OK Dull Biopic

Rating: 4/10 (1 October 2014)

Singers struggle to get a recording contract from a poor background, magically make a breakthrough, hit 'no 1s,' get spoilt by success, fall into debt, and break up. Oh, and a miraculous reunion when entering the Hall of Fame. How many groups does this apply to? Well, with 'Jersey Boys' it is Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and it is based on a successful and long running stage musical. The only thing to mark it out is that one of the singer characters is a tired, glorified rerun of a cheap young hood from Scorseseland. So, if you like the 4 Seasons, you'll at least enjoy the musical renditions. But it is a plodding, almost 'Made for TV' movie with little cinema, and a very old fashioned script that would have been out of date in 1960! The performances have been honed on stage and the actors just about get away with them on screen, although Christopher Walkden shows everyone what screen acting is like in a downbeat impression of a New Jersey mafia boss. Clint Eastwood directs competently (I have never seen him as anything special in the Director's chair, so not disappointed).
But the major bugbear is the Tony Da Vito character. Once again an East Coast chippy goodfella gets the full treatment on screen as some kind of wise guy we should all admire more than condemn - America's fascination and glorification of two bit smart ass crooks (eg 'Hustle') shows a cancer at the heart of US cultural values. Yes, thank you, Mr Scorsese! This may be needed at the heart of the film but is vastly overplayed. Oh, and by the way, plot holes and lack of depth of characterisation abound, but let's face it you have to 'Walk Like A Man' and 'Big Girls Don't Cry.'