As someone indifferent to the music of the Four Seasons the
movie Jersey Boys was Dreamgirls without the fun. Frankie Valli is pampered star Deena. Tommy
DeVito is bitter cast-off Effie. Nick Massi is goofy, oblivious Lorell. And Bob
Gaudio is Michelle, the fourth Dreamgirl who showed up and did her d**n job.
Tommy gets the blame for the groups debts but the film shows
Frankie and Nick as equally corrupt. I admired the film for the courage to
feature such unpleasant characters till I realized it wanted me to view their
criminal behavior as charming. Beyond Gaudio the most sympathetic characters
were producer/lyricist Bob Crewe, portrayed here as Sassy Gay Friend, and
Frankie’s wife, portrayed here as Patti LuPone in Evita.
The film never bothers to tell a Four Seasons newcomer why
exactly their music was special. That seems a wasted opportunity… And the old
age makeup at the end is atrocious.
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