Susie Diamond

The Fabulous Baker Boys conveys how Susie's induction into the eponymous musical duo affects the dynamic of both the act and the brothers' relationship with each other.{{Cite web |last=Boyar |first=Jay |date=May 25, 1990 |title='Fabulous Baker Boys' Hits All The Right Notes |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1990/05/25/fabulous-baker-boys-hits-all-the-right-notes/ |access-date=May 23, 2017 |website=Orlando Sentinel}} As The Fabulous Baker Boys' business manager, Frank Baker decides that they should hire a female singer to help revive their struggling 15 year-old piano duo consisting of himself and his younger brother, Jack.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/the-fabulous-baker-boys-19891013|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys|last=Travers|first=Peter|date=October 13, 1989|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=April 26, 2017}} 37 aspiring singers audition to be the group's third member, none of whom are promising candidates until Susie, a call girl previously employed by the Triple A Dating Service, arrives.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/thefabulousbakerboysrhowe_a0b237.htm|title='The Fabulous Baker Boys' (R)|last=Howe|first=Desson|date=October 13, 1989|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 7, 2017}} Despite being an hour and a half late – by which time the brothers are frustrated –{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/cinema-more-than-well-ever-know-the-check-out-girl-from-santa-ana-is-now-the-most-sought-after-1383416.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/cinema-more-than-well-ever-know-the-check-out-girl-from-santa-ana-is-now-the-most-sought-after-1383416.html |archive-date=2022-05-25 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Cinema / More than we'll ever know: The check-out girl from Santa Ana is now the most sought-after actress in Hollywood. But where does Michelle Pfeiffer go from here? And what's behind those smog-laden eyes?|last=Thomson|first=Dan|date=August 13, 1994|website=The Independent|access-date=May 14, 2017}} and dressed unprofessionally, Susie impresses them with her performance of "More Than You Know"; Jack in particular, being more forgiving of the character's unprofessionalism than Frank,{{Cite web|url=http://www.petersonreviews.com/fabulous-baker-boys|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys|last=Peterson|first=Blake|date=April 23, 2016|website=Peterson Reviews|access-date=May 22, 2017|archive-date=August 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825061631/http://www.petersonreviews.com/fabulous-baker-boys|url-status=dead}} believes that the combination of Susie's voice and attractiveness could help bolster their career. Susie is also much less accommodating than the other candidates Frank and Jack interview.{{Cite web |last=Maslin |first=Janet |author-link=Janet Maslin |date=October 13, 1989 |title=Review/Film; Pfeiffer and 2 Bridges Brothers in 'The Fabulous Baker Boys' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=950DE0D81331F930A25753C1A96F948260 |access-date=May 5, 2017 |website=The New York Times}}

While Susie's addition helps The Fabulous Baker Boys experience success, it also results in complications among the group by disturbing some of the original act's traditions and threatening to come between the two brothers when Jack begins to fall in love with her.{{Cite web|url=http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/66337/the_fabulous_baker_boys.html|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)|date=February 12, 2007|website=Time Out|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607132102/http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/66337/the_fabulous_baker_boys.html|archive-date=June 7, 2011|access-date=May 6, 2017}} Susie and Jack's growing mutual attraction towards each other eventually threatens the stability of the trio.{{Cite web|url=https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-fabulous-baker-boys/17499/main/|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)|website=Moviefone|access-date=May 7, 2017}} Having a family of his own, Frank is particularly concerned that if his younger brother Jack pursues Susie he will ultimately disregard her and cause her to leave the group, while Susie insists that she deserves a say in determining what songs the trio will perform, particularly lamenting that she is forced to sing "Feelings" at every scheduled performance. When Frank is pulled away from work for a family emergency around New Year's Eve, Susie and Jack seize the opportunity to make adjustments to their set list and ultimately make love in a late night jazz club after performing alone together.{{Cite news |last=Kempley |first=Rita |date=October 13, 1989 |title='The Fabulous Baker Boys' (R) |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/thefabulousbakerboysrkempley_a09fe3.htm |access-date=May 6, 2017}} Frank is furious to learn that Susie and Jack have changed the set list without his permission and an argument ensues between Jack and Frank.{{Cite web|url=http://eddieonfilm.blogspot.ca/2008/10/another-season-another-reason.html|title=Another season, another reason|last=Copeland|first=Edward|date=October 13, 2009|website=Edward Copeland's Tangents|access-date=May 23, 2017|quote=Michelle Pfeiffer's star was just beginning to rise, but she couldn't be counted on to lure in audiences.}} Susie eventually leaves both the group and Jack due to Jack's refusal to express his true feelings for her, accepting a job singing jingles for television commercials.{{Cite web|url=http://www.moviepooper.com/12/5939FabulousBakerBoys1989.html|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys – (1989)|website=Moviepooper|access-date=May 24, 2017}} After mending his relationship with Frank, Susie receives a visit from Jack who apologizes for his behavior towards her; Susie does not clarify if she and Jack will rekindle their romance before walking away.

