Who saw JERSEY BOYS? Members' Comments (WARNING: SPOILERS ALLOWED!)

[KC]

It's time to get our traditional "members' comments" threads started.

In this thread, spoilers are allowed. Anyone who has seen Jersey Boys and has more to say than can be safely posted in the "No Spoilers" thread, please give us your thoughts, comments or full-fledged review.

[Perry]

Saw it a few hours ago here in California. Pretty decent movie. As far as detail it certainly was on target. I didn't see the play so it would be hard to compare, but on the whole the adult crowd (half empty) I think came away liking it. My girlfriend loved it. For myself, I thought it was Eastwood's best movie since Gran Torino. I'd give it 3 stars out of 5. In all honesty the coming attractions for the James Brown movie beforehand looked more interesting and exciting. I thought the best part of the movie was the last 10 minutes in the closing credits where the whole chorographed cast sang and danced to some of the songs. Worthy effort.


                                                   OxBo

[exit00]

I saw Jersey Boys at the first showing today and the theatre was at least half full for the first matinee showing.  I really enjoyed the film and as I predicted last year, it was not in the style of your usual Hollywood musical with characters breaking into song to tell the story.  Rather it was more like Walk The Line where the songs were sung in the studio and in concert.  Having the characters talk to the camera at times to me really worked well and rather unique for this kind of film.  The acting was all around very good and Clint made a wise decision to go with these guys rather than well-known actors/singers.  For me, the rendition of Can't Take My Eyes Off of You was the highlight among many great songs performed in the film.  Like Perry, I also really enjoyed the ensemble song and dance sequence during the closing credits.  Half the crowd clapped when the film was over so I also think that most of the people there really liked it.  Rating it as a bipic film as it is, I'd give it a B+ or maybe an A-.

[Perry]

It was a decent movie. I give Eastwood kudos for attempting to make this movie. Personally, I hope it makes money. Unless you saw the play or are a diehard Seasons fan or Eastwood person along with the R rating It may be limited to a certain age group...More people were flocking to see X-Men and the dopey 22 Jump Street where I was
@ today.

[Christopher]

I saw it at the first matinee today as well. The theater wasn't full by any means, but it really was a nice crowd there. It's been a while since I've seen a movie with that size of a crowd honestly (of course sometimes I make it to weekday matinees, as opposed to an opening Friday afternoon). The crowd was made up of mostly older adults--I hope I can say that without getting myself into trouble.

I enjoyed the movie. I, like exitt00, really enjoy the song "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You." That one has always been a favorite of mine anyhow, and I'm familiar with a lot of the other songs from the Four Seasons. I could tell that a lot of the other people in the theater enjoyed the movie as well, and some were even quietly singing along during the closing credits.

I might try to make it back to see the movie before it leaves theaters at some point here in the near future.

Edit: You know, I didn't even notice that I was posting in the thread that allows for spoilers as well. If it's okay, I think I'll post the above in the non-spoilers thread as well. As far as discussion of spoiler type material, I didn't know much about Frankie Valli, so I was very surprised when his daughter died. As the film progressed, I kept wondering if I'd ever heard of his daughter, but couldn't seem to place her. And of course, as I said, I don't know much about his life in the first place.

[billyward14]

MY YOUTUBE POST ON YOUR FALLON INTERVIEW CONCERNING JERSEY BOYS::
jeffytheblueclown 5 minutes ago
 
