Review of Jersey Boys (2014) by Kyle B — 23 Jun 2014

This is a good adaptation but it could have been better. John Lloyd Young did a great job again reprising the role he originated on broadway and Erich Bergen did a good job reprising his role he did on the touring cast.

Vincent Piazza, the only new member of the group without previous Jersey Boys experience, was really good as well especially since he had to keep up with the other 3. Christopher Walken has a nice part as well.

The musical numbers are almost enough to save this movie except Eastwood cut out alot of numbers or re arranged them or they were shorten and by the time the song was getting entertaining, it was over.

My complaint with the musical comes to this movie too, the whole getting famous story is really not all that exciting and it makes it a long process to get to the interesting stuff. I think Eastwood's approach to this film making it less of a musical and more of a biopic would have worked if he distance himself from the original musical and just did his own thing but since it is based on the musical, he should have kept the theatrical element of the show.

One thing he did keep from the musical was breaking the fourth wall which I usually love but it just was not needed in this movie. Still, the musical numbers (the ones that are there) make the movie worth your time and the performances as well especially if you are a fan of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.