Director and screenwriter Steve Kloves spent six months writing The Fabulous Baker Boys from the perspective of its three main characters, exploring their complicated relationship with each other.{{Cite web|url=http://filmmakermagazine.com/95677-im-not-qualified-for-anything-else-writerdirector-steve-kloves-on-the-fabulous-baker-boys-and-flesh-and-bone/|title="I'm Not Qualified For Anything Else": Writer/Director Steve Kloves on The Fabulous Baker Boys and Flesh and Bone|last=Hemphill|first=Jim|date=September 17, 2015|website=Filmmaker|access-date=April 24, 2017}} Susie is portrayed by American actress Michelle Pfeiffer, who was first offered the role five years before production, only to decline it on several occasions.{{Cite magazine|url=http://ew.com/article/2014/11/06/fabulous-baker-boys-reunion/|title=EW 'Fabulous Baker Boys' reunion: The stars all sing a different tune|last=Breznican|first=Anthony|date=November 6, 2014|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=April 24, 2017}} Despite being one of the most sought-after film actresses at the time due to her recent Academy Award-nominated performance in Dangerous Liaisons (1988), some studio executives feared that Pfeiffer was still too obscure to attract a significant audience on her own. Having already known her personally, Pfeiffer was the first actor Kloves expressed interest in casting in The Fabulous Baker Boys; he eventually focused on casting real-life brothers Jeff and Beau Bridges as the eponymous Baker Boys once establishing contact with Pfeiffer proved difficult. However, Kloves' script continued to struggle without an actress playing Susie.{{Cite web|url=http://www.today.com/popculture/fabulous-baker-boys-reunion-jeff-bridges-reveals-how-he-helped-1D80266291|title='Fabulous Baker Boys' reunion: Jeff Bridges reveals how he helped brother Beau go bald|last=Hines|first=Ree|date=November 6, 2016|website=Today|access-date=April 24, 2017}} During this time, actress Debra Winger and singer Madonna were both considered for the role, the latter of whom turned it down because she felt that Kloves' script was "too mushy".{{Cite web|url=http://www.geeksofdoom.com/2009/01/02/video-watch-the-fabulous-baker-boys|title=Video: Watch 'The Fabulous Baker Boys'|last=Conte|first=Eve|date=January 2, 2009|website=Geeks of Doom|access-date=April 25, 2017}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1SqXAAAAQBAJ&q=madonna+fabulous+baker+boys&pg=PA82|title=Casting Might-Have-Beens: A Film by Film Directory of Actors Considered for Roles Given to Others|last=Mell|first=Eila|publisher=McFarland|year=2005|isbn=9781476609768|location=April 25, 2017|pages=82|via=Google Books}} Actresses Jodie Foster and Jennifer Jason Leigh had also expressed interest in the part,{{Cite web|url=http://azdailysun.com/entertainment/movies/nau-film-series-the-fabulous-bridges-brothers-and-pfeiffer/article_887f1031-9264-5233-ae36-23083392d36d.html|title=NAU Film Series: The 'Fabulous' Bridges Brothers and Pfeiffer|last=Shelley|first=Erin|date=November 20, 2015|website=Arizona Daily Sun|access-date=April 25, 2017}}{{Cite web|url=http://cinema.arte.tv/fr/article/susie-et-les-baker-boys-de-steve-kloves-lundi-18-avril-20h55|title="Susie and the Baker Boys" by Steve Kloves - Monday, April 18 at 8:55 pm|last=Apiou|first=Virginie|website=ARTE|language=fr|access-date=May 7, 2017}} but Kloves was eventually able to contact Pfeiffer, maintaining that she is the only actress that he himself had ever considered for the role. Although the actress enjoyed the character, to whom she felt connected, she was hesitant to commit to another role so soon after having just having recently completed several film projects in a row, initially intending to go on hiatus after filming Dangerous Liaisons due to exhaustion.{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1989/01/13/hard-work-is-moving-michelle-pfeiffer-closer-to-stardom/|title=Hard Work Is Moving Michelle Pfeiffer Closer To Stardom|last=Lindsey|first=Robert|date=January 13, 1989|website=Chicago Tribune|access-date=April 25, 2017}} Thus, Kloves spent one week visiting Pfeiffer at her home until she finally relented. Prior to The Fabulous Baker Boys, most of Pfeiffer's roles had been rather unglamorous; Pfeiffer claims that she typically avoided playing glamorous characters because she found most of them uninteresting until she discovered Susie.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/michelle-pfeiffer-the-bats-meow-19920903|title=Michelle Pfeiffer: The Bat's Meow|last=Hirshey|first=Gerri|date=September 3, 1992|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=April 26, 2017}} Pfeiffer accepted the role because she "thought [Susie] was a great woman ... someone I really wanted to be like."{{Cite news|url=http://www.gorgeouspfeiffer.com/blog/she-sings-she-dances-she-acts-february-1990/|title=She sings! She dances! She acts! – The Fabulous Pfeiffer Girl|last=Kasindorf|first=Martin|date=February 1, 1990|work=Empire|access-date=April 29, 2017|via=Gorgeous Pfeiffer}} Film critic Mike D'Angelo, writing for The Dissolve, believes that Pfeiffer decided to accept the role of Susie because she was still embarrassed by her performance in the unsuccessful musical Grease 2 (1982), and wanted to prove that she was in fact capable of playing a character who was a combination of both Sandy Olsson and Betty Rizzo from Grease (1978) at the same time.

Pfeiffer provides all of her character's vocals for both the film and its soundtrack.{{Cite web|url=http://people.com/celebrity/worlds-most-beautiful-1990-michelle-pfeiffer-sings-in-fabulous-baker-boys/|title=A 'Most Beautiful' Flashback: Watch 1990's Most Beautiful Person Michelle Pfeiffer Sing in Fabulous Baker Boys|last=Heigl|first=Alex|date=September 23, 2016|website=People|access-date=April 26, 2016}} Because she does not consider herself a professional singer,{{Cite web|url=https://www.mcall.com/1989/10/13/michelle-pfeiffer-changes-her-tune-for-baker-boys-movies-this-weekend/|title=Michelle Pfeiffer Changes Her Tune For 'Baker Boys' Movies This Weekend|last=Willistein|first=Paul|date=October 13, 1989|website=The Morning Call|page=1|access-date=April 25, 2017}} Pfeiffer's inhibitions about singing on camera initially contributed to her early reservations about accepting the role, having not done so since her performance in Grease 2;{{Cite web|url=http://rheaven.blogspot.ca/2014/01/the-fabulous-baker-boys.html|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys|last=Lafrance|first=J. D.|date=January 24, 2014|website=Radiator Heaven|access-date=April 24, 2017}} The Fabulous Baker Boys would mark Pfeiffer's first professional singing role in seven years. Despite Kloves' insistence that Pfeiffer's singing voice not be dubbed, composer Dave Grusin was initially skeptical about Pfeiffer's musical abilities until she ultimately convinced him with her rendition of "My Funny Valentine".{{Cite web|url=http://www.grusin.net/the_fabulous_baker_boys.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030511001447/http://grusin.net/the_fabulous_baker_boys.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=May 11, 2003|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys|website=The Dave Grusin Archive|access-date=May 28, 2017}} For four months (although sources differ, citing any period of time between two months to an entire year), the actress took extensive singing lessons under the tutelage of voice coach Sally Stevens in preparation for the role, at the suggestion of Grusin. In addition to performing vocal exercises to strengthen her vocal chords, Pfeiffer would often work 10-hour days in the recording studio before finally returning home to listen to and study her own recordings. Already impressed with Pfeiffer's rhythm and phrasing, Stevens trained the actress to avoid pronouncing words in ways that would make the film's jazz standards sound too much like rock songs; Stevens jokenly likened Pfeiffer's original pronunciation to musician Bob Dylan, and recording the songs for Pfieffer to use as reference for enunciation, teaching the actress about using her teeth and mouth to pronounce words and smiling to "lift" her pitch. Admitting that the film's songs were much more difficult than the ones she had performed in Grease 2, Pfeiffer worked especially hard on improving her phrasing because the material for The Fabulous Baker Boys were different than the pop music she had grown more accustomed to singing, explaining, "Those older songs were written for singers; they weren't written for synthesizers and drums ... It was an entirely new way of listening to songs." Additionally, the actress drew inspiration from real-life lounge singers performing at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, while listening to jazz singers Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Rickie Lee Jones, Billie Holiday and Helen Merrill for inspiration, maintaining, "I didn't copy anybody, but I heard a lot. For me, it helps to act the song out." Pfeiffer incorporated the "undercurrent of anger" in the lounge singer's performances, drawn from the fact that "a lot of club singers ... haven't had the recognition they feel they deserve or that they had hoped for" into her own interpretation of Susie. Stevens encouraged Pfeiffer to envision herself as Ingrid Bergman's character Ilsa Lund in the film Casablanca (1942) while recording "More Than You Know" for the film's soundtrack, which the actress identified as one of her favorite songs. Stevens also suggested that Pfeiffer research jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald because Fitzgerald possesses "a quality artists of that period had that we felt the character Susie might have listened to", describing the end result as "an airy alto, a nice breathy quality, and intelligence in delivery". Despite her extensive training, the vocal coach felt it was important that Susie's voice sound "pleasant" but still untrained. Kloves maintains that he did not hire Pfeiffer based on her singing abilities, but rather because of the way in which she uses her acting abilities to interpret lyrics.{{Cite web |last=Calvillo |first=Frank |date=August 18, 2015 |title=The Act is Even Better with the Blu-ray Release of The Fabulous Baker Boys |url=https://cinapse.co/the-act-is-even-better-with-the-blu-ray-release-of-the-fabulous-baker-boys-118bd87c002a |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825005414/https://cinapse.co/the-act-is-even-better-with-the-blu-ray-release-of-the-fabulous-baker-boys-118bd87c002a?gi=ff7c70024320 |archive-date=August 25, 2017 |access-date=May 14, 2017 |website=Cinapse}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

