Fans of Broadway musicals or the Four Seasons may really enjoy this but as for me it was a bit of a struggle to finish

Rating: 6/10 (10 November 2014)

"There were three ways out of the neighborhood. You join the army and maybe you get killed. You get mobbed up and you might get killed that way or you get famous. For us it was two out of three." Tommy Devito (Piazza) is putting a band together and trying to make it big. Nothing really clicks until Frankie (Young) joins the group. His distinct singing gives the group a push but when songwriter Bob Gaudio shows up the group explodes. Things are turning out the way they all wanted until Tommy's demons catch up with all of them. This is the true story of the rise and fall of the Four Seasons. First thing I have to say about this movie is that I was a little disappointed. I am not a big Frankie Valli fan but I do love true stories and music. The big problem with this to me was the pacing. The first hour seems like back story and they struggle to get a record deal. Then 20 minutes of hit after hit come at you, then another hour of the group falling apart. I was mainly looking forward to the music and that part seemed to be glossed over. All that said though the actors were perfect. Every person in here (except Devito and Christopher Walken) has been in the stage production on and off Broadway and that really added to the movie. You really believe they are the real people and the movie does come off almost like a stage play. The biggest problem again though is that is seemed to drag on and I was losing interest a few times. Overall, fans of Broadway musicals or the Four Seasons may really enjoy this but as for me it was a bit of a struggle to finish. I give this a B-.