Jersey Boys

After doing this for a couple years now, there are a few reviews that I dread to write:

Inspired reviews for uninspiring movies.

They are movies that I can't gleefully tear to pieces because they weren't bad, nor can I praise their existence because often I forget about them mere hours after exiting the theater.

Jersey Boys is one of those films.

I've always wanted to see the Broadway play because I've heard great things about it. Not to mention, I love The Four Seasons. I still remember the first time I heard them (at an A&W with my mother when I was in my teens) and I instantly researched them and went on a Four Seasons binge listening for a while. "Sherry" is still an instant classic in the storied history of music and if you were to try and define the term "unique sound" within the industry, you'd be hard pressed to do so without at least mentioning The Four Seasons. Once I heard that Clint Eastwood would be directing the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, my interest piqued and I put this one on my radar.

That was several months ago though. And a lack of marketing combined with an odd release date for a Oscar-bait type of film really had me puzzled.

"Yaaaa gurl I wanna grind up n` down on ya."

"Blame that ish on the alcohol!"

The frustrating thing about Jersey Boys isn't the story itself. In fact, that may be one of its strong suits, along with its music. The film tells the story of how the group formed and subsequently fell apart (as most music groups do for some reason or another). The film seems to think that its events have much more gravitas than they actually do though. Apparently the members of the Four Seasons were somewhat connected to the Mob. The movie tries to treat this factoid as if it is serious enough to warrant your attention when there were no killings, drug running, etc. The worst that happened to these guys was that one of the members got deep in debt. I felt like the movie treated this like he had just decapitated someone. There were mountains made out of molehills in a film that should have been more focused on their music.

But a worse crime than that is that the film just feels so...uninspired. As I said earlier, it's by no means a BAD film. Most historical musician dramas aren't. But this one just doesn't even feel like there was a good solid effort put in. There's no pizazz in the performance bits, the film is one of the softer R-ratings I've ever seen, and the characters are clichéd and at times feel forced. Whereas the play might be magical on Broadway, the film version is anything but, save for a somewhat well orchestrated ending.

"We got money on our mind!"

There are a few bright spots hidden among the mediocrity though. As you may be aware, the songs are as good as they have ever been and the talent of the cast is undoubtable. Surprisingly, their performances are solid given that many of them were newbies and that they had a lame script to work with. Additionally I found the settings of the eras to be well portrayed.

Clearly, I'm running out of words with how to review this film. It made me question whether this was really a story even worth telling given all the other musician dramas there could be. Just the fact that I was thinking that made it clear to me that the movie didn't do its job properly in the same way that the musical has done for so many fans.

Go if you want to hear some Four Seasons music. Go if you are truly interested in the story behind the band.

But save your money if you are looking for anything that will feel like it was made with at least a little bit of movie magic.

CONS:

• Remarkably uninspired. Not a bad film, no. But one that, other than the music, is instantly forgettable
• I imagine that anyone who loved the Broadway play will be very disappointed
• The movie has an R-rating but doesn't really push any boundaries...
• ...Probably because the severity of the band's situation wasn't nearly as heavy as the film made it out to be
• Slightly overlong with a few too many scenes that weren't necessary
• I couldn't connect with the movie in really any way. I felt no emotion towards the story, the characters, the technical style, etc
• For a film about a group with a unique sound, this is a very bland movie

PROS:

• The music is still fun and it certainly gets its fair share of play time
• Strong performances both musically and dramatically from the core group
• Christopher Walken does well in his role...better than Eastwood would have done (as I imagine he was one time considered for the role)
• A *somewhat* well orchestrated ending
• Even though the film tells it in an uninteresting way, the story itself is still worthwhile

Rath's Review Score: 5.5/10