Steve Kloves’ The Fabulous Baker Boys is a charmer, a comedy-drama of uncommon class and featuring undeniably ingratiating performances. This kind of character-driven dramedy is pretty much unheard of in today’s marketplace apart from an occasional independent movie that slips in to steal our hearts. And yet this movie hasn’t dated at all with a trio of leading characters whom we invest in and stay with through their tumultuous ups and downs as they lumber their way toward their own new horizons.
Studio: MGM
Distributed By: Twilight Time
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HDMA
Subtitles: English SDH
Rating: R
Run Time: 1 Hr. 53 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray
keep caseDisc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: All
Release Date: 07/14/2015
MSRP: $29.95
The Production Rating: 4/5
With interest flagging in their dual-piano lounge act, brothers Frank (Beau Bridges) and Jack (Jeff Bridges) Baker decide a singer is needed to juice up their act. They settle on former escort Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer) who has enough voice and dynamite looks to make their audiences sit up and take notice. As the act takes off, family man Frank worries that moody bachelor Jack is going to ruin their set-up by coming on to Susie and then inevitably breaking her heart, so he’s constantly on guard to see that this doesn’t happen. When a family emergency calls him away on New Year’s Eve, however, Jack and Susie not only change the act from Frank’s rigid sets to make it more interesting for them to perform but also finally explore the sexual chemistry that’s been percolating under the surface since her arrival.
Writer Steve Kloves (who later went on to pen most of the Harry Potter franchise) directs his first feature film here, and it’s a masterful debut drawing tremendous performances from the cast and finding ways to film what could have been a talky comedy-drama in interesting ways. The audition sequence where the brothers hear one terrible singer after another is handled in a delightful montage, and there’s another one later as Susie begins to gain in confidence and score bigger and bigger with audiences that’s just as smoothly executed. On the other hand, Susie’s first performance in front of a crowd is one hilarious snafu after another captured beautifully with simple shots that accomplish everything that needs to be caught. The list of standards that Michelle Pfeiffer sings is one of the reasons the movie doesn’t date as the years pass by: great tunes handled slickly with just enough professionalism by her without being unbelievably terrific: “More Than You Know,” “Ten Cents a Dance,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” “The Look of Love,” and “My Funny Valentine” over the closing credits, a bittersweet number sensationally perfect for the film’s ambiguous ending. Of course, there’s also “Makin’ Whoopee,” the sequence that pretty much made the film’s fortune as Pfeiffer in a tight red velvet dress slinks and writhes on top of a grand piano purring the song out as the camera embraces her and then circles to capture her work and the audience’s rapt attention, certainly among the film’s most remarkable moments.
All three of the leads do some of their best film work in the movie. It’s seems incredible that the film wasn’t written expressly for the Bridges brothers so perfect are they in their roles: Beau as the fussy, obsequious mastermind of the operation and Jeff as the self-contained, slowly simmering cauldron of frustration over talent wasted, but the fact is that Jeff was cast first, but the director wasn’t sure he wanted Beau because he feared it would seem like stunt casting. Thankfully, common sense prevailed. They’re both simply perfection (their climactic confrontation that releases long withheld feelings is one of the film’s most mesmerizing moments). Michelle Pfeiffer’s performance won her Best Actress prizes from the New York, Los Angeles, and National Society of Film Critics as well as from the National Board of Review and the Golden Globes. Her smoky, sultry singing voice is perfect for the role, and the comic and dramatic moments also pose no problems for her. Ellie Raab is endearing as a neighbor child at the mercy of an uncaring mother and for whom Jack serves as a surrogate parent, and wonderful character actors like Xander Berkeley as a snarky club owner and Gregory Itzin as a smarmy telethon host are most welcome in small roles.
Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: NA
The film is framed in its theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is presented in a 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. The image is pleasingly sharp throughout, and color is solid and consistently maintained including very realistic skin tones. Black levels are also very good. There are sporadic little dust specks, but they’re certainly not in abundance. The movie has been divided into 24 chapters.
Audio Rating: 4.5/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo sound mix sounds sensational with modern surround equipment. Dave Grusin’s jazzy background score and the piano and vocal sequences really shine with full, rich fidelity that’s far superior to original theatrical presentations. Dialogue has been excellently recorded and has been placed in the center channel. Atmospheric effects throughout have the ring of authenticity, and yet there are no age-related problems with hiss or other artifacts.
Special Features Rating: 3.5/5
Audio Commentaries: film historians Nick Redman and Julie Kirgo are joined by the film’s writer-director Steve Kloves for a lively, entertaining, and informative discussion of the production and is a must listen for fans of the film. Carried over from the DVD release of the movie is director of photography Michael Ballhaus’ recollections of shooting the film, less effusive but interesting nonetheless.
Isolated Score and Effects Track: presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo.
Deleted Scenes (21:16, SD): seventeen scenes (in very spotty condition) are presented in montage.
Theatrical Trailer (2:47, HD)
MGM 90th Anniversary Trailer (2:06, HD)
Six-Page Booklet: contains a selection of color stills, original poster art on the back cover, and film historian Julie Kirgo’s enthusiastic appreciation for the film.
Overall Rating: 4/5
The Fabulous Baker Boys offers entertaining comedy-drama of the old school with captivating performances from its three leads and smooth as silk direction that never makes a wrong step. There are only 3,000 copies of this Blu-ray available. Those interested should go to www.screenarchives.com to see if product is still in stock. Information about the movie can also be found via their website at www.twilighttimemovies.com or via Facebook at www.facebook.com/twilighttimemovies.
Reviewed By: Matt Hough
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