Pfeiffer likened preparing herself for the role to a musician preparing to record an album, describing the process as twice as much work. At one point, she confessed to Kloves that she felt she was performing terribly;{{Cite web|url=http://people.com/movies/michelle-pfeiffer-interview-magazine-cover/|title=Wow! Michelle Pfeiffer, 58, Proves She's An Ageless Beauty on Interview Magazine Cover|last=Tracy|first=Brianne|date=March 28, 2017|website=People|access-date=April 30, 2017}} Kloves insisted that Pfeiffer is a poignant and insightful perfectionist.{{Cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/review/the-fabulous-baker-boys |title=The Fabulous Baker Boys |last=Bowen |first=Chuck |date=July 28, 2015 |website=Slant |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201200444/http://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/review/the-fabulous-baker-boys |archive-date=February 1, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=May 9, 2017 }} Producer Mark Rosenberg appreciated Pfeiffer for portraying Susie as a character who is "so colorful and full of life that even Jack ... has to perk up and pay attention". Pfeiffer decided to play her character in a way that ultimately uncovers "the scared kid inside" despite her profane and world-weary introduction. Although Pfeiffer was ultimately pleased with her singing, she sometimes doubted her own abilities while filming in fear that she might have "outdone" herself. Pfeiffer slightly slurred her speech to portray her character. A scene originally intended for the film in which Pfeiffer's character accidentally allows a bath she has begun pouring herself to overflow because she has become distracted thinking about Jack was ultimately edited out of the final film.{{Cite web|url=http://kqek.com/mobile/?p=12546|title=BR: Fabulous Baker Boys, The (1989)|last=Hasan|first=Mark R.|date=November 4, 2015|website=KQEK.com|access-date=May 7, 2017}} Pfeiffer initially had reservations about performing atop a grand piano, fearing that it would appear "silly" and cause audience members to laugh. However, Kloves encouraged her to commit to the scene. Pfeiffer's short evening dress worn during the musical sequence was designed to be revealing enough without exposing Pfeiffer while she moves,{{Cite web|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/200-greatest-movie-performances/|title=The 200 greatest movie performances|last=Wales|first=George|date=September 1, 2013|website=GamesRadar+|access-date=May 7, 2017}} which was choreographed by dancer Peggy Holmes.{{Cite web|url=https://www.girl.com.au/peggy-holmes-interview-for-disney.htm|title=Peggy Holmes Interview for Disney|website=Girl.com.au|access-date=May 24, 2017}} Pfeiffer touted her character "one of the most alive characters that I've played", describing her as an "emotional creature" who is "not afraid to take risks ... doesn't lie to herself. If she makes a mistake, she doesn't blame anybody else. There's a purity in her honesty that I really respect", becoming a strong role model for the actress herself.{{Cite web|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/04/02/the-stacks-why-it-s-so-hard-to-be-michelle-pfeiffer.html|title=Too Beautiful? – The Stacks: Why It's So Hard to Be Michelle Pfeiffer|last=Kaye|first=Elizabeth|date=April 2, 2016|website=The Daily Beast|access-date=April 25, 2017}} According to the Orlando Sentinel's Kathy Huffhines, Susie "has a harder shell, a sharper edge, and a franker sexiness" than previous characters Pfeiffer has played.{{Cite web|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1989/10/14/michelle-pfeiffer-natural-beauty-proven-talent/|title=Michelle Pfeiffer: Natural Beauty, Proven Talent|last=Huffhines|first=Kathy|date=October 14, 1989|website=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=May 30, 2017}} According to film critic David Thomson of The Independent, the role of Susie allowed Pfeiffer to add an aspect to her filmography, prior to which had been "dutiful" yet "routine".

According to film critic Roger Ebert, Susie adheres to the Hollywood tradition of being depicted as a hooker with a heart of gold, while her tough demeanor is little more than an act. Matt Brunson of Creative Loafing described Susie as a "tough-talking, street-smart" character who is "always ready with a quip (or a sharp counter to a quip)".{{Cite web|url=http://clclt.com/charlotte/the-crimson-cult-the-man-from-uncle-my-beautiful-laundrette-among-new-home-entertainment-titles/Content?oid=3633188|title=The Crimson Cult, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., My Beautiful Laundrette among new home entertainment titles – This week's reviews of what's new on Blu-ray and DVD|last=Brunson|first=Matt|date=August 5, 2015|website=Creative Loafing|access-date=May 5, 2017}} Writing for The Daily Beast, Elizabeth Kaye identified Susie as "a woman who must battle to keep her emotions from showing". Film Quarterly's Steve Vineberg wrote that the character boasts "a cannily concealed underlayer of childlike dreaminess," comparing her appearance and wardrobe to that of singer Ricky Lee Jones.{{Cite journal|last=Vineberg|first=Steve|date=Winter 1990–1991|title=Review: The Fabulous Baker Boys by Steve Kloves|jstor=1212659|journal=Film Quarterly|volume=44|pages=50|doi=10.2307/1212659}} Wounded by life, Susie wears an "armor" that is both impenetrable yet makes others want to experience more of the character. Kaye felt that the role was especially poignant for Pfeiffer, who in real life had still been recovering from an affair with actor John Malkovich at the same time she was filming The Fabulous Baker Boys. According to Cinapse's Frank Cavillo, Pfeiffer "had never been as open or vulnerable on screen until starring in The Fabulous Baker Boys."

