Review of Jersey Boys (2014) by Phil P — 24 Jun 2014

Clint Eastwood (a director I typically really like and staunchly defend) was the wrong choice to process this bubble gum. There's just no argument to be made to the contrary. It's possible he pulled better dramatic moments out of his actors than some hack might've, but with this material such contributions are beside the point.

Clint turns a lively jukebox musical into a forgettable biopic mixed with an even more forgettable gangster movie. I would say, this director of great films like 'Unforgiven' and 'Mystic River' isn't even capable of producing the kind of fanciful fluff this movie should've been, but I guess that isn't true either, and here's why: This movie ends with the Four Seasons singing under a street light and then breaking loose down a West Side Story style street in a candy colored, dance filled curtain call rendition of one last Four Seasons summertime song.

In the aftermath of the rest of the movie - this completely appropriate scene reminded me less of other great musicals than feeling I had after the recent bitch slap that was Ridley Scott's Prometheus.

With this last, joyous musical number the filmmakers are showing us the movie we would've rather seen, but they weren't interested in making.