Movie #928 "Jersey Boys" is really good -------- a tad long, but it has a lot of numbers to get across. For a movie that depends more on story, really, than choreography (the 4 guys sings and do a couple of foot moves, but that's it --- we who know the musical aren't surprised at all in this, since that is what was done mostly on stage), I enjoyed the tweaks Eastwood did to the movie. He knows how to tell a story, so it moves along much like the musical did, with each guy (except for Frankie ) narrating a big segment of the film (I'm glad he kept that!) Another thing he did write was to cast 3 out of the 4 guys with actual Broadway people, and one in particular (Frankie Valli) who won the tony award for playing the character. So everyone (but Tommy) looked very comfortable in the musical numbers and that helps because there are a lot of them, and the whole idea of the film (and the musical) is "Oh what a night" it was when they could just sing, and not think about the money stuff or the family stuff that got in the way of their singing career. Eastwood tries to be faithful to the music, so at one point he has a full orchestra on stage to back up Frankie, and that makes a pretty exciting moment, not to mention the wonderful curtain call, and the high point (that works well, too, because he has taken time to get across all the characters and how they feel about Tommy's mishandling of the group. It's still the same story about how important it is where you come from, the old friends are worth holding on to, that family is everything, that working hard can bring success (instead of trying to make it happen by doing something illegal), that making music with others can be a natural high when money doesn't get in the way of the friendships! Critics are being a bit harsh on this one, but I think it's because we tend to use a tighter meter on our musicals and comedies..........so, critics, give this one some slack. I think it might be a musical that will bring in as many men as women, and that's not a bad thing with musicals.
Jersey Boys2014NR I would give this 4 out of 5 stars!
Adapted from the hit Broadway musical, this nostalgic look at the Four Seasons and their bumpy offstage lives stretches across four decades. Each of the musical act's four original members presents a different set of memories from their shared past.
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