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Perhaps the biggest crime of Clint Eastwood's Jersey Boys is that "Sherry" is not stuck in my head to an annoying degree. "Walk Like A Man" isn't either. Nor is "Big Girls Don't Cry." The chorus of "Who Loves You" has sort of worked its way into my brain, but only faintly. Eastwood has directed a semi-musical that only partially cares about the music.
Now this isn't entirely Eastwood's fault. Without the trappings of a Broadway theater, it makes sense that Jersey Boys would lose some of its gusto. There is no need for musical theater-style numbers when a movie can tell a naturalistic biographical story. The thrill of seeing the stage production—which, I have seen, and to be honest, it was not that memorable—was hearing John Lloyd Young (who also takes on the role of Frankie Valli in the film) recreate his iconic sound live. When the show premiered, Ben Brantley wrote in the New York Times: "Inhaling the cheers of the crowd, Mr. Young as Mr. Valli glistens with that mix of tears and sweat, of humility and omnipotence, that signal that a hungry performer's need for approval has been more than met."
On screen, though, not even the music is quite that visceral. Though Young does a perfect imitation of Valli, you might as well be listening to a recording of the man himself. By the time the boys start making hits, which comes around the hour mark, one number is indistinguishable from the rest—just with slightly different hand movements, if even that.