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The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
13 October 1989 (USA) moreTagline:
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... more | add synopsisAwards:
Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 4 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(16 articles)
DVD Playhouse--November 2009 (From The Hollywood Interview. 8 November 2009, 10:26 PM, PST)
Before There Were Websites... (Pt 2)
(From FilmExperience. 10 September 2009, 7:10 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
The Real Seattle Sound more (62 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
114 min | Australia:110 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
DolbyCertification:
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:PGFun Stuff
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. moreQuotes:
Jack Baker: There's always another girl.[several scenes later]
Susie Diamond: So, did you find another girl?
Jack Baker: I didn't look.
more
Soundtrack:
Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (62 total)
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Written and directed by Steve Kloves, `The Fabulous Baker Boys' is a tale of music and brotherly love set in Seattle. The Baker boys are Jack and Frank (real life brothers Jeff and Beau Bridges), who eke out a living playing piano together at various venues throughout the Emerald City, a basic lounge act they've been doing for fifteen years. Frank is the responsible one, because he has to be; he has a wife, kids and a home in the suburbs. He manages their business, secures the bookings and is content to stick with a formula that works. For him, it's not about the music, it's about keeping food on the table for those who depend on him. Jack, on the other hand, is unattached and could care less about the business end of the partnership. As long as it affords him a modicum of security as well as dignity, he is more than willing to just go along for the ride.
For Jack, though, underneath it all, it is about the music; it's about jazz. On off nights he will steal away alone to some small club to play, and deep down inside he knows that this is not only what he really wants, but needs. And he knows he could be great, if only he'd let himself go. The trouble is, he's been with Frank his whole life, and as long as the act is working he just can't make the break. Unless something happens, his dreams are destined to remain suppressed and unrealized. It is only when one of their regular clubs balks at rescheduling them that the brothers begin to realize that perhaps their act is getting a bit stale. So they decide to try adding a singer to the act. After a memorable scene in which a number of young hopefuls are auditioned, Suzie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer) enters their life. She joins the act on a trial basis, and after an amusing and somewhat tentative beginning, infuses it with new life, though Frank continues to adamantly resist too much of a departure from their original show. (`Does anyone really want to hear Feelings' again?' she asks him at one point). Ultimately, however, Suzie becomes the impetus for change that Jack has needed all along, and the stage is set for the decisive moment, which comes when the dignity of the brothers is compromised due to an incident on Frank's part of uncharacteristic carelessness. When Jack tells Frank, `We've never been clowns before' you know exactly how deep it has cut. Kloves has fashioned an entertaining study of relationships, change, and the effects of complacent loyalty and self-denial; and the importance of following your own heart. When Jack sits down alone at the piano in that smoke-filled club, we know that this is where he is meant to be. Filmed on location in and around Seattle, with a terrific score by Dave Grusin,a supporting cast that includes Jennifer Tilly (Monica) and Ellie Raab (Nina), and a classic scene in which Suzie Diamond croons `Makin' Whoopee' atop a piano, `The Fabulous Baker Boys' is an absolute gem you do not want to miss. I rate this one 10/10.