Review of Jersey Boys (2014) by Lorrie F — 22 Jun 2014

Not boring, but overlong and devoid of joy. The acting is very good, the voices are wonderful. But unlike the stage version, which allowed the audience to enjoy the rehearsal and concert presentations of the music, here director Clint Eastwood makes sure the audience is thoroughly depressed anytime songs are to be sung. The Four Seasons' personal tragedies drag their unhappiness (not that they aren't very sad situations) into every song performance, Every time, they suffer mightily as they plaster smiles on their faces and trudge out to sing. Delightful songs are muted by a heavy muffler of betrayal and grief.

Movies are, of course, different from stage plays. Certainly they are more realistic. However, in this film we are left feeling that these young men rarely felt joy in their singing, and therefore, the audience can't, either. Somehow the play managed to find a way to express the uplift of the music without downplaying the difficulty of the singers' lives. The movie doesn't. One gets the feeling that Eastwood cared only for the grimness of the story, so much so that he added what seemed like quite a bit of extra - and unnecessary - material to drive it all home. Somewhere in it all, there should have been room for a little fun.