Jersey Boys Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Jersey Boys Blu-ray Movie Review

"Chasing the music. Trying to find our way home..."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown November 16, 2014

Biopic or musical? Producer/director Clint Eastwood aims for both but doesn't really lean into either one or strike an absorbing balance. His latest almost-opus, like too many before it (Hereafter, J. Edgar, Trouble with the Curve), is indecisive and inconsistent, without the verve or focus necessary to transport Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice's Tony-winning Broadway musical to the big screen. More beholden to genre tropes than the stage play, and more stiff and stodgy as a result, Jersey Boys isn't sure what it wants to be, how it wants to proceed, or even when it wants to open up and sing. Eastwood is as confident as ever but the whole film shudders with hesitation. The cast's performances are strong yet the structure of the piece undercuts their commitment and delivery. The music screams "energy, electricity and momentum!" while Walt Kowalski barks, "now hold on just a damn minute." It all amounts to a tug of war between vision and execution that drags down everyone involved -- audience included -- until Eastwood finally decides, three minutes before the credits roll, that Jersey Boys is indeed a musical, complete with a choreographed dance number.

The film tells the story of four young men from the wrong side of the tracks in New Jersey who came together to form the iconic rock group The Four Seasons. The story of their trials and triumphs are accompanied by the songs that influenced a generation, including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Dawn,” “Rag Doll,” “Bye Bye Baby,” “Who Loves You” and many more. John Lloyd Young reprises his Tony Award-winning portrayal of the legendary lead singer of The Four Seasons, Frankie Valli. Erich Bergen is Bob Gaudio, who wrote or co-wrote all of the group’s biggest hits. Michael Lomenda and Vincent Piazza are Nick Massi and Tommy DeVito, two original members of the group. And Christopher Walken is mobster Gyp DeCarlo, who takes a special interest in The Four Seasons.

Eastwood dismantles Brickman and Elice's stage musical to its raw components, only to slowly reconstruct a rather rudimentary biopic that contrasts the tough, morally questionable lives of its soon-to-be-stars with the sheer joy and purity of song. But those songs mostly arrive in bits and pieces, drowned out by the noise of The Four Seasons' infighting and turmoil. Then, without much of a sense of what made "Sherry" and the standouts that followed such hits (other than the unique sound of Valli's voice), Eastwood plows ahead with an oh so familiar story of a band in crisis. It's by no means a bad movie. It's just so ordinary and unremarkable that it never manages to resonate on any level. As a dramatic biopic, it doesn't set new standards or break free of existing conventions, nor does it effectively offer insight into its characters or draw revelations out of their lives. And as a toe-tapping musical, it spends far too much time sidestepping the music; flaunting a fondness for rather than reveling in a complete fascination with The Four Seasons' trademark sound.

If there's a saving grace, though, it's that sound. While Young and his co-stars deliver serviceable, at-times engaging performances -- a bit too stagey, with a bit too much narration, but that's to be expected -- the songs pull the whole film out of the shadows and, for a few brief moments, cast a bright light on exactly what made Valli and his bandmates '60s pop icons. The script's push into more traditional biopic territory may not provide the necessary hook, but Valli's falsetto and a healthy dose of Oldies nostalgia do. The Four Seasons' trials and tribulations, as they're dutifully depicted, are interesting enough I suppose, in a "that's where that song came from" sorta way. There just isn't the same rush of understanding that comes when a song, paired with a key event, springs to life differently than it ever has before. If only those beats were more common; the evolution of the Four Seasons' sound more nuanced. Jersey Boys is a film in search of an identity, but that identity is already there, buried beneath the melodrama, ready to be embraced.

Jersey Boys Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner's solid 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation gets the job done, although a few issues hold it back from perfection. Crush is a prevailing problem, slight ringing creeps in from time to time, and skintones occasionally appear washed out and lifeless. The entire film features a desaturated palette -- Hollywood's go-to look for early to mid-20th century period pieces -- but the aged-newspaper sepias employed tend to drain the image of any striking color. It traces back to filmmaker's intention, though, so no cause for any real concern. Contrast is at least consistent, black levels are satisfying, and detail is quite good, with crisp edges, refined textures and largely decent delineation. Macroblocking, banding and other anomalies are nowhere to be found either, meaning it isn't very often at all that the Jersey Boys presentation disappoints.

Jersey Boys Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Jersey Boys' DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is better, without any problems of note. Songs and musical numbers are full and lively, taking advantage of each channel to recreate and even enrich the magic of The Four Seasons' biggest hits. (Lyrics sound a bit canned, but it's a pseudo-musical, so no surprise there.) Dialogue remains clear, intelligible and carefully prioritized, and impressive dynamics allow the most subtle effects to retain their presence. LFE output is bold, weighty and perfectly suited to the music, and the rear speakers manage to broaden the soundfield and make each environment, interior, lounge, bar and recording session that much more convincing. Likewise, the hustle and bustle of the streets, the chatter of a nightclub crowd, and the roar of adoring fans are fittingly enveloping. All told, Jersey Boys sounds as good as it should. No complaints here.

Jersey Boys Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• From Broadway to the Big Screen (HD, 23 minutes): Go behind the scenes with director/producer Clint Eastwood, writer Rick Elice, producer Graham King, actors John Lloyd, Mike Doyle and Vincent Piazza, and other key members of the cast and crew with this fairly extensive production documentary.
• Too Good to Be True (HD, 5 minutes): A much shorter featurette that focuses on actor Donnie Kehr's (and, to a lesser extent, Erica Piccininni's) move from the "Jersey Boys" stage to the Jersey Boys film set.
• "Oh What a Night" to Remember (HD, 5 minutes): Eastwood and company discuss the film's closing musical number, its dance choreography, and all the prep-work that went into creating the sequence.

Jersey Boys Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jersey Boys is another problematic Clint Eastwood endeavor that doesn't quite come together the way it should. Competing elements leave the film struggling to define itself and declare its intentions, and the end result isn't a particularly compelling drama or addicting musical. Warner's Blu-ray release is better, thanks to a strong video presentation and excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. But a half hour of extras is sorely lacking, especially for a film based on a true story. Give it a rent and set your expectations accordingly.