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 The Baker Boys' act is becoming stale and outdated, and as such their ability to hold onto what gigs they are able to get is getting more difficult.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:

The Fabulous Baker Boys

Filming Locations:

172 S Washington St, Seattle, Washington, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,313,815, 15 October 1989

Gross USA:

$18,428,904

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$18,428,904

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

Before the fight between Frank and Jack after the telethon, Writer/Director Steve Kloves asked Beau Bridges if it was true that he turned down the Ryan O'Neal part in "Love Story" in which Beau said it was true and was still angry about it after all those years. Using that as motivation for the scene, Beau actually went toe to toe with his brother Jeff. Jeff would accidentally break his finger in the scene as a result of it.

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Goofs

When Jack and Frank are arguing in the alley just before they fight, one of the upper buttons on Jack's shirt alternates several times between being buttoned and being unbuttoned.

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Quotes

Susie Diamond: Listen, I didn't expect you to rush out and buy me a corsage this morning, you know. Your high school ring is safe.

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Connections

Referenced in Good Morning Britain: Episode dated 28 March 2019 (2019)

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Soundtracks

Jingle Bells
Written by James Pierpont (uncredited)
Arranged and Adapted by Jon Charles

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.