I loved it

Rating: 8/10 (17 June 2014)

*Possible spoilers, though nothing in-depth*
I had seen the musical in London (ooh la la) and loved it then too, so I was hoping (sort of) for a straight adaptation of the play, even though I was a bit hesitant about what a musical from Clint Eastwood would be like. I mean, I've seen Paint Your Wagon.
So for those of you who, like me, may have been both hoping and dreading a musical adaptation: relax. Eastwood, wisely it turns out, eschews all the belting and hoofing and relegates the musical numbers to naturalistic rehearsals and recording sessions. What he retains from the play works, for the most part, particularly the bit of having the film being narrated to the camera by one character to the next -- something I remember from other movies by one of Jersey Boys writers, Marshall Brickman, who used a similar device in "Lovesick" and "Annie Hall."
The cast is a knockout, especially Christopher Walken (who shows a tiny glimpse of the dynamite dancing chops he had in "Pennies From Heaven"), Vincent Piazza as the hotheaded Tommy DeVito, Erich Bergen as Bob Gaudio, the quiet genius, and John Lloyd Young's Frankie Valli. Young seems preternaturally, well, young, which gives the latter scenes of an older Valli some theatricality -- but then you check out Frankie Valli now and you realize, that guy has not aged. And neither has Eastwood: at 84 years old, he's delivered a fleet, fun entertaining biopic with great songs (though it seems like hours before a really great Four Seasons song actually shows up) and great performances.
I'll definitely see this one again when it comes out in wide release, and next time I'm bringing my mom.