Jersey Boys

source: Jersey Boys

I saw "Jersey Boys", starring John Lloyd Young-this is his first movie but he did play Frankie Valli on Broadway; Vincent Piazza-The Sopranos_t.v., Boardwalk Empire_t.v.; Erich Bergen-How Sweet It Is, Gossip Girl_t.v. and Christopher Walken-Balls of Fury, Joe Dirt. This is an autobiographical movie that is based on a Tony Award winning Broadway musical and it is directed by Clint Eastwood. It is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, a pop music group that had more than a few hits during their career. It starts in 1951 New Jersey, with John as a teenaged want-a-bee singer. His friend, Vincent, had a band that needed a singer, but the only problem was that Vincent was in and out of trouble a lot. When Vincent was not playing music, he worked for a mob boss, Christopher, so Vincent spent his share of time in jail. Erich was a song writer that later joined the band and helped boost their popularity. I thought it was interesting how they would show how a song came together. If you are a fan of their music, then you should enjoy this movie-I am and I did. If you are unfamiliar with them, Frankie Valli had a rather distinctive voice for the musical groups of that time; it was a falsetto voice. It's rated "R" for language and has a running time of 2 hours & 14 minutes. I enjoyed the music and the story and I would buy this on Blu-Ray.

Take every one of the great reviews herein & multiply my feelings about it 10 fold! CLINT EASTWOOD has a smash on his hands. I could view this movie every day for a month. THIS may be his best movie yet & he's got many great ones under his belt! Hip-Hip-Hooray for Clint & The Jersey Boys. I also saw the play & this presentation is far superior to that great piece of work! Do not miss this movie. When it comes out on DVD, I'm gonna buy it so I can watch it as many times as I want to. Many people know the songs. Some know the 4 Seasons. Few know the story behind how they became famous. This portrayal hits the nail on the head in so many venues............the musical arena; the personal backgrounds; the upbringings; the run-ins with the law & perhaps least known until now...............the why of why they broke up. It's all here......nothing left out! DO NOT MISS THIS MOVIE!

If you like musicals this is for you. If you have seen the play and know what to expect you will get more. Credit goes to Clint Eastwood for taking the play and adding cinematic elements to take the story to a higher level. The muted cinematography and editing are noteworthy. The cast is outstanding and on track for award consideration. Even Christopher Walken doesn't distract. The movie is a tad long, slows at points, and has some sad issues, but by the end credits you want more. If you like the music and sound of Frankie Vali and the Four Seasons you will have a good time at the movies. See it in a theater with a big screen and big sound.

Absolutely Fabulous! Great casting, everyone was great in the movie. Well done Clint,crew, and cast! My husband and I rate movies on whether to Buy it, Rent it, or Forget it. This one is definitely a Buy it! This will also be a Christmas stocking stuffer for the parents and kids. You can't go wrong with a Clint Eastwood movie. Most of the audience were 15 to 20 years older than my husband and I with all their canes and walkers, but there were also a few teenagers and young adults. I plan to buy the sound track also. You won't be able to sit and not tap your feet or move to the beat. The movie kept a smile on my face and my spirit dancing. I'm curious to know how much of the film is true and which parts aren't. I may have to take my parents to see this movie.

*Possible spoilers, though nothing in-depth* I had seen the musical in London (ooh la la) and loved it then too, so I was hoping (sort of) for a straight adaptation of the play, even though I was a bit hesitant about what a musical from Clint Eastwood would be like. I mean, I've seen Paint Your Wagon. So for those of you who, like me, may have been both hoping and dreading a musical adaptation: relax. Eastwood, wisely it turns out, eschews all the belting and hoofing and relegates the musical numbers to naturalistic rehearsals and recording sessions. What he retains from the play works, for the most part, particularly the bit of having the film being narrated to the camera by one character to the next -- something I remember from other movies by one of Jersey Boys writers, Marshall Brickman, who used a similar device in "Lovesick" and "Annie Hall." The cast is a knockout, especially Christopher Walken (who shows a tiny glimpse of the dynamite dancing chops he had in "Pennies From Heaven"), Vincent Piazza as the hotheaded Tommy DeVito, Erich Bergen as Bob Gaudio, the quiet genius, and John Lloyd Young's Frankie Valli. Young seems preternaturally, well, young, which gives the latter scenes of an older Valli some theatricality -- but then you check out Frankie Valli now and you realize, that guy has not aged. And neither has Eastwood: at 84 years old, he's delivered a fleet, fun entertaining biopic with great songs (though it seems like hours before a really great Four Seasons song actually shows up) and great performances. I'll definitely see this one again when it comes out in wide release, and next time I'm bringing my mom.

I am a huge fan of the stage version of Jersey Boys, having seen 16+ times. Clint Eastwood, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice have done a phenomenal job bringing this from stage to screen. What I enjoyed most is that it still has that "live theater" feel but masterfully weaves in the cinematic touches needed to make it "sing" on screen. I've always said that the what these guys went through and their ability to come out on top is amazing; this movie really drives that home. I highly recommend this to anyone who's a fan of the music, a fan of mob stories and/or fans of documentaries. There is some strong "Jersey" language so it's not for the young kids but it is certainly for everyone else!

