Yesterday, FOTM reader swampygirl went to see Clint Eastward’s latest directorial project, a film adaption of the award-winning Broadway musical Jersey Boys. She loved it.
She sent me a link to Geoffrey MacNab’s review of the movie on the UK’s Independent, a review with which she most agrees. MacNab describes the movie as “a classy project that goes beyond schmaltz and nostalgia,” and that “one of its pleasures is its recreation of post-war [WWII] America.”
I like our swampygirl’s review better. Here it is! :D
I didn’t know that the movie did not do well at the box office. However upon reading some other reviews it is understandable.
Apart from the music which everyone loves, I was simply spellbound by the nostalgia of the movie. For over 2 hours, I was transported back to post war America, to when I grew up. I was reminded of a peaceful, gentle and carefree time. I felt like a child all over again but it also brought tears to my eyes, tears about something lost. I then got a grip and became thankful that I was fortunate enough to have experienced such a wonderful time.
One of the most amusing parts of the movie for me was when they showed a blip of Clint Eastwood on an old timey TV playing Rowdy Yates in the series “Rawhide.” Eastwood calls it his “Hitchcock moment” (Director Alfred Hitchcock was known for always doing a cameo in his movies.) Rawhide was my all time favorite as a child. What a hunk that man was back in the day!
Christopher Walken, who I have always found quite odd and sometimes even hard to watch, was a perfect choice for the mobster part and I thought he was a great addition.
However, this is definitely a film that will no doubt appeal to a generation past. But for me, it was definitely a “feel good” experience and I was able to escape this wretched world and all its worries for a few hours.
Thank you, swampygirl!
~Eowyn