How do you attempt to write a review for one of your favorite films? I fondly recall "The Fabulous Baker Boys" as a cinematic highlight in my life, and know that the following review will probably not do it justice, but well….

In his debut feature, writer-director Steven Kloves' took some very old plot-lines and with care, skill and sheer respect for the film medium, created a minor masterpiece which bears up to repeated viewing and guarantees hours of endless entertainment - trust me, I've seen this film so many times, it's embarrassing to reveal the exact number.

For 31 years, Frank and Jack Baker have played piano together. Child stars turned lounge lizards, the two peddle their middle-of-the-road tunes in any bar they can book. Times are tough, and the once fabulous act has grown tired, hackneyed and somewhat embarrassing, especially for younger brother Jack (Jeff Bridges), who's embittered and weary of the muzak he plays, the dead-end life he leads. Older brother Frank (Beau Bridges) sees their act as a business, a means of supporting his wife and children, something to do in order to survive. Unlike Jack, Frank has no dreams of musicality and, quite honestly, he's a hack who doesn't really like what he does, but who is content to keep on doing it. As the duo hit a particularly lean patch, they decide to take on a singer to spice up their act, and after a hilarious montage of terrible wannabes (including a particularly inspired Jennifer Tilly), the dubiously named Suzie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer) slinks into their lives and so begins a happy professional collaboration that garners them success, respect and a small measure of fame. Personally, however, Suzie's arrival marks the beginning of the end for Frank and Jack. An ex-social escort too proud to tell the many tearful tales she has, she's a kindred soul for Jack, two cynical losers who may have a chance at happiness. Things turn sour when a commitment phobic Jack bails on Suzie, and she leaves the act. The Baker brothers are reduced again to small-time acts, and in a particularly demeaning engagement, Jack and Frank's long seething resentment and frustrations come to the surface. When the dust settles, each goes his own way, their relationship changed but intact. The question is, would Jack ever stand a chance with Suzie?

This film is a smoldering scorcher, packed with pitch perfect performances and a script that is as surprisingly deft as its ideas are old and unoriginal. Steven Kloves' dialogue is music to the ears. He expertly captures the tone and mood of the characters, and crystallizes years of hurt, longing and pain in short, succinct sentences that speak volumes. Using a confident, sure hand, he steers his sleepy, slow-burn script to classic status. The pace is just right, and the languid charm the film possesses is one of its greatest assets.

Of course, much of the film's credit must also go to the actors, all of whom are flawless. The top-lining brothers give career-high performances in this film. Beau embodies the domesticated suburban quality which defines Frank so fully that it is hard to imagine him as being any different in real life. Although a somewhat pathetic character, Beau nonetheless finds the dignity and respectability in Frank and it is his clear and honest portrayal of these qualities which make his story so much more poignant and touching than it appears on paper. If there were a "sad" life amongst the trio of leads, Frank's would be the saddest simply because he's chosen to be oblivious to his own disappointments and regrets - the price of fatherhood and of being a husband and provider have forced his hands and shaped his life, and Beau's performance, made up of small revealing gestures and silent looks tells the whole story behind the man.

As Jack, Jeff Bridges again turns in a startling portrait of a man gone wrong fighting his way back. Jack Baker has talent, and he knows it; he sticks with Frank because he's lazy, but also because deep down inside, he's fearful of taking the chance and not having anyone to blame should he fail. Everything about Jeff's performance speaks of Jack's abject misery, anger and the restlessness that's always chafing against him. Not only does he look the part, he seems to become the character. It is hard to imagine another actor being able to so fully play the part with the same level of complexity, depth of emotion and completeness. It helps tremendously, as well, that he lights up the screen beautifully opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in a career-altering role. Long relegated to window dressing or showing up in undeserving projects, Pfeiffer's career suffered a major setback due to her involvement in "Grease 2". With "Sweet Liberty" and "Into the Night", however, her luck began to change; when "The Witches of Eastwick" came along, she became a newly-minted star. "The Fabulous Baker Boys", however, gave her credibility. As the sexy siren who wreaks havoc in the lives of two brothers, she's a modern-day Lauren Bacall, sensual, intelligent and bruised. Pfeiffer's Oscar-nominated performance here is stunning; there's not a moment where she makes a wrong move or wanders into shaky terrain, and she completes the incredibly realized triangle that Kloves' script has engineered.

The scene of Pfeiffer crooning "Makin' Whoopee" whilst lolling about on top of a baby grand piano is often sited as the highlight of modern cinema this film offers. I suggest an alternative: the scene where Suzie makes her stage debut with the Baker boys. Nervous but too tough to admit it, she drops her cue cards, swears colorfully into the microphone and gropes about for a recovery. A frantic Frank then forces a bemused Jack into an impromptu duet of "Ten Cents A Dance" before Suzie returns in fine form and the three of them begin to make lounge music history. As it plays, this scene is amusing, and arguably slight, but the subtext of three desperate souls relying on each other, clinging onto the shreds of dignity they are left with in order to make a shot at something better, and succeeding, is both exhilarating and melancholic. The audience knows that before they go on the stage, the act was nothing; when they leave, they would begin the journey of success and eventually falling apart. The time on that stage was the one moment everything was perfect for them. In a canny and sublime way, "The Fabulous Baker Boys" captures this magical tension and wonder amongst them, and sustains it for its entire duration.

This is one the best films you'll ever see. Trust me on this.

Pay a visit to the following site dedicated to one of my favorite Jeff Bridges films, The Fabulous Baker Boys. It is run by James Evans - thanks to Matt for the link!

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