But, if you really want, I can get a rant in late this week or early next week. Yes, this is the 701st posting to the blog since I started with the promise to post at least once a week. I grew to like it after reluctantly taking up the gauntlet. I love coming here and writing about whatever tickles my fancy. Today is no exception.
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This is one of my semi-notorious reviews. I don’t follow the usual formats, I look for different things in a movie than the professional critics, and I play from the heart. I also happen to have been a fan of Frankie Valli since I was a little kid. I saw him (and the Four Seasons/1977 incarnation) in concert many years ago. I was blown away by the concert. It still ranks as the best one I’ve ever attended. Once again my dating life suffered because the music was so much more important than the girl. Yeah, I’m known to be stupid like that on occasion.
When the musical Jersey Boys was making the rounds I managed to be working/otherwise engaged every time it was within range. I hated that fact, and jumped for joy when I heard about the movie. Tuesday I sat in a largely empty theater and saw the movie. My lovely wife could not attend with me. That turned out to be a good thing.
Yes, the chair-dancing, foot-tapping, and singing along quietly would have bugged her. I felt justified way up in the back where nobody would be bothered. It was one of those movies. I knew all the words, I knew a part of the story (not as much as I thought, it turns out) and I grinned like an idiot for most of the movie. If you’d like a taste before we go on, here’s the trailer.
Yes, I loved it for all the wrong reasons. I’m just a bit young to have been an original fan – caught the fever on the second wave of fame for the group. I know the music and love singing along. The falsetto that Frankie has used all these years amazes me. It’s got Christopher Walken, for pity’s sake – how could it not be great?
Now, let’s talk negative. It drags in a few spots. Nothing a bit of editing couldn’t have fixed, but as has been noted in other reviews it hovers between a jukebox movie and a biopic. Seems to be hard to tell sometimes which direction would do best. But as a writer I get the whole painful process of telling enough story to get the facts in, and entertaining an audience that doesn’t care about facts. It’s a fine line, and the movie hitches up on that in a few places. Trimming the whole thing about 10 minutes would fix the issues I had with the movie. Of course, Clint Eastwood can still kick my butt, so I’m respectfully noting this, not harping on the point. But at some point you have to decide whether you want to tell the back story or just tell a story.
The production values are very high in the movie, it’s a great picture to watch. The details all seem correct to me and while it doesn’t sugar coat the characters and their problems, it does give them a relatively easy treatment. I again hearken to the “tell a story” or “tell the story” dilemma – nasty sides to these people would put you off the movie. The only off-putting part of the film is the frequent dropping of profanity into the story. As an old sailor I didn’t mind. But if you have tender ears or little ones, this isn’t a great movie for you to spend your nickel to see. Avoid the acid indigestion. If, however, you can tolerate some swearing, it’s appropriate to the tale and fits in naturally. Just warning anyone who gets their undies-in-a-bundle over such things.
So, it’s pretty, the music is good, the story is engaging, and it drags a bit in a few spots with some f-bombs. How many stars? That’s not an easy guess. If you’re a Frankie Valli fan, it’s 4 stars out of 5. If you’re not a fan, it probably gets a 2.9 or 3 because the story won’t catch you right away. Wait for 20 minutes to get out of the set up and back story and it will grab you by the throat. I waited. And, finally, I’d suggest you wait through the credits. You might get to see a dance number for the ages.
It’s a great popcorn flick for $5 in a matinee. It’s a great flick if you’re a fan of the band. It’s an adequate flick if you’re going at night and paying full price and not a fan. See: clear as mud.
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