Monday, June 30, 2014

Jersey Boys (The Movie)


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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