One of the biggest disappointments of the year

Rating: 4/10 (1 August 2014)

The Good: I love Jersey Boys, it's one of my all time favourite stage musicals. And when I heard the cast was mainly Broadway stars, I was excited. And these guys did really well bringing their characters to life. The musical renditions are well performed too, Sherry was a highlight and some of the songs fit really well into the story.
The Bad: The biggest problem with the film is when you compare it to it's source material. The stage show is really fun, very funny and exciting. The film however tries to keep it grounded, and in doing so the film was really boring! A lot of that comes from the directing: Clint Eastwood was the wrong choice to direct, it needed someone who could bring the energy of the stage show to the screen and he failed to do that. A lot of the songs, although well performed, seem to stop the movie just to have a musical number that has no semblance to the plot. Lastly, of all the actors in the film that do well, Christopher Walken does not. None of his lines sound natural and he sticks out like a sore thumb, easily one of the worst casting choices in the film.
The Verdict: Despite some good acting, good music and staying true to the plot of the stage show, it couldn't keep me awake for me to enjoy. Not what I expect from the best musical in recent history.