Though full of atmosphere, mood, and attitude, THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS is all dressed up with no place to go. Jeff and Beau Bridges play brothers Jack and Frank Baker, a musical duo whose act consists of dueling piano arrangements of lounge songs. Frank decides to bring in a female singer, and the nod finally goes to Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer). Her professional experience has been limited to an extended engagement with an escort service, but to say she knows how to sell a song is an understatement. Tensions rise when womanizing Jack embarks on a professionally dangerous liaison with Susie.
Early in the film, THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS crackles with smart talk and smooth moves from writer-director Steve Kloves (who makes his directing debut here and who wrote the equally off-center RACING WITH THE MOON) and later in the film, Pfeiffer continues to captivate. When it comes to plot and
characters, however, THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS is purely superficial and the three principals become less interesting as the action grinds on. Though the Bridges boys give typically solid performances, it's Pfeiffer who deserves the most credit. Her Susie is an original--smart, hard-headed, and
unsentimental. Pfeiffer's sultry rendition of "Makin' Whoopee" is one of the film's highlights. Photographed by the gifted Michael Ballhaus, THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS unfortunately fails to base its evocative style on real substance, and thus fails to emerge from the run of the mill. leave a comment
