TwitView: A fascinating, fun film that shows the rough edges around those smooth melodies. B+

The Four Seasons. Mostly, I knew of ‘em thanks to the overuse of some of their 70s hits at the neighborhood pool where I grew up. Then there’s the fantastic 1994 remix of “December 1963 (Oh What A Night)” that is still rockin’. In 2005, there’s the Broadway peek into the inner workings of the band, a little musical called Jersey Boys. Seems like everybody and their mother (especially their mother) headed out to see that, everyone but me. So this is a long-winded way for me to say that I’ll be reviewing this film as a stand-alone entity.

Jersey Boys sometimes feels like a “Behind The Music” episode, with it’s ups-and-then-downs storyline. But director Clint Eastwood steers clear of the maudlin and instead goes straight for the jugular more than once, giving Boys more heart than VH1 could ever muster. This isn’t a gloss job to blow smoke on Hall of Fame rockers, it’s a fictionalized look at real people with tons of true tales mixed in. That means there’s the good (Number 1s! Fame! Fortune!) and the bad (financial irresponsibility, relationship problems, and death). Eastwood’s a smart cookie here, casting performers from Jersey Boys’ Broadway and touring cast (Michael Lomenda, Erich Bergen, and Tony winner John Lloyd Young; Boardwalk Empire’s Vincent Piazza is the only non-stage Season here), and keeping much of the “book” (storyline structure, for non-theater nerds out there) from the original musical.

There’s a huge all-access-pass vibe to Jersey Boys, from starting out to Frankie Valli as solo act and their performance at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1990.  I loved the various fourth-wall busting scenes, where a member of the Four Seasons would look into the camera and explain to viewers what was going on inside his head, or in general around the neighborhood/in the music business/about the New Jersey mob. Eastwood is able to craft these scenes so they feel like a brief bonding moment with the character, rather than a desperate move by the Exposition Fairy ™ trying to play a fast one. Thank Annie Hall scribe Marshall Brickman for that finesse.

Costuming, set design and overall art direction is top-notch too. From the Jersey duplexes with photos of Pope Pius XII and Frank Sinatra holding sway, to the eye-searingly shiny sharkskin suits the group wears when performing (though I’m partial to the sweater/turtleneck beatnik look, so proto-hipster!)  Then there’s the Four Seasons performance choreography; gotta love those sweet swaying moves!  And with Jersey Boys going from upstarts to old men, the old-age makeup is breathtaking, even with the final fourth-wall closeups.

In what could have been stunt casting, but ended up pitch-perfect, Christopher Walken plays Mob boss Gyp DeCarlo. This ain’t a “more cowbell!” bit, but a role Walken inhabits completely. Is it like real life? I have no idea, being as how I’m not connected, but there’s a lot of jokes that take the pressure off of scenes that could be bleak and unforgiving. As there’s enough dark in the film with the group’s day-to-day life, a little levity here and there interspersed with the unspoken threat of violence in these scenes is a nice balance. Oh,and speaking of casting, keep an eye out for Maryland native Sean Whalen — terrific character actor and MoCo’s Sherwood High alum — as a recording engineer when the Four Seasons begin their rise to stardom.

My only quibble? The sound mixing on “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”, which leaves way too much sax and trombone. It’s jarring, and even the speaker snafu in the screening theater can’t account for all of that harshness. Still, it’s a small quibble with so much good on the screen until then. And of course, because Jersey Boys is based on a stage play, there’s a fun end credits scene where the cast comes out to perform “December 1963 (Oh What A Night)” in character. The choreography, with it’s walking-down-the-street setting, introduces each character beautifully, and the timing is on-point. Yes there’s a lot of dark passages in Jersey Boys, but this ending will have you smiling as you leave the theater. Wassamatter, that ain’t enough for ya?