Jersey Boys: Em Busca da Música

My wife and I were extremely and pleasantly surprised. I've never been into musicals...ever...my favorite up to this point was "The Sound of Music," which inspired me to get into the film industry in the first place, yet, we found ourselves seat dancing and bopping in our seats. We really enjoyed the interpersonal approach of having the characters each expressing their takes and their understanding of each situation, which brought a lot of comedic character moments to the storyline and subplots.

But the the thing that impressed us the most, was the decision to make the film NOT feel like a musical. No-one busted out in song at the wrong time...and the singing moments felt completely unforced. It was like watching a living biographical film. Great Directing job by Clint Eastwood.

Lastly, we didn't realize how many great hits Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons had. We thoroughly loved this movie....and can't wait to buy the soundtrack.

The theater was pack...and it was the biggest theater in the Tampa Bay area.

JERSEY BOYS is another winner from director Clint Eastwood and an adaptation of the popular stage musical about the life and times of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It's a lengthy and often slow-moving biopic that takes a long time to get to the fame and fortune of the group in their heyday, yet there's something engrossing about it all the same. It helps immeasurably that Eastwood is an assured direction who brings a sheen of class and professionalism to all of his films, making this a delight to watch.

Most of the cast members are taken straight from the musical, so their singing is quite wonderful. Their renditions of all the popular hits are quite amazing, particularly the power house climax which is incredibly moving and perfectly performed. The ending credits, in which the whole cast provide an encore in the classic musical tradition, could easily have been completely cheesy in the hands of a less experienced director but Eastwood makes it work, and then some.

Acting stand-outs are John Lloyd Young as family man Frankie, whose turbulent private life is in contrast to his serene presence on the stage, and Vincent Piazza, delivering a variant on his edgy presence in BOARDWALK EMPIRE. I was delighted to see Christopher Walken cast in support as well. As musicals go, I'm not a massive fan of the genre, but JERSEY BOYS is good enough even for non-fans. Check it out.

3 out of 4 stars.

I was really excited for this movie. I saw the play in Chicago about 5 years ago and loved it. Clint Eastwood is one of my favorite directors and I thought "Jersey Boys" would be one of my favorite films of this year, but I was disappointed by Eastwood's adaptation of the hit Broadway play. Maybe I set my expectations too high. It's hard not to compare it to the play.

The acting is top notch (particularly John Lloyd Young, who won a Tony for the play), the sets are authentic, and the music is great. However, I felt Eastwood decided to add more talking moments and put the music to the side. The music becomes more background noise and not the driving force of the film. The film becomes more of a standard music biopic than the musical on Broadway. I understand why they made some of the choices and some of them work very well, but I would have liked to have seen more musical moments.

A lot of time is placed on the exposition and I thought it kind of slowed the film down. The actors break the fourth wall throughout the film, but I don't think Eastwood's style worked as well with it. Films that break the fourth wall and talk directly to the camera (like Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" or Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas) have a particular energy that drives the film. Eastwood, though, has a slower and more patient style and I'm not sure if breaking the fourth wall always went well with the film. The actors are good enough to make it work though.

The movie is at its best when the music comes to the forefront. Eastwood does a good job of showing the fun the band has creating music and the audiences' reaction to the music. It shows the power of their music. One of my favorite moments is when the band plays "Cry for Me" for the first time. It's music being created so naturally and shows why Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons are great. Other great song moments include "My Eyes Adored You" and the tear jerking rendition of "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You."

Eastwood's "Jersey Boys" has its faults, but the sheer power of the music and the acting makes it a treat worth seeing.

I saw the stage play 27x in Chicago and 1x on Broadway. I was fully prepared to hate The movie. But, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's not easy to take a stage production and make a good movie. Some reviewers say it started out slow but so did the musical. Jeez, you have to get the beginning of their story! Eastwood kept the same premise by letting each member tell their story...you know there's each person's perception and then there's the real story. You can watch this movie and tap your feet and clap with the music. There was no one behind me so I got up and danced in my seat a couple times!! There was applause a few times in the theater just like at a stage production. There were a few things Clint changed that I wish he had left alone. There were a few things he expounded upon that I enjoyed. I will be going back over and over and over again. This is a good time to be had by all. I'd like to slap some professional critics who panned it. They are way off base.

It was not my call to see this movie but so glad I went along for the ride! It has at least a little something for everyone and a LOT for Frankie Valli fans. Granted, the narration is a little distracting at first, but you quickly get so into the story and the characters; the good times and the bad, that you adapt to it quickly. I thought I was tired of their music but I couldn't get enough of it. After several of the songs, the entire audience clapped as though we were at the performance portrayed in the movie. Eastwood knows what moves us, what makes us laugh and how to get us on our feet. He delivers it all big time. Seriously, what more do you want from a movie?