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Jersey Boys (2014)

Rate: 4
Viewed: 3/26

JerseyB
3/26: Frankie Valli said the following of Jersey Boys:

"I don't think it was cast properly, and I don't think it was done properly. The whole entity was not put together properly. I think Clint Eastwood is a great director and actor. I don't think this was right for him."

Sorry, I don't agree with him, especially after seeing some of Clint Eastwood's modern films such as Flags of Our Fathers, Changeling, and Invictus. The biggest trouble is that they are boring stories. Hence, all are box-office failures.

Here's another issue: every musical group obviously has a biography, but not all deserve a movie. At best, Jersey Boys is of TV material that got lucky to receive the royal treatment. The story is as bland as it can be; I can't for the life of me remember the first hour or the names of most characters. Breaking the fourth wall to narrate what's going on is a bad idea.

It doesn't help that Christopher Walken is the only notable person. According to Wikipedia: "For casting, Clint Eastwood sought to cast actors from the play itself rather than more marketable film stars. Eastwood noted that he was pressured to cast more famous leads; however, he refused, stating, 'You've got people who've done 1,200 performances; how much better can you know a character?'"

Going back to what Frankie Valli said, I say Clint Eastwood has lost it as a director...simply because he's getting too old (currently 95 years old). There's a fundamental shift in his films after 2000. Instead of telling a story and developing rich characters, he's more focused on photography. Sure, the image looks great, but that's not good enough. To see what I mean is checking out Bronco Billy, A Perfect World, and, most of all, Unforgiven. Plus, having a cast of well-known players along with Clint Eastwood helps immensely.

I know you may be thinking, "Hey, what the heck? Tommy DeVito...Joe Pesci...Goodfellas?" Yes, Tommy DeVito was a real person who had been friends with Joe Pesci since the 50's, and they're from the same area. Hence, Joe Pesci's famous character was renamed after him given that it was supposed to be Tommy DeSimone. By the way, if you watch The Deer Hunter, the Four Seasons can be heard singing "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" in one of the scenes involving Christopher Walken.

All in all, Jersey Boys is too long and ordinary.