BIG PROBLEM WITH THE STORYLINE: THE MOVIE OPENS UP IN 1951. During the robbery, Frankie as the lookout, is supposed to give a warning by singing "Silhouettes", a hit by the Rays. Only problem- "Silhouettes" came out in1957!!!!
Also in the court room scene, where Frankie's Mom yells at Tommy, and Tommy mocks Frankie's innocence by singing "EARTH ANGEL", a record that was first released by the Dootone label in 1954, and later by Mercury in 1955!!!
Very sloppy screenwriting, and script continuity. Very surprised that Marshall Brickman, the co-writer, and Woody Allen's first collaborator would make such a mistake! I'm Just as surprised by Clint Eastwood letting this go, but in HIS defense, his forte is blues, and jazz, NOT doo wop, nor 1950's vocal group harmony. Marshall was a young man at the time "Silhouettes", and "EARTH ANGEL" were hits. HE LIVED THE MUSIC! HE SHOULD KNOW BETTER!....JEFF RUBIN, PROFESSIONAL SONGWRITER, LIFELONG VOCAL GROUP HARMONY LOVER AND HISTORIAN!"
 SUGGESTION: CLINT, NEXT TIME, MAKE THE EFFORT TO BE MORE ACCURATE CONCERNING A  PERIOD PIECE! YOU WOULDN'T HAVE KENNY G IN A SCENE WITH CHARLIE PARKER, now WOULD YOU??? IT'S EMBARRASSING!!!..... J

[KC]

Thanks for your review, billyward14.

[Christopher]

That is interesting, billyward. I would have never known that.

Is the play version set up about the same as the film? There's normally differences in how they bring a stage play to the screen, but I'm curious about that since I've never seen the play.

[KC]

I think it's called "poetic license."

I imagine 99.99% of the audience doesn't know or care when those songs were written.

[keyslammer]

KC, I am one of those who could care less as to the accuracy of the dates the songs came out.  What was done in the movie worked and worked well IMO.  I don't get these people who make a point to point out every tiny thing in a movie....something that is supposed to be for entertainment purposes.  Many times in the making of a screenplay it's totally different than what one might see on Broadway.  Perhaps this person who is SO critical of everything in the movie should change their career into one that involved being a consultant for people who wanted to make a movie.

[The Schofield Kid]

Is the play version set up about the same as the film? There's normally differences in how they bring a stage play to the screen, but I'm curious about that since I've never seen the play.

My wife and I saw it last night and we loved it. Having seen the stage show recently, we were happy to see it stick to that production. There may have been some scenes added or missing but I can't remember any.

If you like The Four Seasons and the music of that time period or you've seen the stage play and enjoyed it, you'll enjoy the movie. Others may find it a little long and boring so I wouldn't be getting exciting and rushing out to see this just because Clint is directing. You need to have some enthusiasm for the story and people.

And it was great to see Christopher Walken get to do a dance during the closing number. I was wondering when his usual dance moment was going to show up in the film.

4/5.

[Christopher]

Glad to hear the movie lived up to your expectations after having watched the play, SK!

[AKA23]

I saw "Jersey Boys" too. Overall, I thought it was a decent film. I'll first discuss what works well. There are few musical productions on display in the film, but what is there is well done. Eastwood knows music, and his decision to use mostly Broadway actors who had previously played these characters on the stage was a good choice. In addition, Eastwood's decision to have the actors sing live also works well, as it adds a degree of authenticity to this project that gives it an added credibility. Christopher Walken's supporting performance is also good, and I liked the actress who played a minor supporting role as a reporter.

However, despite these positive elements, for me this really wasn't a very enjoyable film to watch.  My well publicized reservations about this film centered around it being a musical, but what I found most surprising about the way Eastwood directed the film version is that it really isn't a musical at all. In transforming the Broadway musical from the stage to the screen, Eastwood and the screenwriters chose to place the music in the background, and to foreground the back story. As a result, there are very few musical numbers which are heard in their entirety. Eastwood is constantly cutting down the musical numbers and shifting back to the plot. In my opinion, this was a huge mistake.

The reason why is that what is left is a pretty run of the mill, by the numbers musical biopic with all the usual elements we have come to expect from this type of film. The rise and fall of the band, relationships being formed and then breaking apart, and the usual family drama. Since we've all seen this story told many times before, none of it is really very interesting to watch on film. This is why I found the film to be so puzzling. To me, the attraction of filming this project was that it was a musical. While I personally don't like musicals, many do, and to me,  this is what is new and different and unique about this project. Absent the musical factor, there's really nothing special about this play, yet rather than making the music the centerpiece, Eastwood chose to sideline it. The songs should be the star, but in Eastwood's film, they are not.

