The Fabulous Baker Boys
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Movie Reviews of The Fabulous Baker Boys
Movie Review: A real acting lesson by Jeff Bridges
Summary: 4 Stars
Lots of folks comment on the piano playing, which is a delight, and most everyone has commented on Michelle Pfeiffer, and well they should. It was a stunning breakthrough film for her and remains, for me, one of her best. But it isn't the best performance in the film. That honor goes to Jeff Bridges, who does everything to flesh out an unfleshed out character. The one weakness in Steve Kloves's self-directed script is that the younger Baker Brother has oodles of talent and a chip on his shoulder, yet we never discover why. Where did it come from? Why has he stayed with his brother for so long? What trauma or event caused him to stay at a job that is clearly beneath him, working with a brother he has clearly outgrown? We're never given even a minor clue. And it's a tribute to Bridge's economical, precisely calibrated portrayal that while we're watching, we don't care.
Actors with cigarettes hanging out of their mouth are usually walking cliches. Yet when Bridges sits at the piano with the cigarette dangling, his fingers tickling the ivories in the same arrangements his brother has insisted on for the past 15 years, his face a sullen mask while his tired eyes tune out his brother's tired comic patter, you get the immediate impression that in smoking, he's blowing impotent defiance his brother's way. That's a real acting choice and a funny, ironic one. We chuckle at his character's enigmatic passive aggression right on through...until the colors reveal some heavy duty self-loathing and Pfeiffer's character busts him...You could interpret the last scene as either hopeful or despairing, and that's the wonder of it.
Twenty years ago I loved the piano playing and Michelle Pfeiffer. I still love those elements now, but when you watch this film, pay close attention to everything Jeff Bridges does. It's a marvel.
Movie Review: Well Executed Film!
Summary: 4 Stars
Saw this for the second time a few nights ago and enjoyed it a lot more than the first time I saw it. This movie gets knocked for having minimal story and a slow-moving, predictable plot, however upon further reflection I think this works to its advantage and makes it a stronger piece.
Too many movies nowadays rely on over-the-top stories and unrealistic plot twists and the viewer loses out on an important element... how do the characters react to every day circumstances we all face in our lives? This movie kind of reminded me of "Tender Mercies" with Robert Duvall in that it was purposefully slow and predictable, but really made you think about how the characters handled the unglamorous details of their situations which is much more like real life and allows the work to make a stronger statement to the viewer.
In the Baker Boys we see how these professional musicians cope with their small time status and the compromises they make consciously or not to keep their commitments to family, their careers and their art. There are no perfect solutions presented for the viewer and the story is left somewhat unresolved, which forces you to think how you deal with the opposing forces in your life and its inherent contradictions. No easy answers, but this movie does an excellent job of portraying the characters reactions which seem very flawed, human and genuine.
Movie Review: The Story and the Actors are just as Fabulous!
Summary: 4 Stars
the Baker Boys is one of those special movies that you get more out of everytime you view it. For anyone that plays or performs or has wanted to perform music, they will surely relate to the gritty pitfalls and problems that are endemic to the sub-culture world of the gigging musician.
In this movie, you have two brothers with an unusual act, having side to side pianos, and at a juncture in their lives when the act is already starting to stale out, add a singer, who just happens to be the impossibly beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer, singing her own parts in the movie, and she serves as a catalyst to bring about a change in all of their lives.
there are several keynotes intense dialogue scenes involving a confrontation between the brothers and between Michelle and Jeff Bridges that are some of the best ever put on celluloid.
and the clincher is the soundtrack masterminded by the great Dave Grusin, which covers many styles and moods.
Anyone who hasn't seen this one yet is in for a special treat!
Movie Review: it's the understated scenes that make this film work
Summary: 4 Stars
Okay, you know the story, the music, (MF on the piano - I get it - but get past it) etc. But it's the understated scenes that give this film its real life texture. To wit:
The female singer auditions - smart humor; way before American Idol was even a thought - good fun.
Beau Bridges' character getting help (from his brother)with his spray-on hair (can I get some spray-paint-can SFX? - thanks) - more good fun.
Jeff Bridges playing daytime-no-one-around quiet solo jazz piano at 'Henry's' - when DG (he did the piano work for JBs' character) plays non-busy jazz keys - his soul leaks out.
When Jeff Bridges' character reminds Blanch the waitress that "it's cold outside".
The ending. I'll wager the writer/director had to fight hard for this one as he went off the Hollywood ending menu - good thing he did - it's just what the real world ordered.
Movie Review: The fabulous Bridges boys
Summary: 4 Stars
The lounge act of Frank and Jack Baker (Beau and Jeff Bridges) has fallen on hard times, but things pick up when they add a girl singer (Michelle Pfeiffer) to the act. She becomes the catalyst for some big changes and serious soul-searching, mostly on the part of brother Jack, who is a gifted jazz pianist. The best thing about this movie is the trio of great performances at its core. The Bridges brothers have a real sibling chemistry that can't just be acted. The screenplay itself is pretty formulaic, but the actors breathe life into it.