Wow...knowing his wonderful work in the past this was a shock..first off I think this is a subject matter for Clint he should have stayed away from at his age...stick with Jazz Clint...secondly...the Four Seasons were good in their day however that doesn't translate into an interesting story...Clint seems to have taken a Goodfellas approach mixed in with a dash of Sopranos(a couple of their actors are in this mess)stick in the appropriate number and there you have it... The story seems to revolve more around Tommy Devito played by Vincent Piazza in an outstandingly hammy Joe Pesci-like performance that by 10 minutes in is wearing VERY THIN...so clichéd and stereotypical...I can't believe Clint let that go...as for John Loyd Young who plays Mr. Valli...the best I can say about his performance is its stale and anemic and at times effeminate...his singing isn't even close to Valli's tone...its awful...the best part of the numbers was the instrumentation..I have to admit it sounded good at times...the vocals are horrible... Vincent Piazza is just SO over the top and so unbelievable...the character makes no sense and Clint seems to spend an inordinate amount of time letting this character pontificate as opposed to seeing a supposed evolution of a band that supposedly meant a lot to many people of that generation...there literally is no story here.... The other issue that is glaring here is the overall look in terms of people during that time...for instance back in the 50's and early 60's Women HAD CURVES...I know..I was alive during the 60's...the hairstyles are all wrong..it looks like Clint found a gaggle of strippers and pole dancers and anorexic wannabes and threw the appropriate wardrobe on them and told them to get out there...and then there is Christopher Walken...wow...just a total worthless performance...he looks like RIp Van Winkle woke up and sputtered....the problem is this movie looks way too clean in terms of the sets..the cars are sparkling...the diner is spotless...it just seems so fake...the actors all look like models from the 2010's and stepped into a time machine... Last thing...the brooding dark lensing I assume Clint thought would make this film look authentic actually gives it a look of a reverse anachronism...the makeup and hairstyles just glare like a neon sign..you can literally see how the makeup and hair were applied its that obvious..PEOPLE DID NOT LOOK LIKE THIS!!!.... Mr. Eastwood...this movie comes off like a made for video bargain bin special...I am beyond disappointed especially thinking about such work as Mystic River and Changeling which were brilliant and gorgeously filmed...Clint..you ARE a better story teller than this...

Being in my 60s and loving their music, I totally expected to really like it. What a disappointment! As I said to my companions when we were walking out out, "I must be the only person in the world who totally disliked this movie." Well, It's all hype and I fell for it, but am honest enough after the fact. It was over dramatic-fake, the actors were awful, fake accents were obvious (especially V. Piazza-- over did it) and so much missing information (first recording contract, marriage date, daughter or daughters, year/age of her death?) The only date ever shown was 1990 when they were inducted into the R & R Hall of fame. I question the reality of any event they portrayed. The music was pretty bad, nothing close to the original, bad arrangements, and the lead actor sounded nothing like Frankie Valli-- he was too short, too greased up, and his voice was awful (I know he won a Tony-- so what). The only actor who was quite good is Erich Bergen, portraying Bob Gaudio. The story was choppy and was a compilation of a bunch of "highlight?" incidents with lack of continuity or smooth changes from one to the other. It is hard to believe that this is work from the great Clint Eastwood.

3 out of 4 stars. I was really excited for this movie. I saw the play in Chicago about 5 years ago and loved it. Clint Eastwood is one of my favorite directors and I thought "Jersey Boys" would be one of my favorite films of this year, but I was disappointed by Eastwood's adaptation of the hit Broadway play. Maybe I set my expectations too high. It's hard not to compare it to the play. The acting is top notch (particularly John Lloyd Young, who won a Tony for the play), the sets are authentic, and the music is great. However, I felt Eastwood decided to add more talking moments and put the music to the side. The music becomes more background noise and not the driving force of the film. The film becomes more of a standard music biopic than the musical on Broadway. I understand why they made some of the choices and some of them work very well, but I would have liked to have seen more musical moments. A lot of time is placed on the exposition and I thought it kind of slowed the film down. The actors break the fourth wall throughout the film, but I don't think Eastwood's style worked as well with it. Films that break the fourth wall and talk directly to the camera (like Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" or Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas) have a particular energy that drives the film. Eastwood, though, has a slower and more patient style and I'm not sure if breaking the fourth wall always went well with the film. The actors are good enough to make it work though. The movie is at its best when the music comes to the forefront. Eastwood does a good job of showing the fun the band has creating music and the audiences' reaction to the music. It shows the power of their music. One of my favorite moments is when the band plays "Cry for Me" for the first time. It's music being created so naturally and shows why Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons are great. Other great song moments include "My Eyes Adored You" and the tear jerking rendition of "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You." Eastwood's "Jersey Boys" has its faults, but the sheer power of the music and the acting makes it a treat worth seeing.