Amazon.com Essentials:
An inspired casting gimmick, a wonderful mood, a grown-up love
story--all this in The Fabulous Baker Boys, but the only thing
anybody ever talks about is Michelle Pfeiffer on top of a piano.
Granted, it's a showstopper: clad in a slinky dress, Pfeiffer rolls
around on the Steinway while she purrs out a languid version of
"Makin' Whoopee." Adding to the seductive vibe is the fact that
she's not singing to the audience, but to the sullen piano player
(Jeff Bridges) whose fancy she has captured. Bridges and his real-life
brother, Beau, play two lounge entertainers whose act has grown stale;
they're not above doing "Feelings" for the tourist crowd. They've
hired songbird Pfeiffer (who does her own sexy singing) to spice up
the routine, a strategy that pays off in spades. The three actors
are terrific, with the fabulous Bridges boys playing neatly off
their own sibling rhythms. Writer-director Steve Kloves captures the
feel of second-rate Seattle clubs, and Dave Grusin's jazzy score
keeps propelling the film forward. The story itself might have come
from a 1940s romance, yet Kloves and his actors keep it unusually
modern and thoughtful. And then there's Michelle Pfeiffer rolling
around on top of a piano.... --Robert Horton
