Well told, and performed with Great Music

Rating: 9/10 (14 December 2014)

In the mid-1950s a young singing group escapes from a life of petty crime with their first big hit: Sherry. We see the beginning of an iconic singing group to their breakup when Frankie Valli (John Lloyd Young) sets out on his own with Bob Gaudio (Eric Bergen) doing the song writing. The group settles on the name of The Four Seasons (taken from a motel sign) and is much better than what they were using: The Four Lovers. See?
The Four Seasons: John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli, Vincent Piazza as Tommy DeVito, Michael Lomenda as Nick DeVito and Eric Bergen as Bob Gaudio. Other hits: Walk Like a Man, Big Girls Don't Cry, Can't Take My Eyes off of You.
The music is terrific as was the acting all around. John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli got better singing as the movie progressed. In the beginning I had my doubts mostly because Frankie Valli's voice is hard to imitate. Not convinced? Listen to the real Frankie Valli when the credits run and you will see. However, when in the group setting on stage Young does a credible job .
Clint Eastwood does a masterful job of telling this story. He uses, at times, a technique whereby an actor turns to the audience to give us additional insight that doesn't have to be explained otherwise. Reminded me of a Walter Cronkite TV show YOU ARE THERE back in the day that used the same technique. (showing your age, are we?). In one scene we see a TV show with a young Clint Eastwood in Rawhide. Alfred Hitchcock used to put himself into his movies sometimes as an extra. We used to keep an eye to see who saw him first.
Bob Gaudio is credited with writing all the songs sung by The Four Seasons; and later for Valli when he went out on his own. Bob Crew (Mike Doyle) also had a hand in song-writing at times.
No matter what the movie is about if Christopher Walken is in it I am there. I simply cannot get enough of his acting as I couldn't for Patrick McGoohan, and Jack Palance. Anyway he was very good as Gyp DeCarlo, a local mob boss.
The pacing is good and the movie never drags. Yes, there are many clichés in here but keep in mind the times and those clichés were in vogue. See?
I would like to have seen real photos of the Four Seasons performing when the credits ran, but that didn't happen. What did happen was a dance by all the cast on some Jersey street as one of Frankie Valli's songs played. Very good. Kudos for the entire movie. (9/10)
Violence: Not really. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Some f-bombs in the beginning then they forgot about it.