My mom had not been to a movie theater since seeing Meet the Parents with my dad in 2000. His prolonged battle with alzheimers made it impossible. My sister took her to see Jersey Boys on stage a couple years ago. She hinted strongly that she wanted to see the new movie, directed by Clint Eastwood. So, we piled into the minivan last night and drove to Rio Grande to see the movie.
It was well worth the trip. I love The Four Seasons music. It is timeless and holds up to this day. I didn’t know the back story behind the band. It was a fascinating character analysis. Clint Eastwood should be up for best director, and the movie should get Oscar consideration. The musical numbers were fantastic. Even my teenage sons liked the movie and the music.
John Lloyd Young as Franky Valli does an outstanding job. His singing is as close as you can get to Franky Valli’s unmistakeable sound. Christopher Walken is funny and understated as the man behind the scenes, protecting the group. Vincent Piazza does a great job as the bad boy that breaks up the group. I bet you didn’t know Joe Pesci had a major role in the formation of the Four Seasons.
Of course, Avalon had a personal connection to the movie. On one of her Daily Show excursions to NYC a month ago, her and her friend entered an unassuming Irish Pub and sat at the bar. The guy next to them asked if they wanted to play some sort of dice game. They said sure. Eventually his girlfriend arrived and they continued to talk. The girlfriend then revealed that his name was Donnie Kehr and he was in the Jersey Boys movie, after appearing in the Broadway version. He played the mob guy who Tommy owed $162,000. It’s a small world for Avalon.
Here are some of my favorite Four Seasons tunes on Fourth of July:
