Devoid of any real life or spark

Rating: 4/10 (27 November 2014)

Much like his most recent and most forgettable films J. Edgar and Hereafter, Clint Eastwood's big screen version of the Broadway smash hit musical Jersey Boys is a frustratingly hollow big screen event that squanders a ripe storyline to become a meandering movie devoid of any real pulse, purpose or cinematic flair.
The story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons is clearly interesting enough to set Broadway alight and there are enough elements in the story of these entertainers to fill countless movie tales yet Eastwood's plodding direction seems to reign in all possible emotional arcs present. Joyous occasions feel like non-events, tragedy's appear as by-lines and even the songs of the group don't seem overwhelming eventual despite their obvious pop driven power. Eastwood has shown over recent decades a finely tuned directional mind, from the plains of the west in Unforgiven, the suburban streets of old school America in The Changeling or the battlefields of Japan in Flags of Our Fathers, his films have come to life but he can't breathe life into this rise and fall tale especially with his largely unexperienced cast delivering charisma free turns.
Without pretending to be a knowledgeable source on anything Frank Valli or the Four Seasons I would assume that the group possessed as healthy dose of charisma that for the most part in Eastwood's tale appears totally non-existent. Other than Boardwalk Empire's Vincent Piazza as the bands troubled leader Tommy DeVito all other acting members fail to make an impact, which more than likely stems from there history of stage performers not movie actors. John Lloyd Young as Frank Valli in particular can grate and despite his good singing work doesn't do much else to make us like him. When the best member of the cast is a dancing Christopher Walken in the closing credits you know you're in trouble but blame must largely fall to Eastwood for his direction of his actors and miss-telling of much of this story.
After Jersey Boys concluded I felt that I knew the group no better than when I started out, where successful musical tales like Walk the Line and Ray succeeded at shining a light on the genius and the drive these performers had and did so by bringing them totally to life, Jersey Boys feels like a mere splattering of events that never fully develop into anything more than mild curiosity for the audience.
2 oversized safe's out of 5
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