Eastwood's adaptation of Bway jukebox musical suffers from over long exposition but still entertains

Rating: 6/10 (25 June 2014)

If you're forced to choose between Jersey Boys the Broadway Musical or Clint Eastwood's movie, I would recommend seeing the Broadway show. While the movie shows more in terms of historical material, the musical proves to be much more of an emotional experience.
Eastwood starts the story of the Four Seasons with perhaps too much exposition. Christopher Walken shows up in the thankless role of 'Gyp', a local Mafioso who the founding member of the band, local hothead Tommy DeVito is beholden to. DeVito introduces Gyp to teenager Frankie Castelluccio (who later changes his name to Frankie Valli). We then learn how DeVito gets the young Frankie involved in criminal activity, DeVito ends up taking a 6 month rap for the burglary they were both involved in, Frankie meets Mary Delgado who convinces him to change his name to Valli (and they eventually get married), Nick Massi becomes part of the group and is sent to prison for trespassing at a local church (again Frankie is let off) and Frankie ends up a victim of a scam by two local hoodlums, one who pretends to murder the other.
A good fifteen minutes could have been trimmed in order to get us to Act 2 sooner. Act 2 of course begins when Bob Gaudio joins the group and this is where the story gets interesting. Gaudio is the complete opposite of DeVito. He's an intellectual who quotes T.S. Elliot and his quite knowledgeable about the music business. DeVito is a gambler who demands to be the center of attention. Valli, on the other hand, though streetwise like Devito, is much more conservative and ends up making a business deal with Gaudio to split songwriting royalties and any outside business not involving the group.
The group's rise to fame is quite entertaining as we learn how they hook up with their flamboyant, gay producer, Bob Crewe, who guides them in releasing their first hit, 'Sherry'. We get to hear a good number of the Four Seasons' big hits, which are staged by Eastwood as performance pieces (as opposed to big choreographed numbers).
One of the best scenes is when Gaudio, Valli and Massi learn of DeVito's $100K debt to a loan shark as well as approximately $600K to the IRS. The honorable Valli agrees to play in Vegas until he pays off DeVito's debt. Before quitting the group, Massi sounds off about life on the road with DeVito and how difficult it was putting up with the tough guy narcissist. Gaudio and Valli had it easier, since they didn't have to room with the surly DeVito.
Once the group breaks up, the focus is on Valli who must deal with the tragedy of the death of his daughter, due to a drug overdose. I seem to recall that the daughter's death was much more effective on stage than the way it's handled here by director Eastwood. Like all the female characters in the movie, Valli's daughter is underdeveloped and the way in which her demise is dealt with, seems a bit rushed.
The ending of the film focuses on The Four Seasons induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. We learn what the band members were doing after years had passed and one notes that there is a reconciliation between DeVito and Valli. Clint Eastwood attempts to stage a big production number at film's end, but it falls completely flat (at one point the big cast freezes a number of times, and the entire production number ends up looking quite pathetically awkward).
The acting is quite decent with John Lloyd Young (who starred in the original Broadway production) reproducing Frankie Valli's unusual falsetto voice. As in the Broadway show, each character speaks to the audience, inducing a Rashomon-like effect—telling the story from their different perspectives.
Once Jersey Boys gets to the formation of The Four Seasons, the story takes on a life of its own. You can't argue with hearing all those great hits, souped up in modern day arrangements. I would recommend seeing this film but would also recommend seeing the Broadway show if you're ever in NYC. The film is not without its flaws (it could have been pared down), but in the end, it certainly entertains.