Movie: Jersey Boys

Jersey Boys: a drama with music.  Clint Eastwood’s movie version of the play by the same name.  Both tell the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  The group’s history is complex.  The movie version is a tale of East Coast Italians.  The fact that the group featured a singer with an unique falsetto sound becomes, at times, incidental to the storyline.  Starting with “Sherry”, the group had many major hits including “My Eyes Adored You”.  With the group’s musical heritage and with Eastwood having done the Charlie Parker film Bird, I was expecting more scenes such as  the film’s closing number and the scene during the credit run of the group singing at night under a street light.   Instead, the focus is on how Valli escaped the neighborhood mafia allure.  The film has a slow start; the second half is much more entertaining.  Whenever Christopher Walken as Gyp DeCarolo, the local mafia fixer, is on screen, the movie has a positive energy.  I was not so enthused by John Lloyd Young as Valli.   I understand he played Valli in the Broadway version, however, on screen, there was something missing.  Also, his voice lacks that Valli magic.  There are amusing scenes, particularly whenever a character named Joey appears - the future Joe Pesci, played by Joseph Russo.  I didn’t know Pesci and Valli were from the same neighborhood.  There is also an excellent acting performance by Mike Doyle as music producer Bob Crewe. I also liked the Rawhide clip that runs before the Bob Gaudio (Eric  Bergin) character losses his virginity.  What doesn’t work are the drop-in scenes between Valli and his wife Mary (Renee Marino).  For instance, out of the blue, Valli and Mary have three teenage daughters with one, Francine, being quite troubled.  During the 134 minute playing time, there is a lot to like about the film and if you are a Four Seasons fan, you should see the movie.   The film, however, is choppy and at times, particularly during the first half, it drags.  It seems as if Eastwood could not decide what he wanted to do with the material: West Side Story or The Godfather.