Absolutely loved it! A piece of American history beautifully and well done!

Rating: 8/10 (9 July 2014)

I was bawling at the end when Frankie (John Young) belted out the 1967 song "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You." That song came out of nowhere in the late, great Kasey Kassem's line-up of songs on a local LA radio station. Mixed with Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, Beach Boys, The Band, Buffalo Springfield, and Motown, we all got a sing-out-loud Jersey sound treat while jazz and swing dancing to it and belting out "I love you baby" on California beaches. This movie is spot-on in depicting how radio airplay WAS local, then word-of-mouth, then national. It took great effort to get deejays to play a song, as radio stations were local. This piece of American history is important, in light of today's world of conglomerate radio stations.
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert once bantered about what was film for? To serve as historical markers or for entertainment? This film does both. Clint Eastwood is to be commended for giving us the gift of delicate story-telling of how bands made music which became the soundtrack of our lives - combined with delightful entertainment. This film is much along the lines of Gran Torino.
Not many of us were able to see the musical, but many of us remember the era. John Young (Frankie), Vincent Piazza (Tommy), Michael Lomenda (Nick), and dreamy Erich Bergen (Bob) skillfully deliver the background story of how Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons came to be. Who knew there's even a Joe Pesci link? One has to wonder if The Eagles were influenced by the Four Seasons' gorgeous harmonies? Maybe that will be the next Clint Eastwood film...
Absolutely loved it!