Is This a Movie or a Broadway Musical?

Rating: 5/10 (27 June 2014)

Some films are better left as Broadway productions, and Jersey Boys unfortunately falls under that category. The film introduces us to four men, all ambitious in their own way, who eventually form a group of miraculous proportions. Thanks to the lead singer, Frankie Valli's uniquely feminine and unforgettably soothing voice, the band begins to soar to unimaginable heights, triumphantly selling record after record. This is the story of how they went from doing the mob's bidding to becoming iconic stars.
However, it's an overlong biopic about musicians without the fascinating tours through their personal lives, which is what the best of musical biographies contain. Pictures like Ray and Walk the Line succeeded because they progressed with a balanced focus on both the musical career, as well as the troubles that stirred behind the scenes. Jersey Boys has very little of the latter. Sadly, the most entertaining moments are the introductory segments with the mob and the very last act where the power of their friendship is truly tested. As a matter of fact, the movie was too concentrated on their numerous stage performances and recording sessions to the point where it often got uninteresting. The over-2-hour-long duration certainly doesn't benefit the issue.
Make no mistake; I had absolutely no problem with the music itself if that's the first idea that pops into one's mind upon reading my criticism. The music is indeed pleasant—occasionally mellow along with a fair share of upbeat tracks like the closing "I Love You Baby" piece. Nevertheless, you can't let fanaticism for particular music cloud your judgment on the overall quality of a film or whatnot. This is a movie at the end of the day—not a musical show nor a play. Its plot—its narrative—undeniably suffers the further into the picture we get. The music is nice, but the story is ultimately uneventful and intermittently soporific.
When it comes to the performances on the other hand, I was rather impressed with the showcase of their acting, considering that three of the four (excluding Vincent Piazza) aren't actual actors but the real Jersey Boys in the Broadway musical. Contrary to negative critical reception to their debuts, I found them to be fairly authentic the majority of the time. On a related note, John Lloyd Young does not look sixteen years old in the earlier scenes of the film. All of them seemingly appeared to be in their 20's, not in their teen's! Moreover, Clint Eastwood still struggles with convincing aging make-up because his older-aged characters always look too similar to their younger counterparts. When you grow into your elderly years, there's more that changes about your physical appearance than just the gray hair and some wrinkles.
In terms of the cinematography, I felt a little mixed on it, but that has come to be a usual response with Eastwood's works. It appeared somewhat choppy and uninspired at times (lack of effort put into beautifying the period piece that it's supposed to be and looking the part) and other times classy/elegant in a bluish and stylishly gray hue (a more fitting look for the era). If you love the music with a passion and/or if you're a serious fan of the Broadway production, Jersey Boys is worth a look. Otherwise, its dull narrative and absent energy certainly won't appease the general moviegoer.