The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)

The lives of two struggling musicians, who happen to be brothers, inevitably change when they team up with a beautiful, up-and-coming singer.

Director:

Steve Kloves

Writer:

Steve Kloves

Stars:

Jeff Bridges, Michelle Pfeiffer, Beau Bridges

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 13 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
Jeff Nowinski	...	Hotel Masseuse (as Jeffrey J. Nowinski)
Nancy Fish	...	Laughing Bar Patron

Storyline

The Fabulous Baker Boys, a Seattle-based duo piano lounge act performing cheesy jazz renditions of pop standards, is comprised of thirty-something brothers Frank and Jack Baker. Older Frank, married with two children, is the controlling business manager, front man and sole programmer of the playlist. Younger Jack is the carefree one without commitments to anything or anyone, including women, he who has had a long string of one night stands, most specifically with cocktail waitresses. Jack's strongest commitments are to his aging dog, Eddie, and to Nina, the lonely adolescent who lives in the apartment above his with her single, constantly dating mother. Jack's commitment to Nina is because of her unwavering commitment to him. The Baker Boys' act is becoming stale and outdated, and as such their ability to hold onto what gigs they are able to get is getting more difficult. So Frank comes up with the idea of hiring a singer to beef up the act. After thirty-seven failed auditions, they ...

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Plot Keywords:

piano | piano player | audition | singing | hotel | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | 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:

172 S Washington St, Seattle, Washington, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$18,100,000

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

Michelle Pfeiffer hadn't sung in a year when she got the part of Susie Diamond. She had to practice for ten hours a day in the studio, and then took the tapes home with her to study them.

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Goofs

In the discussion in the car immediately after the Polynesian restaurant gig, Jack is wearing his tuxedo. They were wearing Hawaiian shirts on the gig however.

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Quotes

Jack Baker: What do you want from me? You want me to tell you to stay, hmm? Is that what you're looking for? You want me to get down on my knees and beg you to save the Baker Boys from doom? Forget it, sweetheart. We survived for 15 years before you strutted onto the scene. Fifteen years. Two seconds, you're bawling like a baby. You shouldn't be wearing a dress; you should be wearing a diaper.

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Connections

Featured in 76th Golden Globe Awards (2019)

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Soundtracks

The Look of Love
Performed by Michelle Pfeiffer
Written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David

User Reviews

Backstage Blues

After playing small club gigs for over 15 years, the "Baker Boys" finally come to grips with some realities.

"Susie" comes into their act and lives. She's a former "escort" and blues singer, whom they hire to rejuvenate their somewhat tired act.

This she does, in more ways than one.

"The Fabulous Baker Boys" is an accurate and frank depiction of musicians' lives-on-the-road. It reveals what happens after the audience goes home and the musicians retire to their nice hotel rooms.

But after years, one nice hotel room is the same as another. Likewise, their music routines can become as stale as leftover tobacco smoke in their vacated clubs.

Jeff and Beau Bridges execute some the finest work of their careers in this film. Likewise, Michelle Pfeiffer equally supports them, as well as does her own singing.

Dave Grusin and John Hammond's soundtrack piano renditions are excellent, as is Peggy Holmes' choreography for Ms. Pfeiffer. Sydney Pollack was wise to financially support this production as executive producer.

Writer director Steven Kloves came up with a winner here, marred only by some general slow pacing and an ambiguous though appropriate ending.

"The Fabulous Baker Boys'" reputation continues to grow and be appreciated by more audiences, through cable and DVD distributions. It signifies a rare glimpse at backstage life-on-the-road of musicians who so enrich our lives, yet are all too often taken for granted.