Film critic Mike D'angelo observed that "the character's name is Susie Diamond, and she's written like a woman named Susie Diamond, and Pfeiffer plays her ... like a woman named Susie Diamond." As a romantic film, The Fabulous Baker Boys focuses on "the unfulfilled longing between" bandmates Susie and Jack. Susie is the only woman capable of changing "the aloof, uncommunicative Jack ... by throwing incendiary tantrums and sounding even tougher than he does", slowly inspiring the pianist to change the person he has allowed himself to become. Rolling Stone's Peter Travers believes that Susie and Jack bond because both characters are "losers who've sold themselves on the cheap"; Jack is a skilled musician who despises himself for squandering his talent, which reminds former escort Susie of herself. Pfeiffer agreed that her character essentially becomes "a mirror image for Jack" although both remain very different individuals. While Jack is depicted as timid and cautious about his decisions, Susie rather "embraces life" instead. An adventurous individual, Susie refuses to do only one thing, including perform, for her entire life. Pfeiffer observed that although her character has spent a significant portion of her life as an escort, she remains less of a "whore" than Jack because she retains her individuality, while Jack "has ceased to be a vital human being". When Susie and Jack have their final argument, the profanity Jack uses actually helps establish Susie as the stronger character, according to Mark R. Hasan of KQEK.com. Susie's nicknames for her bandmates reveal exactly how she feels about both brothers individually; while she refers to Frank as "Egghead" because of his growing bald spot and tendency to act unintelligent at times, she calls Jack simply "Baker" because, in her opinion, "there's really only one Baker brother and he's it".{{Cite web|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1989/10/13/the-baker-boys-tales-from-the-cocktail-lounge/|title='The Baker Boys': Tales From the Cocktail Lounge|last=Boyar|first=Jay|date=October 13, 1989|website=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=May 24, 2017}} The way Susie teases Frank is reminiscent of how Jack used to treat him several years before she joined the band when he had energy to do it.

Susie's ballads occupy roughly one-third of the film, performing a combination of both contemporary and classic standards. Rosenberg compared the character to actress Marilyn Monroe's character Sugar Kane Kowalczyk in the film Some Like it Hot (1959). Susie's lack of singing experience is balanced by an "ineffable vocal quality that causes people to listen, because they might be missing something." Steve Vineberg, writing in the journal Film Quarterly, agreed that, despite her unimpressive voice, Susie "wears a lyric tight to her skin, liked a zipped-up sleeping bag." According to Télérama's Guillemette Odicino, the character has been "endowed with a voice and a charm to take the breath."{{Cite web |last=Odicino |first=Guillemette |date=April 16, 2016 |title=Susie and the Baker Boys |url=http://www.telerama.fr/cinema/films/susie-et-les-baker-boys,18905.php |access-date=May 7, 2017 |website=Télérama |language=fr}} Susie remains a heavily guarded individual until she performs "Makin' Whoopee", which finally allows her to lower her defenses. When Susie performs the song, she is – for the first time – not singing to the audience, but to her sole accompanist Jack instead.{{Cite web|url=https://calgaryherald.com/entertainment/movie-guide/sexiest+movies/4570115/story.html|title=Gallery: 10 sexiest movies of all time|last=Handout|first=Files|date=April 6, 2011|website=Calgary Herald|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110412012809/http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/movie-guide/sexiest+movies/4570115/story.html|archive-date=April 12, 2011|access-date=May 8, 2017}} According to Slant film critic Chuck Bowen, "When Susie sings 'Makin' Whoopee' in a traffic-stopping red dress, mounting Jack's piano as if it's an extension of his very essence ... all bets of detached, business-collaborative stability between the two are understood to be off." Bowen also compared the character's performance to actress Rita Hayworth's in the film Gilda (1946). Prior to this moment, it almost appears as though a romantic relationship might never actually develop between the two characters. Observing that the character's tough attitude matches the difficult life she has been through, Janet Maslin of The New York Times believes that Susie must be "singing from experience" when she performs the song "Ten Cents a Dance". Go Slow: The Life of Julie London author Michael Owen considers both Pfeiffer's performance and Susie herself to be a tribute to actress and singer Julie London, citing similarities such as asking her accompanist to perform "More Than You Know" in a slow tempo, swearing into a live microphone and delivering a "sexy rendition" of "Makin' Whoopee", capturing "some of the essence of Julie's style."{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EoB9DQAAQBAJ&q=some+of+the+essence+of+Julie%27s+style&pg=PT221|title=Go Slow: The Life of Julie London|last=Owen|first=Michael|publisher=Chicago Review Press|year=2017|isbn=9781613738597|location=United States|via=Google Books}}

When The Fabulous Baker Boys was released in 1989, the idea of Pfeiffer playing a sex worker immediately generated strong publicity.{{Cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/review/the-fabulous-baker-boys-7974|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys|last=Rabin|first=Nathan|date=February 7, 2007|website=The A.V. Club|access-date=April 27, 2017}} Pfeiffer's performance of "Makin' Whoopee" was heavily used to promote the film, garnering interest that rivaled most films released the same year. Pfeiffer continued to generate significant press even after the studio removed The Fabulous Baker Boys from most theaters due to financial concerns. In 1990, Empire crowned the actress "The Fabulous Pfeiffer Girl" in homage to her role.

