Jersey Boys! Yeah I know this movie came out last week but I couldn't get around to it because of my job. But where I work is being remodeled so I'm out of a job for possibly three weeks. That's good news for me getting to see more movies but bad news for my wallet. So it comes as both a good thing and a bad thing. But I saw Jersey Boys nonetheless. On the opening weekend of Transformers: Age of ExSTINKtion, which is a movie that most people in my age group would be flocking in herds to see. I personally don't see the appeal in Michael bay films but I do enjoy me a good movie musical. Even if this one felt more like a musical biopic.
Jersey Boys is a film based off of the smash hit Broadway musical of the same name that tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, their rise to fame and all the bumps along the way.
This film is directed by Clint Eastwood. Yeah, interesting choice to say the least. I'm not saying he's a bad director. Far from it! He's directed two Best Picture winning films along with some other really stellar dramas. That being said when he directs a bad film, it doesn't come off as bad but rather just slow and boring. And when taking on a material like Jersey Boys, it better have some energy to it. And while it's never uninteresting, it is definitely slow. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Firstly, the film looks great. I love the time period this film takes place in. Mostly because I wish I lived back then. When cars were built to look cool, men wore suits, women wore skirts, rock 'n roll was on the rise and the thing everyone did on the weekend was cruise around town. Wait, I'm talking about American Graffiti now. Eh, whatever the time period still fits.
I am a big fan of rock 'n roll biopics and music movies like The Buddy Holly Story, Ray, That Thing You Do and La Bamba. And Jersey Boys really felt more like those films than a Broadway musical adaptation. What I mean by that is that whenever the characters break out into song it's always for a show or a live performance in the film. Random supporting characters don't just break out into spontaneous song and dance routines, the only actors that sing are those playing the Four Seasons. Which honestly comes to me as rather refreshing. Speaking of the Four Seasons, let's talk about the cast.
At first I thought Clint Eastwood chose a bunch of unknown actors to play the four lead roles, but they are more well known for theater than they are on screen. The only actor reprising his role from the original Broadway cast is John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli. Casting theater actors in a movie musical can be both a good thing and a bad thing. It's great for the musical numbers because they were without a doubt the highlights of the film. Kudos to John Lloyd Young because it's amazing how similar he sounds to Frankie Valli! And he gave the best performance in the film. All of the actors sang live on screen which didn't work out too well for Les Miserables, but here it is stellar. It's not so great for some of the dialogue scenes. On stage you have to act for the people in the back rows. You have to really emote and express on stage, but in a movie you can understate things. When you overly emote or express on screen, it comes off as over-the-top and out of place. Overall, the performances were fine, but the over-the-top arguing scenes happen, they do stick out like a sore thumb.
One thing I thought was rather strange was the narration. Instead of your typical storybook/Morgan Freeman off-camera narration, the lead actors break the fourth wall and let the audience in on what's going on. Kind of like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, or basically any Muppet movie ever. I take it the only reason the narration is this way is because that was most likely how they told the story on stage. Which does make sense, because you would actually have an audience in front of you! In a movie an off-screen narration would not only be a lot more understandable, but also less confusing. Here's what I mean: During the Four Seasons' performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in the middle of one of their songs one of the band members turns towards the camera and starts reciting exposition. I was just sitting there wondering, "Why?" I just didn't get the purpose.
The supporting cast isn't really anything too special. That is of course with the exception of the great Christopher Walken. He plays a mob boss and he steals every scene he's in. He had a majority of the funniest lines because come on, it's Christopher Walken. His iconic voice and deadpan delivery are just comedy gold. And he's also a great actor and awesome human being too.
As I mentioned before, Clint Eastwood's films come off as either spectacular or boring. Strangely enough thought, this film was neither. I mean it was slow, but not slow enough that it made me check my phone every ten minutes to see what the time was. And it wasn't energetic as it could have been with this being a jukebox mob musical. I mean I was entertained and fascinated by the story. But I just know that with a more lively director like an Adam Shankman or a Rob Marshall, this could have been something really spectacular.
Final Report: Clint Eastwood's adaptation of this popular Broadway show wasn't as lively as it could have been. But as it is it's not bad at all. The musical numbers are a blast and the story is rather captivating. I just know it could have been so much more. Jersey Boys is worth a rental but instead of seeing the film, just buy the soundtrack! All the best parts of the film with not a dull moment to be had.
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