Jersey Boys movie review & film summary (2014)
If only director Clint Eastwood had directed more scenes like this. He ensured his cast would be up to the task by importing several veterans from the stage. Three of the Four Seasons cast in “Jersey Boys” are from various incarnations of the show, including Tony-winner John Lloyd Young, whose Frankie Valli is vocally spot-on and a force to behold. Christopher Walken, no slouch to musicals, is also on hand, doing a bit of a soft-shoe in the aforementioned finale. Even “Boardwalk Empire” vet Vincent Piazza, as group member Tommy DeVito, holds his own with the more musically seasoned members of The Four Seasons.
The singing talent is there, but Eastwood and writers Marshall Brickman (“Annie Hall”) and Rick Elise opt for a more realistic depiction of events. They transform “Jersey Boys” from jukebox musical to movie biopic, exchanging one much-maligned genre for another. In the process, the focus is shifted; the drama is played up and the music seems shoehorned in where convenient.
This imbalance is forgivable in scenes where the band deals with talent scout Joe Pesci (yes, that Joe Pesci, here in the guise of actor Joey Russo) or interact with one another. The problems arise in the mob-related material, which is seemingly endless. These plot elements are necessary to tell the full story, but the lazy way they are depicted stops the movie cold. We've already seen “GoodFellas,” “Mean Streets” and any number of mob-related tales, so Eastwood’s take on them feels lifeless. As the catalyst for most of these scenes, Piazza wrings his derivative character for all that he’s worth. But Walken, as mob boss Gyp DeCarlo, is given little to do besides commit scene-stealing grand larceny in a weepy moment opposite Young’s Valli.
“Jersey Boys” keeps the show’s conceit of having each of the Four Seasons tell various aspects of the story. Tommy, Frankie, Nick Massi (Michael Lomenda) and Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen) break the fourth wall at various points to talk to us directly. Since Tommy is both the band’s heart and its downfall, he figures into everyone’s narrative. Songwriter Gaudio becomes the band’s primary songwriter because Tommy acted on a tip from Joe Pesci. Frankie sharpens and perfects his famous falsetto with Tommy’s help. And Nick rooms with Tommy for 10 years and sees the worst sides of him.
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