Oh What a Night!

Rating: 8/10 (20 May 2015)

Jersey Boys is a film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical that showed the rise and decline of the 60's rock group, the Four Seasons. I was familiar with many of their songs, but I did not realize how hard it was to keep the group together. On the outside, this film is a by-the-books biography of the group. But if you look deeper, there is a deep thread of characterization with each main character, and that is quite lovely to see. On the whole, the film was very enjoyable thanks to the production design and toe-tapping musical numbers.
Clint Eastwood's film is about the rise and fall of the New Jersey-bred men who joined together to form a musical group based around Frankie Valli's uncommon voice. We see the troubles that arise and the hits that come before they become less popular as we head into the 1970's.
This film does not have a recognizable cast at all outside of one name, and that is a good thing. We don't have stardom to stand in the way of actual talent. The man who played Valli, was John Lloyd Young, who actually won a Tony for his portrayal as Frankie in the Broadway show. The only star on this cast is Christopher Walken as a mob leader, and he does quite a good job as a mentor to the kids.
Overall, Jersey Boys isn't the atrocious musical I was expecting it to be. It's not perfect in any sense as the story suffers from some issues. But it was an enjoyable film that taught me some about the group while singing along to their greatest hits. The film receives high marks for the production design and the costumes, which are usually top-notch in Eastwood movies anyhow. A fan of the play will certainly become a fan of the movie.
My Grade: B