The Fabulous Baker Boys
MGM/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Buy now from CalgaryMovies DVD Store!

Frank and Jack Baker are professional musicians who play small clubs. They play smaltzy music and have never needed a day job. Times are changing and dates are becoming more difficult to get so they interview female singers. They finally decide on Susie Diamond, a former 'escort' who needs some refinement, but the act begins to take off again. While the act is now successful, both Frank and Jack have problems with their life on the road. Susie becomes the agent that makes them re-evaluate where they are going, and how honest they have been with each other.

Although it's never been a huge hit, The Fabulous Baker Boys has managed to quietly stick around for almost two decades since its release. The reason? There's several, but the one that stands out most is its ability to be sexy without being overly sexual.

Michelle Pfeiffer is at her best as Susie Diamond, a lounge singer who plays Yoko Ono for the brothers Baker Frank (Beau Bridges) and Jack (Jeff Bridges). Jack and Frank spent years as a duo, managing to scrape together a modest living. When it's clear they're never going to be "successful" they go out and find themselves a singer. Enter Susie and success isn't far behind.

With the tables turned, Jack and Frank focus on the long-standing issues that had been bubbling beneath the surface. Susie is simply the lightning rod that makes it happen.

What I really enjoyed about The Fabulous Baker Boys is the way it balances between the three key characters, as well as the outside world that they're up against. Behind the gentle lounge music, there's a ton of conflict and tension that's there but nobody's willing to admit it. The formula is a pretty simple one, but the execution is delightfully complex.

Video: How's it look?
The good: it's in widescreen (1.85:1 aspect ratio). The not-so good: the picture's a little on the soft and drab side.

Audio: How's it sound?
Audio is in Dolby Digital 3.0. Sure, it's not mono, but this is a musical here, people. Let's get a 5.1 upgrade happening. Mono Spanish and French tracks are also included.

Extras: What additional goodies are included?

• Other than English and Spanish subtitles, zip, zilch and nada all come together on this barebones disc.

Closing Thoughts
The Fabulous Baker Boys is one of the better dramas to be released in the past couple of decades, yet this DVD release is anything but fabulous.


Review brought to you by our friend Ryan @ Movie-Views.com