Directed by Clint Eastwood
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
In 2005, the story and music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons came to Broadway and left audiences bedazzled. Jersey Boys has now come to the big screen. The story follows the making and dismantling of the Four Seasons and the success of Frankie Valli.
While the story was successful on Broadway, it does not transition well onto film. The cast is well-put together, but the length becomes tiresome and doesn’t have the same effect on an audience as it would on stage.
John Lloyd Young, who played Frankie Valli on Broadway and took home a Tony Award for it, gives a fun performance but is not the standout actor from the cast. This is unfortunate given his stage praise and how iconic the role is.
The actor that pulls the most focus out of the Four Seasons is Vincent Piazza, who plays Tommy DeVito. DeVito is the one who discovers Valli and pulls the group together. He is also a loose cannon and causes turmoil to form within the group. Piazza’s execution is great overall and is the most enjoyable to watch.
The shining star in the overall cast is Renée Marino playing Mary, Frankie’s wife. She is phenomenal, transitioning from Broadway for this role when Eastwood saw her perform. Though this is her film debut, hopefully it will not be her last.
Jersey Boys lacks the ability to keep an audience interested for the duration of the film. Without the cast, the movie’s credibility would fade. There isn’t enough humour, the musical numbers are awkwardly executed sometimes, and is overall too long for what it has to offer.
The best part of the film’s aesthetics are the costumes and makeup. The makeup is particularly striking because the film ends showing the cast at the Rock and Roll hall of fame performance. This is 20 years after the group’s last performance together. The appearance of the actors is fantastic. At first glance they appear to be different actors until the camera zooms on their face. The makeup on the women during the ‘50s is also brilliant. The overall style of the film is exceptionally well done.
While the film did have its shining stars and fun aspects for viewing, it lacks flare. There are one or two numbers that are fun and memorable, but the others fade away from memory.
Jersey Boys is worth seeing if you are a fan of The Four Seasons but is an overall mediocre rendition of the story and musical.
