Great Balls of Fire! ou la Légende vivante du rock and roll

Personally I disagree with the other user's comments as I saw this movie on TV a while ago and really enjoyed it. What makes it so interesting is the fact that someone would actually go ahead and marry their cousin who was only 13 years old.

This movie is pretty accurate and the acting and music is great.

Dennis Quaid's portrayal of the Killer is definitely one to watch.

His accent and facial expressions are priceless and Winona Ryder's Myra is sweet and believable. This movie offers a great insight into the personal life, music and career of J.L.L. A really enjoyable film I would highly recommend :-D

From some of the reviews here, I get the feeling many viewers of this film have never seen a Jerry Lee Lewis performance, much less have ever seen him offstage. Well, I can tell you, Dennis Quaid has the man down to pitch perfect. But it isn't just a great impersonation. Beneath every nuance and gesture is the frenzied heart and mind that probably would never have been able to function outside of the venue of rock and roll. Jerry Lee was the white man's Little Richard. He had rock and roll in his blood and he was BORN outrageous! He also made Elvis Presley look like a wind-up doll. `Great Balls of Fire' captures the essence of Jerry Lee's music, especially in the ‘musical' scene with the kids outside the high school. Rock and Roll breaks the rules, so why not have a film that breaks the rules by throwing in a musical number that obviously has no backup band? Those who have seen the high school rock and roll movies like `High School Confidential' and `Rock Rock Rock' will appreciate this spirited ode to them. Winona Ryder does a pretty good job for Winona Ryder, and it's fun to see John Doe (of the L.A. punk band `X') playing the somewhat stymied father of little Myra Gale. This film is not a biopic, it's a rock and roll movie, which is what the King of rock and roll (as far as I'm concerned) deserves. Is he a bad, bad man for marrying his thirteen-year-old cousin? Is it anyone's business? The marriage lasted longer then most marriages these days do. Even if it hadn't, I think people can be capable of respecting the artist and his music even if that artist's lifestyle offends them. That's this film's point of view, so no doubt, there will be viewers who will take offense. But to set the record straight, the whole world did not turn their back on Jerry Lee when the news got out about his marriage to his cousin. There were thousands of fans who actually embraced him more BECAUSE their parents and authorities hated him. And then there were just the fans (like myself) who will always love his music and audacious energy at the piano, and have decided to leave judgment of his personal life to whatever entity is in charge of such things.

Great Balls of Fire! is beyond a doubt one of the best movies I have ever seen. It's entertaining, funny, and gives an up close and personal look at the greatest rock star of the 50s. No, not Elvis, I'm talking about Jerry Lee Lewis! Before the movie I had never even heard of him, now he is one of my all-time favorite performers. Trust me, I was 9 years old when this movie came out, and if a movie is so good a 9 year old will pipe-down and watch, then you know its a excellent movie. So do yourself a favor and rent or buy this fantastic movie.

ciao bella!

An excellent job by director Jim McBride of putting Myra Lewis's book about the life of legendary rock and roll star Jerry Lee Lewis (her husband) on film.

Dennis Quaid gives an over the top performance (sometimes a bit too over the top; but, then again, this is Jerry Lee Lewis) as Lewis, arrogant and child-like, trying to deal with sudden fame, having to deal with the consequences of having married his thirteen year old cousin (Myra, who authored the book). Quaid was truly excellent in this role. Yes, the lip-synching was perhaps a bit too obvious at times, but for the sake of hearing some great music performed by the real Jerry Lee Lewis, that was an irritant I could easily put up with. The relationship between Lewis and Myra (Winona Ryder) is developed sensitively and tastefully by McBride. Humour is added by exploring the complex love-hate relationship between Lewis and his cousin, the evangelist Jimmy Swaggart (Alec Baldwin). There is also great irony, given what ultimately happened to Swaggart, as we listen to him lecturing Lewis about the dangers of taking the "gold-paved streets of rock and roll."

I really enjoyed this movie. Perhaps it was guilty of portraying everyone in it as a bit of a caricature, but it still seemed to offer an entirely believable story of Lewis's life. Well worth the watching.

9/10

This movie defines what Jerry Lee Lewis is all about:An enigma in all sense of the word. Dennis Quaid gives his finest performance,in this reviewer's humble opinion,as the Killer himself. The hair,the clothes,the accent are strike an uncanny resemblance. Winnona Ryder is absolutely marvelous as Myra. This movie depicts Lewis's life from his first hit,"Crazy Arms",to the scandal that almost shot his career down the toliet quicker than Elvis could eat a cheeseburger. What really makes this movie go is the soundtrack,including new performances by the Killer. It has humor,tons of drama,and some really revealing glimpses into the man,the myth,the legend that is Jerry Lee Lewis. I give this movie a 9 out of 10. It is with great sadness that I report that this movie is out of print and I pray to God that it will be re-released at the time of this writing. Get it if you can, because,WOOOOOOOOOOO,this movie's got the bull by the horns!!!!!!!