Beau and Jeff Bridges, the sons of Lloyd Bridges really developed their careers apart from each other. Neither piggybacked on the other's success and while their father's name might have opened a door or two, Beau and Jeff never piggybacked on him either.
When they did a joint project each had a well respected career. The Fabulous Baker Boys is about a pair of musician brothers who have a double piano act, something like Ohman&Arden from the Thirties or Jose and Ampara Iturbi, brother and sister in a more classical vein. But they're not anything as successful as the examples I mentioned. They eke out an existence in the clubs in Seattle trying to scratch a living at what they love.
Beau takes a lot of guff to keep them employed as he's married with children and Jeff puts up with nothing. To liven up the act they decide a sexy girl singer is what they need and after some dismal candidates they find Michelle Pheiffer. But Michelle dishes out her own brand of guff and she causes The Fabulous Baker Boys to reexamine themselves and their lives.
Pheiffer got a Best Actress nomination one of four categories of Oscar nominations the film received. She dominates the film when she's on and not through sheer beauty. It was a well deserved performance, I love the scenes when she cuts Jeff Bridges down to size. She isn't easy on Beau either.
Lots of the kind of music I like, vocal and instrumental, is found in The Fabulous Baker Boys. That's a guarantee right there I would enjoy the film.
It's only too bad that Beau and Jeff could not work their father into this one.
The Fabulous Baker Boys
1989
Action / Comedy / Drama / Music / Romance
The Fabulous Baker Boys
1989
Action / Comedy / Drama / Music / Romance
Plot summary
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 finally hire the last, the thirty-eighth auditioner, Susie Diamond, a woman one step above white trash. Despite Susie having no formal singing experience, she has just a strong enough vocal talent of the music they perform, and can sell a song largely on her stage presence and sex appeal. She is able to turn off her outward tough girl demeanor once she's on stage. Susie is initially an uneasy addition to the act, but becomes an integral part of it as the act begins getting more gigs, more lucrative ones at that. But Susie's presence not only threatens the new act, but threatens the interrelationships between all three. Frank believes the biggest threat is any sexual tension, perceived or real, between Jack and Susie. However, the biggest threat is how Susie is able to expose the fundamental rifts between the brothers, Frank whose primary goal is to put food on his family's table, while Jack's is his true musical dreams which are being stifled by the act.
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The Sons Of Bridges
great brotherly relationships
Brothers Jack (Jeff Bridges) and Frank Baker (Beau Bridges) are pianists who play together in a lounge act. Frank is the responsible family man while Jack is a drunken loner who has only an old dog and a little neighborhood girl as friends. Work is drying up and Frank wants to audition for a singer. Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer) is a former escort. They soon become a highly sought after act. However she awaken many buried feelings in the sibling relationship.
Michelle Pfeiffer is terrific. Her singing isn't that bad and she oozes sexuality. The movie is also hilarious at times. It is the brotherly relationship of both the actors and the characters that is truly engaging. The plot is fairly straight forward. The relationships make this movie.
On the piano, folks!
Maybe "The Fabulous Baker Boys" was mostly one of those "small" movies, but it was certainly well-done. Jack (Jeff Bridges) and Frank Baker (Beau Bridges) are professional musicians whose lives consist of playing in clubs. Figuring that they need a back-up singer, they hire Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer). But her presence reveals the flaws in Jack's and Frank's lives, and specifically, their relationships with each other.
I don't know much about professional music to really comment further, but this was certainly an interesting flick. The Bridges brothers played the pianos on their own, and one can clearly see it. Definitely worth seeing.