Adapting the Tony Award winning jukebox musical, Clint Eastwood takes the directors chair for Jersey Boys, telling the story of the formation and eventual break up of legendary rock n' roll group Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. From their humble beginnings flirting with prison and the mob in New Jersey to releasing several number one hits, the music is the key here, and Eastwood's own love of music shines through, treating each song with the respect it deserves, and getting the audiences toe tapping on more than one occasion. It's when the drama takes over, and the music is put to one side, that the movie falls down.
A hold over from the stage version, each member of the band take turns breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the audience, elaborating on events as they happen. It's a very affable narrative choice, and keeps proceedings fresh for the most part, though, by the third act, it becomes an after thought, used sparingly until it is brought back in a big way for the finale. The story wastes no time in getting going. From the opening scene, the movie just flows with the music, the first act a blur of upbeat tunes and New Jersey accents. There isn't much in the way of flourish in the musical numbers (though the closing credits show us what could have been), just presented as the band performing on stage, but they fizz with energy that keeps the movie going. A lot of charm is found in these early scenes, John Lloyd Young and Vincent Piazza showing a great chemistry as childhood friends Frankie Valli and Tommy DeVito. It's their friendship that is the back bone of the movie, Tommy acting as a surrogate big brother to Frankie, nurturing his impressive vocal talent, and bringing him into the band that eventually becomes The Four Seasons, with Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen) and Nick Massi (Michael Lomeda) rounding out the quartet.
The second act is when the movie hits its first snag, as the music takes a back seat to the story. The movie is well written and acted, with the usual fine directorial flourishes from Eastwood, but the story lacks power and energy. It becomes a bit of a slog, not helped by jumps back and forward in time that prove very jarring. Valli's home life becomes very important in the later stages of the movie, but these developments are just sort of dropped on us, with not enough set up laid out in the earlier acts. It picks up with the finale in sight, saving the big, rousing numbers for the end.
Jersey Boys ace up it's sleeve is John Lloyd Young. Reprising his role of Frankie Valli from the plays original Broadway run, he perfectly captures Valli's unique sound, lending the musical performances their boundless energy. Away from the mic, he falters slightly as Frankie, never quite convincing in the role, but he is saved by Piazza, who is perfect as the cocky Tommy. All cheeky smiles, he plays off everybody perfectly, and is strangely likable even when he is to blame for things falling apart. Bergen and Lomeda are both give their time in the spotlight, but blend into the background when the focus is not on them. Christopher Walken puts in a typically memorable performance, one scene where he is moved to tears by Fankie's singing being a standout, and even gets to show off his dancing skills at one point.
Jersey Boys works best when the music takes centre stage, bringing with it life and intensity. Sadly, this is lost when the narrative takes over. In Eastwood's impressive filmography, this just sits in the middle.
A hold over from the stage version, each member of the band take turns breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the audience, elaborating on events as they happen. It's a very affable narrative choice, and keeps proceedings fresh for the most part, though, by the third act, it becomes an after thought, used sparingly until it is brought back in a big way for the finale. The story wastes no time in getting going. From the opening scene, the movie just flows with the music, the first act a blur of upbeat tunes and New Jersey accents. There isn't much in the way of flourish in the musical numbers (though the closing credits show us what could have been), just presented as the band performing on stage, but they fizz with energy that keeps the movie going. A lot of charm is found in these early scenes, John Lloyd Young and Vincent Piazza showing a great chemistry as childhood friends Frankie Valli and Tommy DeVito. It's their friendship that is the back bone of the movie, Tommy acting as a surrogate big brother to Frankie, nurturing his impressive vocal talent, and bringing him into the band that eventually becomes The Four Seasons, with Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen) and Nick Massi (Michael Lomeda) rounding out the quartet.
The second act is when the movie hits its first snag, as the music takes a back seat to the story. The movie is well written and acted, with the usual fine directorial flourishes from Eastwood, but the story lacks power and energy. It becomes a bit of a slog, not helped by jumps back and forward in time that prove very jarring. Valli's home life becomes very important in the later stages of the movie, but these developments are just sort of dropped on us, with not enough set up laid out in the earlier acts. It picks up with the finale in sight, saving the big, rousing numbers for the end.
Jersey Boys ace up it's sleeve is John Lloyd Young. Reprising his role of Frankie Valli from the plays original Broadway run, he perfectly captures Valli's unique sound, lending the musical performances their boundless energy. Away from the mic, he falters slightly as Frankie, never quite convincing in the role, but he is saved by Piazza, who is perfect as the cocky Tommy. All cheeky smiles, he plays off everybody perfectly, and is strangely likable even when he is to blame for things falling apart. Bergen and Lomeda are both give their time in the spotlight, but blend into the background when the focus is not on them. Christopher Walken puts in a typically memorable performance, one scene where he is moved to tears by Fankie's singing being a standout, and even gets to show off his dancing skills at one point.
Jersey Boys works best when the music takes centre stage, bringing with it life and intensity. Sadly, this is lost when the narrative takes over. In Eastwood's impressive filmography, this just sits in the middle.
