "Susie Diamond" character, along with her great looks (when added to the Baker Boy troupe) that turns this faltering duo's success right around, literally, into an overnight lounge-circuit sensation.All-in-all - The only reason to watch this sub-par comedy would be for Michelle Pfeiffer, and for Michelle Pfeiffer alone.
lasttimeisaw
Writer-director Steve Kloves' directorial debut, a jazz-infused drama-romance, under musician Dave Grunion's precise concoction, now mostly remembered for Ms. Pfeiffer's Oscar-calibre bravura as the escort-turned-torch-song-chanteuse Susie Diamond. Beau and Jeff Bridges, two real-life brothers play Frank and Jack Baker, aka. the Fabulous Baker Boys, two brothers-and- pianists in Seattle, make their living by performing in various lounges and bars.For the first time in their 15-year professional career, they decide to recruit a singer to revitalise their act since the business is going downhill, there comes Susie Diamond, but, Ms. Pfeiffer is not a professional singer in reality (although she has been preparing for the role diligently), the singing voice is not her forte, in order to introduce her as the one that surpasses all other candidates, Kloves sets the ballast with a joyously motley crew of awful singers, started with Jennifer Tilly's Monica, whose audition with her peculiar baby-like voice can bust a gut here! Thus, when Susie comes to the scene (hours later), even though her tonality is not instantly sensational (there is no A STAR IS BORN hoopla), at least she can find the right tune and more importantly, she is a natural showstopper, her sensual voice enthuses audience, her svelte figure enthrals impulse and attention, with a fitting evening dress, they can form a killing trio, for the populist taste.Ms. Pfeiffer's iconic rendition of MAKIN' WHOOPEE atop of a grand piano with DP Michael Ballhaus' camera entrancingly rotating around her, can simply bring the house down. A central through-line is the romantic vibe between Susie and Jack, the unvarying trope about sex and commitment, which doesn't establish Susie as a woman waiting for the man to make his move or bemoaning his inaction, she feels the attraction with a man who tries very hard to be detached from the entire world, and doesn't shy away from taking the initiative at the right time, right place. Susie pluckily takes Jack down a peg or two in his self-loathing and self-centred universe, she is empowered to liberate him, but she also doesn't have to do so if he doesn't realise that, and through Pfeiffer's tour-de-force, Susie is a woman ever so confident, sexy and desirable, frankly speaking, from a more personal note, she is too good for Jack and Ms. Pfeiffer's magnetism in unparalleled in her heyday.Jeff Bridges's Jack, who is the quintessence of a man who arms himself with aloofness because he has too much pride to come to terms with this unfulfilled world, he is more talented, more good- looking, also more cynical and more uncompromising than his elder brother, for him, it is always his battle against the rest of the world, and the winning sign is that he can sleep around without any pretence of commitment and play the cool unattainable object of desire, thanks to Kloves' sober script and Jeff Bridge's unaffected endeavour, viewers can totally understand Jack's dilemma without being too judgemental, he grows extremely fatigued of the routinely middle-brow entertainment, but also too passive to pursue what he really wants (he should be adored for his faculties, instead of being stuck in a pedestrian livelihood for far too long, if in a perfect world), all he needs is a stimulant to get out of his self-inflicted carapace, he and Susie would be a good match, but more urgently, he must earn it rather than take it for granted.Beau Bridges, who is also brilliant in his family-man amiability and flexible pragmatism, by sheer comparison, he is less charismatic than his co-stars, but he bespeaks a more mainstream attitude towards life, a respected breadwinner for his household, the part where Baker brothers finally duke it out is a heightened moment of spectacle, the accusations they deliver are unsurprisingly stale, but the way how they unbridle their yearly-accrued disgruntlement is plum theatrics.After all, THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS is an appealing charmer despite of its rather simple story structure, sends off a life-affirming message without being tempering with contrived wishful fulfilment, a feat cannot always be pulled off without a level-headed decision maker behind, plus, who can resist a fully-blossoming Michelle Pfeiffer? No one can.
simonjipad
I saw this movie when it first came out on video and remember enjoying it. I'm not a fan of music movies, romance or slow dramas but I recently sought this out again to remind myself what had caught my imagination all those 27 years ago.What a smack in the face this viewing turned out to be. The acting is nothing short of breathtaking with the three leads exuding tension by the bucket-load. Jeff Bridges says little but boy do you feel his pain, hurt, shame and anger every time the camera settles on his face. Beau also brings a career best performance as the put upon brother who doesn't quite have the talent of his womanising sibling. Enter Ms Pfeiffer as Suzie Diamond, a singer they hire to boost their booking potential, and - slowly but surely - all hell is let loose. When Ms Pfeiffer sings 'Makin Whoopee' I found my heart got lodged in my throat. If there is a sexier performance on screen - fully clothed - please tell me what it is.Considering nobody's life is at stake, no mad axe man is on the loose and it's a musical tale of troubled romance and unfulfilled ambition, it's about the most excitement you can have on your sofa with your clothes on.If you've never seen this and you like pleasant surprises, I recommend you give it a viewing. I'm still wondering how such a work of excellence could manage a score of under 7.0.
ianlouisiana
The late Mr Tedesco was the doyen of West Coast session musicians for many years,spending much of his life playing fairly mundane if sometimes technically demanding music for TV shows,movies,jingles,pop records etc.then leading his own jazz group in small L.A.clubs when he was off the clock.In much the same way,Jack Baker(Mr J.Bridges) endures rather than enjoys his day job as one half of a piano duo with his brother Frank(Mr Beau Bridges)and is able to satisfy the more creative side of his nature by playing jazz in his spare time. After 15 years,the act is getting stale and the brothers hire a singer (Miss M.Pfeiffer) to give it some much needed pizazz. Cue a renewed surge of creative energy from Jack and Miss Pfeiffer's outspoken opinions causing friction between the brothers. "The Fabulous Baker Boys" is perhaps a little too incessantly downbeat to succeed in the mainstream but is an accurate picture of life at the less glamorous end of the music business. The brothers' rather mundane act is immediately transformed by the addition of Miss Pfeiffer who is going places,but will they be able to keep up? There are outstanding performances by all three headliners,some wonderful music that made me want to get out my old George Shearing albums. The whole film is made with painstaking care,perfectly cast and is clearly a labour of love. If you like grown - up music,movies that take time to develop characters,consummate acting and the whole package faultlessly produced look no further.
