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The Fabulous Baker Boys

  • 19891989
  • RR
  • 1h 54m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
24K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Bridges, and Beau Bridges in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
Home Video Extra (Clip) from Live Entertainment
Play trailer1:34
1 Video
66 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Music
The lives of two struggling musicians, who happen to be brothers, inevitably change when they team up with a beautiful, up-and-coming singer.The lives of two struggling musicians, who happen to be brothers, inevitably change when they team up with a beautiful, up-and-coming singer.The lives of two struggling musicians, who happen to be brothers, inevitably change when they team up with a beautiful, up-and-coming singer.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
24K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Steve Kloves
  • Writer
    • Steve Kloves
  • Stars
    • Jeff Bridges
    • Michelle Pfeiffer
    • Beau Bridges
Top credits
  • Director
    • Steve Kloves
  • Writer
    • Steve Kloves
  • Stars
    • Jeff Bridges
    • Michelle Pfeiffer
    • Beau Bridges
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 93User reviews
    • 35Critic reviews
    • 85Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 4 Oscars
      • 14 wins & 17 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Fabulous Baker Boys
    Trailer 1:34
    The Fabulous Baker Boys

    Photos66

    Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Bridges, and Beau Bridges in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
    Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Bridges, and Beau Bridges in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
    Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Bridges, and Beau Bridges in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
    Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Bridges, and Beau Bridges in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
    Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Bridges, and Beau Bridges in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
    Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Bridges, and Beau Bridges in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
    Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Bridges, and Beau Bridges in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
    Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Bridges, and Beau Bridges in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
    Terri Treas in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
    Michelle Pfeiffer and Jeff Bridges in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
    Michelle Pfeiffer and Jeff Bridges in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
    Michelle Pfeiffer in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jeff Bridges
    Jeff Bridges
    • Jack Bakeras Jack Baker
    Michelle Pfeiffer
    Michelle Pfeiffer
    • Susie Diamondas Susie Diamond
    Beau Bridges
    Beau Bridges
    • Frank Bakeras Frank Baker
    Ellie Raab
    • Ninaas Nina
    Xander Berkeley
    Xander Berkeley
    • Lloydas Lloyd
    Dakin Matthews
    Dakin Matthews
    • Charlieas Charlie
    Ken Lerner
    Ken Lerner
    • Rayas Ray
    Albert Hall
    Albert Hall
    • Henryas Henry
    Terri Treas
    Terri Treas
    • Girl in Bedas Girl in Bed
    Gregory Itzin
    Gregory Itzin
    • Vince Nancyas Vince Nancy
    Bradford English
    • Earlas Earl
    David Coburn
    David Coburn
    • Kid at Vetas Kid at Vet
    Todd Jeffries
    Todd Jeffries
    • Theoas Theo
    Jeff Nowinski
    Jeff Nowinski
    • Hotel Masseuseas Hotel Masseuse
    • (as Jeffrey J. Nowinski)
    Nancy Fish
    Nancy Fish
    • Laughing Bar Patronas Laughing Bar Patron
    Beege Barkette
    Beege Barkette
    • Waitressas Waitress
    Del Zamora
    Del Zamora
    • Man with Cleaveras Man with Cleaver
    Howard Matthew Johnson
    • Bathroom Attendantas Bathroom Attendant
    • Director
      • Steve Kloves
    • Writer
      • Steve Kloves
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The first time Jeff Bridges and Beau Bridges have acted in a film together. Some of the disagreements between the Baker Boys are based upon actual differences between the Bridges.
    • Goofs
      During the fight scene in the alley there is a crew member fully visible for a very short time.
    • Quotes

      Jack Baker: You look good.

      Susie Diamond: You look like shit.

      Jack Baker: No, I mean it. You look good.

      Susie Diamond: I mean it, too. You look like shit.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Old Gringo/The Girl in a Swing/An Innocent Man/Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
    • Soundtracks
      People
      Written by Jule Styne & Bob Merrill

      Performed by Dave Grusin & John F. Hammond (as John Hammond)

    User reviews93

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Enjoyable story, thinly plotted but very well made.
    Jeff and Beau Bridges - brothers in real life - are here united to play brothers on the screen. It's not the first time real-life brothers have played fictitious brothers in a movie (in fact, in The Long Riders several famous siblings paired up to similar effect). However, The Fabulous Baker Boys really benefits from the pairing. The sibling rivalry that runs through this film feels very credible and very convincing, possibly because Jeff and Beau aren't really acting but are simply using their real-life love/hate brotherly attitudes to fuel their performances in front of the cameras.

    It's a fairly thin story, but well told. Jack Baker (Jeff B.) and Frank Baker (Beau B.) have spent years working together as stage pianists in various bars, hotels and night-clubs around Seattle. Their long-running act begins to run out of steam and they find themselves playing to empty rooms.... even their more established employers begin to express doubts about their ability to pull in the big crowds. They decide to hire a female vocalist to spice up the appeal of their show and, after over thirty awful applicants, they finally unearth a winner in the shape of Suzy Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer). Initially, Suzy provides them with a turn in their fortunes, but the future of the trio becomes cloudy when she and Jack develop sexual yearnings for each other. The problems don't stop there, with Frank and Jack slowly becoming more and more distant with each other as their views on how best to market their musical talents are revealed to be very different.

    The Fabulous Baker Boys is extremely well-acted throughout, with Pfeiffer in particular giving an outstanding performance (she even sang most of her own songs). The main themes of sibling rivalry and unfulfilled talent are generally engrossing, and help to paper over the thinness of the story. Jeff acts rather moodily for much of the time and is very believable as a man working in the lower ranks of his trade when he could've reached the top. Beau is also in fine form as a performer who does what he does simply because it puts money in the family kitty. It's a hard film to describe, because it's not really about very much, but if you can adjust to the relaxed pace and just enjoy the leisurely development of the three main characters then you will come away from the film feeling thoroughly satisfied.
    helpful•54
    5
    • barnabyrudge
    • Dec 25, 2003

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 13, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Baker Boys
    • Filming locations
      • Belltown, Seattle, Washington, USA
    • Production companies
      • Gladden Entertainment
      • Mirage
      • Tobis
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $13,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $18,428,904
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,313,815
      • Oct 15, 1989
    • Gross worldwide
      • $18,428,904
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 54 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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