The Music Uplifts the Story

Rating: 7/10 (17 July 2014)

"The Jersey Boys" brings us all back to the early 1960s, young Francis Castelluccio, a hairdresser's apprentice with a unique high falsetto singing voice, takes on the name Frankie Valli. Together with a couple of petty criminals named Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi, they would sing in small gigs around town, going nowhere, except in jail when caught. When they meet a hot singer-songwriter named Bob Gaudio, they called themselves the Four Seasons and started a hot streak of Number One hits on the radio. However, their connections to the mob and loan sharks lead to strains within the group and their families.
It is the timeless music of the Four Seasons that keep this rather heavy-handed biopic afloat. It was hard to imagine that this film gets its origins from a successful original Broadway musical. Director Clint Eastwood takes things a little too seriously. It actually lacked excitement, humor and joy until they break into those unforgettable hit songs such as "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man".
It was strange that they play "My Eyes Adored You" (a solo Number One hit for Valli in 1975) before we see Valli perform his first solo hit, the Number 2 song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." It was also odd to hear that the producers at that time considered the very catchy "Can't" to be an experimental song that was unlikely to be a hit.
The four lead actors were unknown to me. They were supposed to have sung these songs themselves which is very impressive. The actor who played Frankie Valli is John Lloyd Young, who actually won a Tony for this same role in Broadway. His singing voice is unmistakably similar in quality to Valli's, and his singing scenes were glorious. However, he did look a bit old to play a 16-year old at the start. Also, in the non-singing parts, his theatrical style of acting was too dour and mannered for the big screen.
Doing better were the other three guys in the group. I liked the way Eastwood made them relate the story to the audience while they were still in the scene, like breaking the fourth wall. Vincent Piazza did not originate from the stage version, but he really shone as the rouge Tommy. Michael Lomenda had his musical and serio-comic moments as the deep-voiced Nick. However, the most potent screen charisma was from Erich Bergen as the clean-cut Bob.
I was surprised that the local Film Classification Board rated this film as PG when there are a lot of profanity, suggestions of drug abuse and scenes of sexual nature. These will be a bit awkward for parents who bring their kids in to watch. However, it is the music that will remain to be the most memorable aspect of this film. Their final performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 was electric (despite the bad aging make-up). I wanted to stand up and cheer. I positively loved the scene at the end credits set to the tune of "Oh What a Night", which looked like an actual stage curtain call. These final moments certainly buoyed up the whole film and left a good lasting impression and last song syndrome.