Greetings,
So what do you think of when I say the words Clint Eastwood and music? Oh, you did not just respond with Paint Your Wagon. Yeah, how about we leave that for another day. If you know what's good for you, those words might make you think of how he has been quite successful as a musician when it comes to scoring his own movies and even writing some actual songs for them. And whilst I am not one who tends to notice score, believe it or not, I usually do remember the ones CLint has done. Still, even though he has been quite vocal about his love of music, I really never would have guessed that he would be the one to spearhead the latest Broadway musical brought to the big screen project, Jersey Boys. And yet, here we are.
As I said, Jersey Boys was originally a Broadway musical, which told the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, or just the Four Seasons, depending on whose side you're on. It tells their story from beginning to end, and, of course, it features a ton of their fantastic music. It debuted in 2005 and was very successful. A film version seemed inevitable. It just took almost ten years. Now I never saw the musical on stage, so I have no idea how much of the film was faithful to that. Then again, I have no idea how faithful the play was to real life. I don't recall hearing about any slander lawsuits, so I'm guessing it was as accurate as possible. Anyway, let's talk about that movie.
I am certainly someone who enjoys knowing the stories behind the music, so to speak, and Jersey Boys does that in a very good way. It doesn't just tell one person's account. Each guy from the band gets their say, though they may, at times, contradict each other. And the way that the guys tell their story is by way of a lot of asides. Seriously, if you have major issues with characters in movies breaking the fourth wall, you might have a problem here. I assume that this was done in the stage production, and they decided to carry it over. Still, there is a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. I think they did it right here.
Okay, now let's get to the cast, which was incredibly good. First is John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli. All the while I was watching, I was wondering two things: was he really singing and if so, was he the guy who was in the Broadway production? Well, yes and yes. And he was impressive, mostly with the singing. It is not easy to mimic a voice as distinct as that. Then, we have Vincent Piazza as Tommy DeVito. If we are going to classify the Four Seasons as a boy band, I suppose we would have to label Tommy as the "bad boy". Yeah, he might have gotten himself into a little trouble here and there. Thing is, though, Piazza played him in such a way that he was kind of likable. Sure, you might want to punch him a couple times, but you also rooted for him a bit, too. Next is Nick Massi played by Michael Lomenda. Apparently, Nick was the "other one" in the band. You know what I'm talking about. And this isn't me saying it. He flat-out calls himself the Ringo of the group, and we all know what that means. He was the guy who was just kind of ... there, but when time came for him to say something, he did. Finally, there's Bob Gaudio played by Erich Bergen. He got invited into the group because he was the songwriter. And that, of course, means that he was the most important member ever. Because the writer is always the most important person. I know, because I am one. Kidding aside, if I had to pick a favorite, I would pick him, if only because I can relate to him. They did use him in these interesting scenes showing how someone would randomly say something and that would inspire him to write a song. That's how it works. All in all, though, these four guys were really great together, chemistry-wise, and if they hadn't been, it could have ruined the whole thing. Thankfully, they worked together amazingly.
Of course, these guys weren't the only ones in the movie, as you know. May as well start at the top with Christopher Walken playing...Christopher Walken. Okay, he's actually playing a guy named Gyp DeCarlo, but he's doing his Christopher Walken thing throughout. I mean, that's what we want from him, am I right? Then, there was Renee Marino as Mary, Frankie's wife. God bless her, she did a fantastic job of playing a woman who appears to be maybe not so nice at times. That is not as easy as it looks. We also got Mike Doyle in this, who some of you may recognize as O'Halloran, formerly one of the best forensic techs on Law and Order: SVU, but you probably won't. Yeah, as much as I've seen him on SVU, I totally did not know that was him until I IMDB'd it. But that's good. It means he has range. And, wow, does he get to have some fun here, playing Bob Crewe, who was the producer for the Four Seasons, and also did some songwriting as well. I don't want to give too much away about this guy, because I'd rather you experience it for yourselves. Let's just say that things were a tad different fifty plus years ago. Also, there was Joe Pesci. Not actual Joe Pesci but a guy named Joey Russo playing actual Joe Pesci, who apparently was a friend of theirs back in the day. Oh, and this Russo guy was hilarious.
You also might want to keep your eyes open for cameos by some familiar faces. You get Steve Schirrppa, of course, because, let's face it, Jersey Boys is just a less violent, more musical, long episode of The Sopranos. Also, you'll see Francesca Eastwood, Clint's lovely daughter. I knew I'd see one of his kids in this, and I thought I recognized her. And we get to see Barry Livingston. Ernie Douglas from My Three Sons, right the heck there. I didn't see that one coming. Good times. Honestly, there were a lot of small roles and everyone was good.
So, as I have stated often, I am a great admirer of Clint Eastwood. I really like his directing style, and this is just him doing what he does best. And while on the subject of the behind the scenes action, shock of all shocks, Brett Ratner was apparently involved in this as an executive producer. Okay, I am not such a fan of his as a director, but it seems that, in this role, he does just fine. That gives me much relief, by the way, since he is apparently also going to be involved in the Hank Wiliams bio starring our beloved Tom Hiddleston. Hopefully, he'll do just as good of a job there as he did here.
In closing, finally, I am going to tell you to go see this. Now I suppose it's not exactly necessary to see it on the big screen. Rent if you must. But if you are a music lover, especially the music of the Four Seasons, I say go to the theater. Honestly, it's a good idea if you always wanted to see the stage production, because you really get surrounded by all the richness of that wonderful musical. It sounded unbelievable. Of course, I realize that this movie is getting mixed reviews, but I just don't get it. It's well-acted, well-directed, well-produced. I'm sorry nothing blows up, but what more do you want? Just see Jersey Boys, one way or another.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