Pfeiffer received unanimous acclaim for her performance.{{Cite web|url=http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/07/02/the-fabulous-baker-boys-1989/|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)|last=Valdez|first=Joe|date=July 2, 2008|website=This Distracted Globe|access-date=May 28, 2017|quote=... including a Best Actress nomination for Pfeiffer – and a darling of nearly every critic that reviewed it ...}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.stylist.co.uk/people/michelle-pfeiffer-a-life-in-film/16284|title=Michelle Pfeiffer: A Life in Film|website=Stylist|access-date=April 24, 2017}}{{Cite web |last=Bastién |first=Angelica Jade |author-link=Angelica Jade Bastién |date=June 26, 2017 |title=25 Years Later, Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman Is Still the Best Superhero Movie Villain |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/06/michelle-pfeiffer-catwoman-batman-returns-is-still-the-best-villain.html |access-date=June 18, 2019 |website=Vulture}}{{Cite news |last=Siegler |first=Bonnie |date=October 2, 2023 |title=Michelle Pfeiffer Young: A Look Back Through Her Glamorous Hollywood Evolution |url=https://www.firstforwomen.com/posts/celebrities/michelle-pfeiffer-young |access-date=July 9, 2024 |work=First for Women |quote=Pfeiffer’s performance was universally acclaimed}} The New York Times film critic Janet Maslin said Pfeiffer "proves to be [an] electrifyingly right" but unexpected choice for the role, while Jay Boyar of the Orlando Sentinel said "Pfeiffer does as much for this movie as her Susie does for the Baker boys' act". Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers insisted that the film would simply "evaporate" without Pfeiffer, concluding, "the Bridges brothers are a winning pair. But make no mistake: It's Michelle Pfeiffer who puts the 'fabulous' into Baker Boys". Steve Simels of Entertainment Weekly agreed that Pfeiffer "saves Baker Boys from cliché", explaining, "she almost makes her indifferently written bad-girl-with-a-heart-of-gold into something three-dimensional and believable".{{Cite magazine|url=http://ew.com/article/1990/05/25/fabulous-baker-boys/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825064935/http://ew.com/article/1990/05/25/fabulous-baker-boys/|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 25, 2017|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys|last=Simels|first=Steve|date=May 25, 1990|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=May 8, 2017}} Vanity Fair's Katey Rich concurred: "The film is ostensibly about the Baker (and Bridges) boys, but Pfeiffer stole the show" by imbuing her character with soul and vulnerability.{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/01/best-golden-globe-winners|title=10 Times the Golden Globes Got It Right and the Oscars Didn't|last=Rich|first=Katey|date=January 9, 2015|magazine=Vanity Fair|access-date=May 5, 2015}} Contributing to The Morton Report, Chaz Lipp agreed that "Pfeiffer feels absolutely authentic in the role", appreciating the actress for interpreting Susie as more than a stock character.{{Cite web |last=Lipp |first=Chaz |date=August 3, 2015 |title=Blu-ray Review: The Fabulous Baker Boys - Twilight Time Limited Edition |url=http://www.themortonreport.com/entertainment/film/blu-ray-review-the-fabulous-baker-boys-twilight-time-limited-edition/ |access-date=May 23, 2017 |website=The Morton Report}} Despite complaining than the main cast "become less interesting" towards the end of the film, TV Guide agreed that Pfeiffer "deserves the most credit" for keeping the film entertaining.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-fabulous-baker-boys/review/127580/|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys|date=1989|website=TV Guide|access-date=May 8, 2017}} Both The Independent's David Thomson and the Chicago Reader film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum praised Pfeiffer's singing.{{Cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Jonathan |author-link=Jonathan Rosenbaum |date=October 12, 1989 |title=The Fabulous Baker Boys |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-fabulous-baker-boys/Content?oid=874556 |access-date=May 23, 2017 |website=Chicago Reader}}

{{blockquote|sign = The Independent's David Thomson, on Pfeiffer's performance. |source=|"What gives the film to Pfeiffer is her effortless re-creation of noir-ish fatalism - her only rival at husky chanteuse-ing is Ida Lupino in Road House. She acts as tough as enamel, yet she turns into flesh when Bridges gives her a back-rub. The hard-soft tension is daydream, but Pfeiffer has an assurance that allowed first-time director Kloves to get away with it. Baker Boys wasn't a hit, but anyone who loved ... babes who talked rough but sang sweet was hooked."}}

Exclaim!'s Travis Mackenzie Hoover described Pfeiffer as "surprisingly nuanced ... in a role that might have been blown off by most other actresses".{{Cite web |last=Hoover |first=Travis Mackenzie |date=February 25, 2007 |title=The Fabulous Baker Boys – Steve Kloves |url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/fabulous_baker_boys-steve_kloves |access-date=May 22, 2017 |website=Exclaim!}} The Dissolve's Mike D'Angelo found Pfeiffer "remarkable" in how "she can make a lengthy, here's-my-psyche-in-a-nutshell monologue and sound natural and impromptu, while still coming across as delectably movie-star glamorous". DVD Talk's Neil Lumbard described Pfeiffer as "sensational" in a role that showcases both her dramatic and comedic talents,{{Cite web |last=Lumbard |first=Neil |date=July 27, 2015 |title=The Fabulous Baker Boys (Blu-ray) |url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/69399/fabulous-baker-boys-the/ |access-date=May 7, 2017 |website=DVD Talk}} while Guillemette Odicino of Télérama said Pfeiffer proves she is as talented as she is beautiful. Some critics felt Pfeiffer's performance of "Makin' Whoopee" distracted them from reviewing the film's other merits.{{Cite web |last=Horton |first=Robert |date=2007 |title=The Fabulous Baker Boys (Bilingual) [Import] |url=https://www.amazon.ca/Fabulous-Baker-Boys-Bilingual/dp/B000LP6KMQ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825005900/https://www.amazon.ca/Fabulous-Baker-Boys-Bilingual/dp/B000LP6KMQ |archive-date=August 25, 2017 |access-date=May 8, 2017 |website=Amazon.ca |quote=... all this in The Fabulous Baker Boys, but the only thing anybody ever talks about is Michelle Pfeiffer on top of a piano.}} For the Arizona Daily Sun, Erin Shelley wrote that The Fabulous Baker Boys finally "soars" once Pfeiffer performs "Makin' Whoopee". Dubbing it "one of her finest performances", AllMovie critic Matthew Doberman described Pfeiffer's rendition of "Makin' Whoopee" as "enough to make the film worth seeing".{{Cite web |last=Doberman |first=Matthew |title=The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) |url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-fabulous-baker-boys-v16507/review |access-date=May 8, 2017 |website=AllMovie}} While praising the entire cast and characters, Frank Calvillo of Cinapse declared Susie "the film's most indispensable character", calling Pfeiffer "luminous and poetic in every frame". However, Time Out said Susie fails to "escape stereotyping" despite Pfeiffer's commendable performance. Describing the role as Pfeiffer's "richest work", Matthew Jacobs of HuffPost Canada wrote that she demonstrates "an accessibility that defies easy assumptions", commending her ability to win audiences over "without bulldozing her co-stars or positioning herself as some sort of diva to be reckoned with — a foundation that pays off later in the film when Susie reveals her working-class vulnerability."{{Cite web|last=Jacobs|first=Matthew|date=February 9, 2021|title=Michelle Pfeiffer, Unheralded Comedy Maven|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/michelle-pfeiffer-french-exit-comedy_n_5ffdc677c5b66f3f79619a65?ri18n=true|access-date=February 13, 2021|website=HuffPost Canada}}

