The Fabulous Baker Boys (Special Edition) (DVD)

...with his brother Jack, tours the LA bars playing his own brand of lounge music. But the act is becoming stale, and the ever cynical Jack has a huge chip on his shoulder. When the work starts to dry up, they have to do an overhaul. So they audition for a singer. In comes Susie Diamond, complete with her own attitude problem, a forty a day habit, and a voice that sends pulses racing. Susie's an ex escort looking for her own legitimate job, and wont ...
...become a threesome, the cracks in the brothers relationship starts to become ever more evident. They are forced to look at their relationship with an ongoing insightful analysis from Susie, who proves to more than just a pretty face with a pretty voice.

Real life brothers Beau and Jeff Bridges turn in brilliant performances as the brothers at each others throats, Jeff lending an honesty to his role that gives it more poignancy as the ... more

Frank Baker is an optomistic piano player who, with his brother Jack, tours the LA bars playing his own brand of lounge music. But the act is becoming stale, and the ever cynical Jack has a huge chip on his shoulder. When the work starts to dry up, they have to do an overhaul. So they audition for a singer. In comes Susie Diamond, complete with her own attitude problem, a forty a day habit, and a voice that sends pulses racing. Susie's an ex escort looking for her own legitimate job, and wont settle to be a guest vocalist. As the duo become a threesome, the cracks in the brothers relationship starts to become ever more evident. They are forced to look at their relationship with an ongoing insightful analysis from Susie, who proves to more than just a pretty face with a pretty voice.

Real life brothers Beau and Jeff Bridges turn in brilliant performances as the brothers at each others throats, Jeff lending an honesty to his role that gives it more poignancy as the film goes on. But its Michelle Pfeiffer as Susie who steals the show. Michelle is an actress who can turn her hand to any role, but who admittedly isn't much of a singer. Where she failed in Grease 2 and other such musical debacles, she polishes it up here. And despite the obvious flaws in her thin voice, she is such a good actress that combined with the superb score on show here, she actually manages to do the impossible. She makes you think she is a good singer. Makin Whoopee, as she is draped across the piano in little more than a dishcloth, is one of the sexiest performances of her career (aside from her leather clad turn as Catwoman in one of the Batman sequels). The script also allows for the character's to grow within the context of the story, Susie encouraging the brothers to be more honest with each other. What makes it work so well is that there isn't any great revelations from any of the characters, they are the same people at the end as they were at the start, they just learned to be more respectful of each other and the relationship that they have. So while very little of dramatic consequence takes place, the performances, the script, the score, the dialogue and interaction of the characters and the brilliant photography make this subtle little film a joy to watch.

Extra's on the DVD include interviews with the stars of the film and a making of documentary. Whilst the making of docu isn't of any interest to me, or to anybody really, the interviews are of small value if even just to have a laugh at what Pfeiffer is wearing. She's a shy interviewee compared to her rip roaring character who is strongminded and feisty and even thats a revelation.

I know I'm a hundred and fifty years too late in reviewing this film, but I've been re-evaluating a lot of films recently that i haven't seen in years, and went on a Pfeiffer marathon over the weekend, so I'm sure there will be more back dated reviews to follow. 

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