In my opinion, the screenplay is also a bit of a mess. It is very similar to the screenplay for Eastwood's last film as a director, "J.Edgar." It is very episodic, it goes back and forward in time, and there is very little indication of what time period we are in or where the story is going. It is very disjointed, and because of the screenplay's structure, it is often difficult to follow. Characters appear and disappear, only to reappear later. We spend so little time getting to know many of them that by the time they re-appear, moments that are supposed to be poignant fall rather flat. A good example of this is the story with Frankie Valli's daughter and the scenes having to do with Valli's marriage to his wife. This script really needed major revisions before being filmed.

For many of the above reasons, I came way with feeling that this project really wasn't a good fit for Eastwood as a director. The film is very slow, the cinematography is quite dull and monochromatic, and Eastwood's preference for human drama, which usually works well on film, ends up crowding out the more unique and interesting elements of this project. The film lacks vitality, it lacks energy, and it lacks warmth. A film of this kind should be fun and bright, not dull and ponderous, but this film makes it seem like a horrible experience to have been a member of the Four Seasons.  In my opinion, Eastwood tries too hard to transform this film into the type of dark and brooding human dramas that he enjoys making, but his attempts to do so don't fit the tone of this project or the desire of the audience to feel energized and to feel the incredible highs that must accompany being a member of a band that was so popular for so long.

Some parts of the movie work well, and overall, I think this is a decent film. I quite liked the concluding scene when the gang gets together after many years apart and tells the audience what they have learned from the experience. The film is worth a viewing, but I can't say that I'll  have the desire to see it again. 

[Susan Larson]

Absolutely loved Jersey Boys except that I stayed until the very end of the very last credit expecting to see Topo Gigio make a cameo appearance at the end. That was my only disappointment. I thought for sure he'd be there - maybe even kissing Frankie....

[Jed Cooper]

Sad to say the opportunity to see Jersey Boys has passed me by.  Since 1982, I've only missed 4 Clint Eastwood movies.  That's not bad but I was looking forward to this one. I don't think Honkytonk Man was in wide release but at 16 years of age, it was far from the type of film I'd want to see him in at the time.  I didn't go out if my way for Bird, but I probably would've had to go into Boston (rather than where I'd usually go, Revere, MA) to see it.  I intentionally avoided Hereafter but regret missing Jersey Boys. I've heard many good things about it so now I'll have to wait until it comes out on DVD.  I'm happy for those that have seen and enjoyed it.

[KC]

^ This announcement contains a spoiler?

[Jed Cooper]

^ This announcement contains a spoiler?

Just posting my thoughts on the subject at hand, not what's mentioned in parenthesis.

[Jed Cooper]

My wife got me Jersey Boys on DVD for my birthday.  I picked up a copy for her mom for Christmas but will exchange it since she lives with us.  I watched it today.   I'd like to take back something I said some years ago after being disappointed with Invictus and disgusted with Hereafter.  I said something to the effect that a Clint Eastwood movie is one that he stars in.  Period.  J. Edgar and Jersey Boys has proven me wrong.  After all, not every movie he starred in was great (I do stand by my statement that I consider him the greatest actor ever).  Also, I apologize to those who may have taken offense to what I said at that time.  I felt very strongly about it then but not anymore. 

I enjoyed this film.  I thought it was done very well. I enjoyed seeing album covers by Elvis, Ricky Nelson and Sinatra on the wall behind Dick Clark on The Four Seasons' appearance of American Bandstand.  The Joe Pesci references were great; "Funny how?" from Goodfellas and "Ok, ok, ok!" from the Lethal Weapon series.  Of course, it was very cool seeing a snippet of Rawhide on one of the hotel room TV sets, too.

I thought the acting was very good.  The musical numbers were done very well and were entertaining.  The Four Seasons were big in their day, probably the last big thing before The Beatles came along.  It's nice knowing they're inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame.  Deservedly so.