by Joseph Rossi
I love musicals. It is my favorite genre. It’s pure fantasy and I always succumb to the joys of watching actors break out into song and dance on a whim. When I heard that Clint Eastwood was directing the film adaption of the hit Broadway show, Jersey Boys, I wasn’t sure he was the right fit. After seeing the film, I’m certain, he’s not.
I’m one who can separate a film from its source material. A book is a book, a movie is a movie, a play is a play, etc. Different mediums play by their own rules. I don’t freak out when one differs from the other. As one who has actually seen Jersey Boys on stage in Las Vegas, I was enthusiastic when I heard this film was taking place. The show is about the rags to riches story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It uses a Rashomon effect, which has every member of the foursome telling their sides of the story. It delves into how they got their start; their criminal pasts and their association with organized crime. It’s a fun and zippy musical that evokes a good sense of nostalgia. Pretty good base for a movie.
My issue is that Clint Eastwood isn’t fun and zippy. His movies take the slow approach. They take their time to get to the reveals. I’m not questioning his talents. I love Eastwood as a director. I don’t even question his reasons for taking this project on. He’s an accomplished musician, his son is a jazz artist — the man knows his music. But the film doesn’t move. The show had pep. The film doesn’t. The Rashomon effect doesn’t work at all. I would’ve rather seen a straight narrative without the actors talking to the camera. It works on stage but not in a movie like this. It’s too distracting.
The cast is great. Aside from Boardwalk Empire’s Vincent Piazza (who plays Tommy DeVito) and Christoper Walken playing a mob boss, the cast is rounded out with members from the various stage productions. Tony winner John Lloyd Young is perfection as Valli. He belts out tunes like Walk Like a Man and Big Girls Don’t Cry and actually make us forget the real life Valli and his original voice. He’s that good. Same goes for Erich Bergen and Michael Lomenda as Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi. They all make it seem too easy.
See this for the music and for the cast. They don’t disappoint. But for Eastwood, this is misstep.
