Jersey Boys [Celluloid Hero]

Jersey Boys (2014)

The musician biopic is one of the most formulaic genre of movies lately. Humble beginnings, big break, money and fame, groupies, drugs and/or money issues, hitting rock bottom, comeback, resolution. Despite that, I admit I'll watch just about any music biopic, unless it was about an artist I truly disliked. I'm not a super fan of The Four Seasons, but I enjoy the music, so "Jersey Boys" was worth a shot for me.

I really had no idea about the story of The Four Seasons. I knew they were from New Jersey, I knew Frankie Valli could hit crazy high notes, and that was about it. The main points are checked off: playing small gigs in bowling alleys leads to making hit records, which leads to the stress of the road, which leads to the breakup and the reunion. If this genre was comprised of fictional movies, it wouldn't last due to the repetitiveness. The fact that these are real people, real bands, real songs and real (for the most part) events makes it watchable and at the least stand out from the biopics that came before.

The movie was inspired by the hit Broadway play, but outside of a few aspects, didn't really read like a play. The cast does take moments to break the fourth wall and speak directly to the audience, which acted like the chorus of a play. Despite that, the rest felt like a regular movie. I've seen lots of dramatic movies that felt like plays based on movement and style, but this didn't come off like that. I would be interested in seeing the play just to get a feel for the differences.

The actors were not great. A lot of moments felt over-the-top and a bit cartoonish. The Italian accents and mannerisms were big stereotypes. I guess this style may read better on stage, where exaggerations are necessary to play to the back of the house. When put on a movie screen, they got to be a little bit too much.

If you like Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, obviously you'll enjoy this. If you're not into the oldies, then obviously you won't enjoy it. I have a soft spot for the oldies, and the combination of a new story and good music left me pleased.