Pretty good entertainment

Rating: 8/10 (4 July 2014)

It's a tough task trying to compress decades of material about a real- life pop group into a few hours. I had no idea how complicated and frankly sad much of the Four Seasons' history was. Overall it's an entertaining movie and its heart is in the right place. It is good that the story is not all sweetness and light, but at times it gets weighed down by the bleak parts. There actually aren't as many musical numbers as you'd expect. Clint Eastwood's direction once again is full of humanity and humour, so thankfully the characters are much more than gee-whiz boy group clichés. The actors are excellent. Can I take a moment to praise Christopher Walken, who plays Gip De Carlo, the mafia boss? The man is brilliant. Such a cheeky, wry, heartfelt performer. Can someone please write a movie in which he is the star, instead of a scene-stealing side character? The actor playing the troubled singer Tommy De Vito is also excellent. The character is so destructive I wonder what the real man himself and his family thought of it. But he does have redeeming characteristics. He's forceful in getting the group gigs and dealing with problems, and of course there is his singing and guitar playing. Frankie Valli is presented as much younger than De Vito and finds a way to stand up to him. The actor playing Valli is a great singer and plays the early scenes beautifully, but I felt towards the end his acting was more wooden in the more emotional material -- it didn't seem to resonate with him much more than stubbing his toe when Valli's daughter dies and his girlfriend leaves. The Bob Gaudio character was portrayed as quite lovable, also able to stand up to Tommy and the brains and backbone of the band. The final scene when they all abruptly break out in song and dance in a city street is frankly a bit weird. Most of the movie was serious drama and then all of a sudden we're transported to a stage set with everyone who's appeared in the film twirling, singing and smiling, even Gyp De Carlo. I think this would have worked better by portraying a scene of the Four Seasons singing at a dance in their heyday in which teenagers get up out of their seats and just have a good time because of the band.