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Just a quick glance at the covers of the magazines lining your grocery store checkout aisles will tell you that not everyone can handle fame and fortune. Even before blogs and tabloids published paparazzi photos, though, celebrities struggled to deal with their success. That’s the subject of the hit Broadway musical Jersey Boys—and of director Clint Eastwood’s big-screen adaptation.
Jersey Boys tells the story of the iconic ‘60s quartet The Four Seasons. In the small New Jersey town where they grew up, there were just three ways to escape: join the military, join the Mob, or become famous. So, as teenagers, they hedged their bets, pulling off small-time heists and playing in a band when they weren’t in jail.
With the right combination of talent, determination, and luck, they managed to get a record deal—and their first big hit. But, as is often the case, with their success also came in-fighting, temptation, and misfortune.
If you grew up listening to songs like “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “Walk Like a Man” on your dad’s old eight-track player, you’re sure to find yourself humming along with the hits scattered throughout this musical bio. Even though the movie versions of the hit songs don’t always have quite the same polish as the originals, the music is still the highlight of the film.
But if you’re expecting Jersey Boys to be an upbeat summer musical—like Hairspray or Mamma Mia!—you’re in for a rather dreary surprise. This isn’t the typical fun-filled summer movie. It’s slower and drawn-out—about 30 minutes longer than it should have been—and the music doesn’t get much of the film’s focus. In fact, the group doesn’t get its first big hit until an hour into the film. Instead, the focus is often on the problems—on the rough road to stardom, as well as on the egos and bickering, the troubled family relationships, and the ever-building issues leading up to the group’s ultimate collapse. The story often travels off on tangents, which only seem to add to the increasingly gloomy tone of the film. Soon, it seems as though even the characters’ biggest successes are bittersweet.
Meanwhile, though the personalities and stories behind the film are definitely interesting—especially for the group’s fans—the performances aren’t as dynamic on screen as they may have seemed on stage. And the gimmicks brought in from the stage production tend to be more distracting than charming.
For fans of ‘60s music, Jersey Boys is a melancholy trip down memory lane. The music will certainly have you tapping your toes—and you’ll most likely be tempted to sing along (for the sake of those seated around you, though, please refrain). But the cheery tone of the classic tunes is weighed down by the drawn-out drama of yet another success story gone wrong.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
