Rated
R (Language Throughout)
Running
Time: 2 Hours & 14 Minutes
Cast-
John
Lloyd Young-Francesco Castelluccio/Frankie Valli
Vincent
Piazza-Tommy DeVito
Michael
Lomenda-Nick Massi
Erich
Bergen-Bob Gaudio
Christopher
Walken-Angelo 'Gyp' DeCarlo
Renée
Marino-Mary Delgado
Mike
Doyle-Bob Crewe
Joseph
Russo-Joe Pesci
Erica
Piccininni-Lorraine
Donnie
Kehr-Norm Waxman
Freya
Tingley-Francine Valli
Kathrine
Narducci-Frankie's Mother/Mary Rinaldi
Lou
Volpe-Frankie's Father/Anthony Castelluccio
Johnny
Cannizzaro-Nick DeVito
Troy
Grant-Ed Sullivan
Directed
by Clint Eastwood
 |
| Director Clint Eastwood brings the long-running, Tony Award-winning musical "Jersey Boys" to the big screen. |
Note: Screened on Wednesday, June 18, 2014 at AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13.
What
comes to mind when you think of a musical film? If your answer is lively, energetic
song-and-dance numbers that burst with toe-tapping exuberance, lavish background
scenery, and show-stopping choreography, then you would be correct. Unfortunately,
you won't find much of that in Clint Eastwood's latest film "Jersey Boys,"
despite it being based on the long-running, Tony Award-winning Broadway musical
of the same name. While a big production number does exist in the film, you'll
have to wait until the start of the end credits to even see it. Enthusiastic and
buoyant, the closing song-and-dance number—set to 1975's December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) and involving the entire cast—isn't
exactly a show-stopper but it's by far the film's most joyful moment, one that'll
actually make you stand up and cheer. If only the rest of "Jersey
Boys" were as good as its end credits. With his staid directorial style, Eastwood
is a puzzling choice to helm a feature based on a Broadway musical. He's certainly
musically inclined, having composed the scores for most of the films he's directed
since 2003 and even lent his voice for a song or two (notably in 2008's
"Gran Torino") yet Eastwood never appears to be particularly
interested in the film's subject matter. Whatever passion he had as a director
seems to have left him and now he's just taking on random projects to past the
time. That being said, "Jersey Boys" is not a bad film. However, it
needed someone with a little more flair at the helm, like Rob Marshall or Adam
Shankman. The attention to period detail is impeccable and the film does come alive
in its few musical moments but "Jersey Boys" ends up being a long,
joyless slog. You're better off watching the musical on Broadway or buying the
film's soundtrack.
The
army, the mob, or fame: if you grew up on the mean streets of Belleville, New
Jersey in 1951, these were the only ways out of the neighborhood. Despite possessing
a golden throat with his unusually powerful falsetto voice, fame was out of reach
for sixteen-year-old Francesco 'Frankie' Castelluccio (John Lloyd Young), who
tries to make an honest living as a practicing hairdresser while also moonlighting
as a lookout during small-time burglaries for his rabble-rousing friend Tommy
DeVito (Vincent Piazza). With his brother Nicky (Johnny Cannizzaro) and bassist
Nick Massi (Michael Lomenda), Tommy often performs at a local club as the 'Variety
Trio.' He invites Frankie onto the stage to sing one night and his performance
leaves the crowd stunned. With Frankie, now going by the name 'Frankie Valli,' officially
part of the band, the quartet begins calling themselves the 'Variatones' but
when his brother abruptly leaves, Tommy scrambles to find a replacement. He learns
from talent scout Joe Pesci (Joseph Russo)—yes, the same Joe Pesci that would go
on to win an Academy Award for 1990's "Goodfellas"—that singer-songwriter
Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen) might just be the guy the band is looking for as he already
has a hit song under his name. After being impressed by Frankie's falsetto
voice, Gaudio agrees to join the band, now known as the 'Four Lovers.' In spite
of their obvious talent, the Four Lovers fail to catch the attention of record producers,
until Frankie runs into an old friend named Bob Crewe (Mike Doyle). With Crewe's
help, the Four Lovers reinvent themselves as the 'Four Seasons' and quickly skyrocket
to fame during the 1960s thanks to hit songs like Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry,
and Walk Like a Man. Unfortunately,
the Four Seasons soon threaten to break apart due to clashing egos and Tommy's growing
debt problems.