Film critic Roger Ebert predicted that The Fabulous Baker Boys would become "one of the movies they will use as a document ... when they begin to trace the steps by which Pfeiffer became a great star", concluding, "This is the movie of her flowering - not just as a beautiful woman, but as an actress with the ability to make you care about her, to make you feel what she feels."{{Cite web|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-fabulous-baker-boys-1989|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|date=October 13, 1989|website=RogerEbert.com|access-date=May 6, 2017}} Ebert also identified Pfeiffer as a successor to classic Hollywood actresses Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe, while Rita Kempley of The Washington Post compared Pfeiffer to Lauren Bacall.

File:Jessica Tandy 1988 Emmy Awards.jpg

Pfeiffer won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, her first win and second nomination after having been nominated for Married to the Mob (1988) the previous year.{{Cite web |title=Globes Flashback '90: Michelle Pfeiffer's First |url=http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/michelle-pfeiffer/video/166518/globes-flashback-90-michelle-pfeiffers-first-24667201/ |access-date=May 7, 2017 |website=TV Guide}}{{Cite web |last=Pace |first=Robert |date=November 1, 2012 |title=Globes Flashback '90: Michelle Pfeiffer's First |url=http://www.etonline.com/awards/goldenglobes/126423_Golden_Globes_Flashback_Michelle_Pfeiffer_1990/ |access-date=May 7, 2017 |website=Entertainment Tonight}} Some critics felt she should have been nominated in the award's Comedy or Musical category considering her several musical performances throughout The Fabulous Baker Boys.{{Cite web |last=Robey |first=Tim |date=January 5, 2007 |title=All the times the Golden Globes got it right (and the Oscars got it wrong) |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/times-golden-globes-got-right-oscars-got-wrong/ |access-date=May 1, 2017 |website=The Daily Telegraph}} Pfeiffer was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, her second Academy Award nomination.{{Cite news |last=Moline |first=Karen |date=February 1, 1992 |title=From Supermarket to Superstar – The Fabulous Pfeiffer |work=New Woman |url=http://www.gorgeouspfeiffer.com/blog/from-supermarket-to-superstar-february-1992/ |via=Gorgeous Pfeiffer}} According to film critic Emanuel Levy, Pfeiffer and fellow nominee Jessica Tandy were considered to be the category's frontrunners, with the media dubbing the competition between Pfeiffer and Tandy "Old Hollywood Vs. Young Hollywood" due to the age difference between Pfeiffer (31) and Tandy (80) at the time.

Despite being largely favored to win, Pfeiffer ultimately lost the award to Tandy, who won for her performance in Driving Miss Daisy (1989),{{Cite web|url=http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2009/03/can-michelle-pf.html|title=Will Michelle Pfeiffer seduce Oscar voters with 'Cheri'?|date=March 23, 2009|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=May 1, 2017}} a result that upset both surprised critics and the general public.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/news/oscars-2017-actors-who-have-never-won-an-academy-award/|title=16 Actors You Won't Believe Have Never Won an Oscar|last=Gennis|first=Sadie|date=February 23, 2017|website=TV Guide|access-date=May 1, 2017|quote=Her second loss was the most surprising since she was generally considered a lock for Best Actress until Jessica Tandy won for Driving Miss Daisy in a surprise upset.}}{{Cite web|url=http://oscarnerd.blogspot.ca/2010/11/jessica-tandy-in-driving-miss-daisy.html|title=Jessica Tandy in Driving Miss Daisy|date=November 11, 2010|website=The Oscar Nerd|access-date=May 5, 2017|quote=Eventually, she beat out Michelle Pfeiffer, the critics' darling (to the dismay of many) ...}} Critics believe Tandy won because Academy Award voters felt sentimental towards her age, aided by the fact that her film had been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture while The Fabulous Baker Boys was not.{{Cite web|url=http://emanuellevy.com/review/fabulous-baker-boys-the-1989-4/|title=Fabulous Baker Boys, The (1989): Romantic Melodrama, Featuring Michelle Pfeiffer in Her Best (Oscar Nominated) Performance|last=Levy|first=Emanuel|date=January 29, 2007|website=Emanuel Levy {{!}} Cinema 24/7|access-date=May 5, 2017|quote=Michelle Pfeiffer swept most of the critics kudos for her fabulous performance, but the winner was Jessica Tandy in 'Driving Miss Daisy'; the sentimental factor worked in Tandy's favor, plus it's always easier to win if you performance is contained in a Best Picture nominee, as Tandy's was in 'Miss Daisy,' which won Best Picture.}} Katey Rich of Vanity Fair insists that the award rightfully belonged to Pfeiffer, ranking the spectacle among "10 Times the Golden Globes Got It Right and the Oscars Didn't". Pfeiffer became one of only seven actresses to win Best Actress awards from all four major United States film critics associations – the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, The National Board of Review and the National Society of Film Critics – for a single performance, as well as the only one of these seven actresses who did not go on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for that same performance. According to Stylist, Pfeiffer won nearly every recognized "best actress" film award that season except for the Academy and British Academy Film Awards. Pfeiffer was also nominated for an American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1990/03/18/american-comedy-awards/90da5dfb-9c54-4434-a363-ec7d366826b9/|title=American Comedy Awards|date=March 18, 1990|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=November 28, 2017}}

