Frankie Valli and his friends are raised in New Jersey. Frankie, Tommy and Dickie are a small time band until they hire a new member of the group who is a terrific songwriter. The rest, as they say, is history. It is not necessarily a pleasant bit of history for those who lived it, but it made for a terrific movie.
The showing we went to was almost full at mid-day. It was mostly oldsters like myself, but there were a few young folks there. With that many old prostates in the crowd, it was shocking that no one left the theater to visit the restroom during the show. Other than me. Ha, ha. Clint Eastwood produced and directed this film. He is old enough to identify with this era of music and he is also a former professional pianist, having worked his way through college by playing in bars. (Jazz) Let me say that the acting is good throughout the movie, which means Clint did a good job as director.
When I got home just now and ran down a few reviews, I was shocked to see how the movie was criticized. I can see how younger reviewers might think it less magical because of the generation(s) gap, however.
I thought the movie would be a typical story of famous people who destroy their lives and families with drugs and I was pleasantly surprised that it was more upbeat. Oh, yeah, plenty of bad stuff went down, as life arranges sometimes, but they moved on fairly quickly from that stuff. Yeah, they had to deal with crooked people in the record business, and in their own circle of friends. How would you like to tour a few years just to pay your friend's debts to the mob, then find out he took money from your accounts to use for his own ends?
This movie has a great sound track, as you would expect. Songs like Walk Like a Man, My Eyes Adored You, Stay, Rag Doll and Sherry, my personal favorite.
Really, should anyone have to perform on Ed Sullivan after being threatened by a gangster? How rude! By the way, I can remember seeing that show, as well as their American Bandstand appearance. Back then, we jumped on the chance to see shows like Hullaballo (Tuesday night), Shindig (Wednesday night) and Where the Action Is (Weekdays after school). Any place we could see some Rock and Roll. Paul Revere and the Raiders, I still love you guys. Seriously.
I can well imagine that all the relatives and friends of famous people just cringe when they hear that a movie is being made about that person. Wouldn't you start to think, "Oh my goodness, will they put that bit in the movie where I did this body function at an inappropriate time?" Or you said this stupid thing, or failed to be there for someone. Then everyone in America knows your crap, as it were. Like the guy in the show that blows his nose on towels, then throws them in the motel room floor. Then Clint and Frankie tell the world about it??? Ha, ha. The next day at church your priest says, "Dude, I saw that movie and you need to have better hygiene".
Here's my thought. If God spilled the beans on the best of us, it would be embarrassing in the extreme. We are all pitiful, flawed creatures.
Here's a nice exercise for you. If you became famous tomorrow, how would a film of your life render you, your wife, your mother? Ask yourself who they would get to play your character? Would this film be a comedy, a tragedy, a crime drama? Would it inspire hope, sadness? Would it make future generations feel that you were a success or a failure?
The bottom line is this: This show is a terrific movie and if you can be tolerant of your granny's music and the like, take your girlfriend to see it this weekend. Probably, she will be appreciative, like Carley, just to get the hell away from the superhero films for a while. Perhaps, like me, you lived in this era and felt that you had the best music, the best cars and the best women of history. Goodnight.
P.S. John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli.
Erich Bergen as Bob Gaudio.
Michael Lomenda as Nick Massi.
Vincent Piazza as Tommy DeVito
Christopher Walken does a super job as Gyp DeCarlo.
From the author's green retreat, I'm CE Wills.
P.S.S. The Four Seasons had a remarkable 29 hit songs in the Top Forty. That, my friend, is a short list of people who have accomplished such a feat.
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