Lackluster and listless

Rating: 4/10 (11 November 2015)

While the cast members were very earnest and capable, I couldn't help but wonder-- why wasn't Justin Timberlake in this movie? Or someone like him? The film desperately needed some sparkle, some pizazz, some magic, all of which are antithetical to Eastwoood's choice of style for this film: Grim, gray, neo-realism...for a MUSICAL(?!)... It boggles the mind.
In recent years, Broadway musicals that made the successful transition to the big screen include Dreamgirls and Chicago, both of which were heavily style-driven. Jersey Boys seems fettered by its status as a true story, docudrama, which upstages its primary appeal as a heart-stopping, eye-popping musical. For that experience, one might be better off catching a live touring production than this strained, listless, lackluster biopic movie-of-the-week.