Pfeiffer had already begun to make a name for herself as an actress by starring in the films Tequila Sunrise, Dangerous Liaisons and Married to the Mob in 1988, but her performance in The Fabulous Baker Boys the following year ultimately benefited her career the most by leaving the largest impression on the film industry,{{Cite web|url=http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/movies/top-7-jazz-movies-971827.html|title=Top 7 Jazz Movies|last=Earnshaw|first=Helen|date=August 6, 2016|website=Female First|access-date=May 24, 2017|quote=... it is Pfeiffer who really does steal the show - this is one of the movies that really de help her on her way to becoming a true star.}} becoming one of her defining roles. One of the actress' earliest notable performances,{{Cite web|url=http://www.ioncinema.com/news/disc-reviews/the-fabulous-baker-boys-blu-ray-review|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys {{!}} Blu-ray Review|last=Bell|first=Nicholas|date=July 21, 2015|website=Ioncinema|access-date=April 24, 2017}} Susie remains Pfeiffer's most critically acclaimed role to-date,{{Cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/02/the-roles-of-a-lifetime-michelle-pfeiffer.html|title=The Roles of a Lifetime: Michelle Pfeiffer|last1=Gorman|first1=Allison|last2=Gorman|first2=Anna|date=February 2, 2015|website=Paste|access-date=April 24, 2017|archive-date=November 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127064653/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/02/the-roles-of-a-lifetime-michelle-pfeiffer.html|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.instyle.com/celebrity/michelle-pfeiffer-march-feature|title=Michelle Pfeiffer is Back (as if She Ever Left)|last=Haskell|first=Robert|date=February 7, 2019|website=InStyle|access-date=November 7, 2019}} having earned the most enthusiastic reviews of her career thus far.{{Cite web|url=http://emanuellevy.com/review/oscar-scandals-how-and-why-michelle-pfeiffer-lost-the-1989-award-to-jessica-tandy-3/|title=Oscar Scandals: Pfeiffer, Michelle–Losing the Oscar to Jessica Tandy|last=Levy|first=Emanuel|author-link=Emanuel Levy|date=January 14, 2010|website=Emanuel Levy|access-date=May 1, 2017}} In 2007, Mal Vincent of The Virginian-Pilot called Susie "her greatest role",{{Cite web|url=http://pilotonline.com/entertainment/movies/michelle-pfeiffer-s-wicked-comeback/article_5435d688-a6ea-5cb8-b4bd-9a87f5044e50.html|title=Michelle Pfeiffer's wicked comeback|last=Vincent|first=Mal|date=August 10, 2007|website=The Virginian-Pilot|access-date=May 7, 2017|archive-date=August 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825102409/https://pilotonline.com/entertainment/movies/michelle-pfeiffer-s-wicked-comeback/article_5435d688-a6ea-5cb8-b4bd-9a87f5044e50.html|url-status=dead}} a sentiment shared by Into Film.{{Cite web|url=https://www.filmclub.org/film/10988/the-fabulous-baker-boys|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys|website=Into Film|access-date=May 23, 2017}} According to the Arizona Daily Sun's Erin Shelley, Susie's reception finally "cemented Michelle Pfeiffer's reputation as a movie star." New Woman contributor Adam Platt wrote that, after the success of The Witches of Eastwick (1987) and Dangerous Liaisons, The Fabulous Baker Boys established the actress as "a Hollywood star".{{Cite news|url=http://www.gorgeouspfeiffer.com/blog/pfeiffer-and-clooney-get-close-may-1997/|title=Pfeiffer and Clooney get close – The real life of Michelle Pfeiffer|last=Platt|first=Adam|date=May 1, 1997|work=New Woman|access-date=November 7, 2019|via=Gorgeous Pfeiffer}} Harper's Bazaar's Carolyn Doyle Karasyov agreed that Susie "captivated the critics and solidified [Pfeiffer's] position as one of Hollywood's leading ladies."{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.gorgeouspfeiffer.com/blog/michelle-pfeiffer-tells-all-october-2002/|title=Michelle Pfeiffer Tells All – Michelle Gets Personal|last=Karasyov|first=Caroline Doyle|date=October 1, 2002|magazine=Harper's Bazaar|access-date=November 7, 2019|quote=it was her performances in Dangerous Liaisons and The Fabulous Baker Boys that captivated the critics|via=Gorgeous Pfeiffer}} Stephen Rebello of Movieline believes that the Academy Award nomination Pfeiffer received for her performance finally "allowed her to pick the projects she desired" henceforth.{{Cite news|url=http://www.gorgeouspfeiffer.com/blog/hollywoods-golden-girl-on-insomnia-sacrifices-sexy-men-april-2002/|title=Hollywood's Golden Girl on Insomnia, Sacrifices & Sexy Men – into the mind of michelle|last=Rebello|first=Stephen|date=April 1, 2002|work=Movieline|access-date=May 1, 2017|via=Gorgeous Pfeiffer}}

Ranking The Fabulous Baker Boys Pfeiffer's best film, Rotten Tomatoes contributor Jeff Giles wrote that the film "most importantly — highlight[s] the luminous beauty of Michelle Pfeiffer."{{Cite web|url=https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/rank-michelle-pfeiffers-10-best-movies/|title=Michelle Pfeiffer's 10 Best Movies|last=Giles|first=Jeff|date=November 8, 2017|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=May 1, 2018}} Also ranking it Pfeiffer's greatest film, Robert Pius of Golderby wrote that the actress "made film history."{{Cite web|url=http://www.goldderby.com/article/2018/michelle-pfeiffer-greatest-films-ranked-worst-to-best-the-fabulous-baker-boys-batman-returns-photo-gallery-news/|title=Michelle Pfeiffer movies: 15 greatest films, ranked worst to best, include 'Fabulous Baker Boys,' 'Batman Returns'|last=Pius|first=Robert|date=April 12, 2018|website=Golderby|access-date=May 1, 2018}} In a ranking of Pfeiffer's five best film roles, Entertainment Weekly crowned Susie "the role of her career ... so far".{{Cite magazine|url=http://ew.com/movies/2012/05/04/5-michelle-pfeiffer-movies-we-love/|title=Michelle Pfeiffer: 5 movies we love|last=Nashawaty|first=Chris|date=May 4, 2012|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=April 29, 2017}} Vulture recognized the performance among Pfeiffer's "10 Essential Roles", which author Angelica Jade Bastién described as "tough yet vulnerable, alluring yet never overwrought",{{Cite web|url=http://www.vulture.com/article/michelle-pfeiffer-essential-roles.html|title=The 10 Essential Roles of Michelle Pfeiffer|last=Bastién|first=Angelica Jade|date=June 26, 2017|website=Vulture|access-date=September 12, 2017}} while The Guardian's Adam Boult considers it one of the actress' "five best moments".{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/nov/22/michelle-pfeiffer-five-best-moments|title=Michelle Pfeiffer: five best moments|last=Boult|first=Adam|date=November 22, 2013|website=The Guardian|access-date=September 30, 2017}} GamesRadar+ ranked Pfeiffer's portrayal of Susie the 194th greatest film performance of all-time. Filmsite.org considers Susie to be one of the "Greatest Film Characters of All Time".{{Cite web|url=http://www.filmsite.org/greatfilmcharacters-d.html|title=Greatest Film Characters of All-Time|last=Dirks|first=Tim|website=Filmsite.org|access-date=April 25, 2017}} Harper's Bazaar included Susie among Pfeiffer's seven most fashionable film characters,{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a10733/7-standouts-of-michelle-pfeiffers-cinematic-style/|title=7 Standouts of Michelle Pfeiffer's Cinematic Stye|last=Pieri|first=Kerry|date=April 29, 2015|magazine=Harper's Bazaar|access-date=May 5, 2017}} while the Tribeca Film Festival website ranked Susie eighth on the organization's countdown of Pfeiffer's "18 Roles Ranked in Order of Terrifying Beauty".{{Cite web|url=https://tribecafilm.com/stories/michelle-pfeiffer-roles-ranked-terrifying-beauty|title=Michelle Pfeiffer: 18 Roles Ranked in Order of Terrifying Beauty|last=Reid|first=Joe|website=Tribeca Film|access-date=May 7, 2017}} In 2017, InStyle ranked Susie Pfeiffer's fourth "Most Breathtaking" role.{{Cite web|url=http://www.instyle.com/reviews-coverage/michelle-pfieffer-iconic-movie-roles#2891885|title=15 of Michelle Pfeiffer's Most Breathtaking Movie Roles|last=Simon|first=Samantha|date=May 17, 2017|website=InStyle|access-date=May 23, 2017}} In addition to helping establish her as one of her generation's most acclaimed actresses, Pfeiffer's performance also established her as one of the industry's most enduring sex symbols. According to Jane Graham of The Guardian, The Fabulous Baker Boys and Susie are responsible for making Pfeiffer "the biggest female film star in the world" at the time, simultaneously "catapult[ing] her to the top of every Most Desirable Female survey for most of the 90s."{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/16/fabulous-baker-boys-romance-film|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys: No 24 best romantic film of all time|last=Graham|first=Janes|date=October 16, 2010|website=The Guardian|access-date=May 7, 2017}} Similarly, Entertainment Weekly's Steve Simels wrote that Susie encouraged Pfeiffer's reputation as the "sexiest woman in the movies".

