The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)

Frank and Jack Baker are professional musicians who play small clubs. They play schmaltzy music and have never needed a day job. Times are changing and dates are becoming more difficult to ... See full summary »

Director:

Steve Kloves

Writer:

Steve Kloves

Stars:

Jeff Bridges, Michelle Pfeiffer, Beau Bridges

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 6 nominations.

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 Masseuse (as Jeffrey J. Nowinski)
Nancy Fish	...	Laughing Bar Patron

Storyline

Frank and Jack Baker are professional musicians who play small clubs. They play schmaltzy music and have never needed a day job. Times are changing and dates are becoming more difficult to get so they interview female singers. They finally decide on Susie Diamond, a former 'escort' who needs some refinement, but the act begins to take off again. While the act is now successful, both Frank and Jack have problems with their life on the road. Susie becomes the agent that makes them re-evaluate where they are going, and how honest they have been with each other.

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Plot Keywords:

piano | singer | piano player | song | audition | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 October 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die fabelhaften Baker Boys

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$16,823,529 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gladden Entertainment, Mirage, Tobis

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

During the fight scene in the alley there is a crew member fully visible for a very short time.

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Quotes

Susie Diamond: You don't give a fuck, do you, about anything?

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Connections

Featured in Fassbinder in Hollywood (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me"
Performed by Duke Ellington Orchestra (as The Duke Ellington Orchestra)
Courtesy of GRP Records, Inc.
Produced by Michael Abene & Mercer Ellington
Written by Duke Ellington (as Edward Kennedy Ellington) & Bob Russell

User Reviews

It's not getting any better than this

TFBB is such a terrific movie, you feel like a child in a toy store wanting to tell it all. Everything in this story falls into place, the pace is great, the acting is brilliant and yet it's in the details that one discovers the masterpiece. There's the audition scene, the little story about the sick dog and the girl from next door to show you Jeff Bridges does care, the introductions by Beau as they perform in their special place, The Starfire Lounge and then repeats the same line in another cocktail bar, the bathroom scenes in the hotel they do their Festive season gig (quite different what you might have expected from a bathroom scene between Michelle Pfeiffer and Jeff Bridges !), the dog leaving the elevator in the hotel on his own to join his boss who is playing alone, his kind of music. This movie gets better with repeated viewings, so buy it instead of renting it.It's a mystery to me why Steve Kloves did not make more films and instead waited to become a scriptwriter for the Harry Potter films more than 10 years later.