fun if conventional bio-pic

Rating: 7/10 (1 August 2014)

Jersey Boys isn't quite as 'not that impressive' as the critics said (I don't want to say 'bad'). Still, this tale of how Frankie Valli (not his real name) and Tommy De Vito formed the Four Seasons is still fairly clichéd, especially the character of De Vito as a total one dimensional Sopranos bit player (no relation to the Goodfellas character, though more interestingly Joe Pesci IS a character in the movie as a supporting role). And yet there is nothing wrong with the actor, Vincent Piazza (also seen on Boardwalk Empire) and on the contrary gives it his all and commits to the character, as is everyone else in their respective roles.
Actually Valli (and John Lloyd Young's mostly restrained for a musical bio-pic performance, with enough to really carry the movie for long stretches) is a fairly complex character. I keep saying character as its a movie person after all. But Frankie ultimately has to juggle a lot of allegiances and responsibility and problems (with himself as well) and heartache. It's a good biopic-musical with standard direction from Clint. I don't know what he did for the movie to make it stand out from another director except that he has a consistent knack for setting up the camera and getting out of the way... which at times makes it a little too conventionally shot, but it's fine, I was never bored and the songs and performers keep things enjoyable.
I can't compare it to the musical but another comment is that the actors all have a generally theatrical quality (aside from Walken, who is a very welcome presence here and actually pulls off an interesting mob character not just a walk on, I think they're from the actual musical), which has its ups and downs. Also must be noted while the fourth-wall-talking is nothing new it works, maybe in part as it comes from a script by Annie Hall writer Marshall Brickman. Guess if you're going to do that again, get the guy who is one of the best at fourth-wall-smart-talk.
Again, not great, but not any boring disaster as I maybe slightly expected, and its old fashioned quality (take out the cursing and it could have fit in the 1950s) is fine too... I keep using the word 'fine'. maybe that's all Eastwood aims to be, but I can't help but see him sneaking in some artistic flourishes (there's one shot that ascends an exterior building of a record company and we hear and see all sorts of music going on floor to floor, and its a great 'moment out of time').