The scene in which Susie, dressed in a red evening dress, seductively performs "Makin' Whoopee" on top of a grand piano has since become iconic and often parodied. As the film's most famous and iconic scene,{{Cite web|url=https://etcanada.com/photos/321985/michelle-pfeiffers-10-best-roles/#image-321989|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502064525/https://etcanada.com/photos/321985/michelle-pfeiffers-10-best-roles/#image-321989|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 2, 2018|title=Michelle Pfeiffer's 10 Best Roles|last=West|first=Rachel|date=April 29, 2018|website=Entertainment Tonight Canada|access-date=May 1, 2018}} it quickly became "the stuff of legend" according to Creative Loafing's Matt Brunson. The Fabulous Baker Boys tends to be most remembered for this celebrated scene.{{Cite web|url=http://allreaders.com/movie-review-summary/the-fabulous-baker-boys-17524|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys Movie Review Summary|last=Loftus|first=David|website=AllReaders.com|access-date=May 30, 2017|quote=Her steamy performance of "Makin' Whoopee" atop a piano has become justly celebrated.}} The Guardian's Jane Graham agreed that the film's title "will immediately conjure up an image of a beautiful woman sliding her way across a grand piano", referring to Pfeiffer's performance as "undoubtedly ... the most memorable aspect" of The Fabulous Baker Boys, rivaling performances by Marilyn Monroe. Vulture's Angelica Jade Bastién wrote that Pfeiffer elevates the scene "to that small pantheon of definitive bombshell moments that strike with the force of a chemical reaction," comparing it to Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe's performances in Gilda and Some Like It Hot, respectively. Additionally, Turner Classic Movies believes that "Makin' Whoopee" is largely responsible for Pfeiffer's Academy Award nomination.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/151595%7C0/Michelle-Pfeiffer/|title=Michelle Pfeiffer – Biography|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=May 1, 2017}} In 2000, Empire film critic Ian Nathan proclaimed that Pfeiffer's "immaculate" rendition of "Makin' Whoopee" had finally achieved "classic" status.{{Cite web|url=http://www.empireonline.com/movies/fabulous-baker-boys/review/|title=The Fabulous Baker Boys Review|last=Nathan|first=Ian|date=January 1, 2000|website=Empire|access-date=May 8, 2017}} Mike D'Angelo of The Dissolve likened the sequence's impact to those of other famous film performances and lines that "are embodied in the cultural consciousness", such as "You talkin' to me?" from Taxi Driver (1976) and "Get to the choppa!" from Predator (1987), concluding, "It's easy to forget ... that there was more to the movie—and to Pfeiffer's terrific work therein—than that one intensely erotic scene.{{Cite web|url=https://thedissolve.com/features/performance-review/721-1989s-best-actress-winning-performance-highlighted/|title=1989's Best Actress-winning performance highlighted a film many would rather forget|last=D'Angelo|first=Mike|date=August 24, 2014|website=The Dissolve|access-date=May 4, 2017}} While including The Fabulous Baker Boys among Pfeiffer's greatest film roles, Rachel West of Entertainment Tonight Canada wrote that the film's most famous scene "cements her status as a late 1980s blonde bombshell". InSing ranked the scene eighth on their "30 sexiest scenes in movie history" countdown.{{Cite web|url=http://www.insing.com/gallery/bodies-of-work-30-sexiest-scenes-in-movie-history/id-491de900/photos/photo-24|title=Bodies of work: 30 sexiest scenes in movie history|last=Dexian|first=Wang|date=June 17, 2013|website=InSing|access-date=May 8, 2017}} The Calgary Herald considers The Fabulous Baker Boys to be the ninth sexiest film of all-time largely due to "Makin' Whoopee". Nerve ranked Pfeiffer the 33rd "Greatest Female Sex Symbols in Film History", dubbing the actress' rendition of "Makin' Whoopee" "a play from a sex-symbol how-to guide."{{Cite web|url=http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/movies/sex-icons-of-film-women|title=The 50 Greatest Female Sex Symbols in Film History|last=Hakala|first=Kate|website=Nerve|access-date=May 22, 2017}} After providing her own vocals in The Fabulous Baker Boys, Pfeiffer would eventually go on to sing in two more musical films, The Prince of Egypt (1998) and Hairspray (2007), earning positive reviews on each occasion.{{Cite web|url=https://moviepilot.com/posts/3616978|title=7 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Michelle Pfeiffer!|last=Fenoff|first=D. C.|date=November 13, 2015|website=Moviepilot|access-date=April 25, 2017}}

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Category:Female characters in film

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