 |
| The music of the Four Seasons may be classics but Eastwood fails to do justice to them with his lethargic direction. |
Although
the band's peak years are long behind them, the Four Seasons continue to remain
in the public eye thanks to the massive success of the critically-acclaimed jukebox
musical Jersey Boys, which premiered at
San Diego, California's La Jolla Playhouse in 2004 and has been running on Broadway
for close to nine years now, having recently passed 3560 performances at the August
Wilson Theater in New York City. With its lively energy and toe-tapping hit songs,
Jersey Boys is one of the few shows
on Broadway that can call itself a billion-dollar business. Given its huge popularity,
a big screen adaptation was pretty much a no-brainer but Clint Eastwood has sadly
sucked out much of the joy from the musical with his lethargic direction, resulting
in a film that's nothing more than a clichéd, surface-level, "Behind the Music"
biopic of one the best-selling pop-and-rock groups in America. Having Marshall
Brickman and Rick Elice adapt their own musical was a smart move on paper but
there's barely any nuance to be found in their script, with events happening
without any points of reference at all. Viewers are simply plopped into various
eras of the guys' lives, leaving them to wonder what year it is or how much
time has even passed. One minute, Frankie is being introduced to Mary Delgado (Renée
Marino) and the next, they're already married! For much of the film, I thought
they had only one daughter but it turns out they have three, and one of them—Francine
(Freya Tingley)—apparently has a beautiful voice. However, we don't hear nary a
note from her and then she just unceremoniously dies from a drug overdose. It's
hard to emotionally invest in any of the characters with this kind of sloppy
storytelling.
It
doesn't help that Brickman and Elice's script is just one big pile of clichés.
Like many music biopics before it, we have the team-ups, the arguments, the
hits, the excess, the 'fatal flaw' (it's usually drugs, money, womanizing, or a
combination of the three; this time, it's money), the downfall, the redemption,
and of course, the final reunion. This strict adherence to genre conventions turns
"Jersey Boys" into a very bland, generic experience. However, that's
not the main problem. What really sinks the film is that Eastwood has adapted a
musical for the big screen…but has taken out most of the music! Honestly, I'm puzzled
as to why he even chose to direct this in the first place because he's clearly
not interested in the material. If you're looking to experience the musical's
show-stopping song-and-dance numbers in the movie theater, you're going to be
in for a long wait. In fact, you'll have
to wait until the end credits. Sure, we do see the band recording in the studio
and performing live on-stage but outside of two or three instances, none of the
songs are ever sung in their entirety. Even when the guys' are performing, the film fails to come alive because of the stiff, boring
camera angles Eastwood repeatedly uses. "Jersey Boys" only comes to
life toward the end, when John Lloyd Young performs a spirited rendition of 1967's
Can't Take My Eyes Off You. Of course,
the best part arrives at the start of the end credits, when Eastwood finally gives
viewers a musical number set to December,
1963 (Oh, What a Night) with the entire cast involved. Why wasn't the rest
of the film like this? I have no idea. The only aspect that I can praise without
any reservations is the period detail. It's as if the cast and crew went back
in time to shoot the movie.
 |
| The cast, which is largely composed of stage veterans, do what they can with the sub-par material. |
The
main cast, three-fourths of which is made up of stage veterans that performed
on the musical, try their best with what they're given but the script fails to develop
their characters beyond a few basic personality traits. Tony Award-winner John Lloyd
Young gives by far the most nuanced performance as Frankie Valli, whose loyalties
are torn between his music career, his friends, and his family. Given that he also
played Valli on the Broadway musical back in 2006, Young unsurprisingly nails
the singer's distinctive falsetto. As Tommy DeVito, Vincent Piazza (Charles 'Lucky'
Luciano from HBO's "Boardwalk Empire") lends the character a roguish
charm while admirably acquitting himself during the singing scenes. Unfortunately,
Michael Lomenda and Erich Bergen fail to make much of an impression. Lomenda,
who reprises his role as Nick Massi from the national tour, spends most of the
film threatening to leave the band and forming his own group. His only memorable
scene is when his character explodes in front of everyone about DeVito's terrible
hygienic habits. Bergen, reprising his role as Bob Gaudio from the Los Angeles and
Las Vegas productions, doesn't grow beyond being Valli's loyal friend. The rest
of the cast is a mixed bag. Renée Marino goes way too over-the-top as Valli's
neglected wife Mary while Mike Doyle's Bob Crewe is nothing more than a gay
stereotype, although he does offer a few chuckles with his flamboyant behavior.
Lending some star power is Christopher Walken as Angelo 'Gyp' DeCarlo, by far
the nicest Mafia boss to ever grace the silver screen.
Released
on June 20, 2014, "Jersey Boys" has received mixed reviews with 55%
on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that Eastwood's latest was 'neither as
inventive nor as energetic as it could be, but there's no denying the powerful
pleasures of its musical moments. Box office-wise, the film got off to a quiet
start with a weekend debut of $13.5 million. The older audience that the film
appeals to doesn't tend to rush out to theaters on opening weekend, which means
that "Jersey Boys" could be in for a solid run, especially with its 'A-'
CinemaScore. However, these people would be better served by going to the Broadway
musical or buying the film's soundtrack. The music of the Four Seasons will
continue to be classics but Eastwood's "Jersey Boys" fails to do any
justice to it.
Final
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
"Four
guys under a street lamp, when it was all still ahead of us, the first time we
made that sound—our sound. That was the
best."
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