Hailed by The New York Post as “one of the year’s best” films, Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Jersey Boys” — director Clint Eastwood’s big-screen version of the Tony Award-winning musical — will be shown exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas starting July 16.
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.
These classic hits are now being embraced by a new generation of fans through the stage musical, which has been running on Broadway for more than eight years and has also enjoyed successful tours around the globe.
Starring in the film, John Lloyd Young reprises his Tony Award-winning portrayal of the legendary lead singer of The Four Seasons, Frankie Valli. Erich Bergen stars as Bob Gaudio, who wrote or co-wrote all of the group’s biggest hits. Michael Lomenda and Vincent Piazza star respectively as Nick Massi and Tommy DeVito, two original members of The Four Seasons. Oscar® winner Christopher Walken (“Catch Me If You Can”) stars as mobster Gyp DeCarlo.
Oscar® winner Eastwood (“Million Dollar Baby,” “Unforgiven”) directed “Jersey Boys” from a screenplay and musical book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice, song music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe.
A video featurette about the making of the film may be viewed at https://youtu.be/trTerOTOrRM.
With music being the connective thread that runs through “Jersey Boys,” Eastwood made the decision to have the actors playing the title characters sing the band’s indelible songs live on camera, instead of doing pre-tapes of the musical performances. The director comments, “It just felt like the way to go since most of them had done it live so many times before. When they sing, you really see the performance value and get the emotion.”
“It feels very immediate,” attests John Lloyd Young. “Coming in, I didn’t realize how unusual it is on a film to sing live on camera, so it was an interesting challenge for everyone. The best part was that Clint is a true music aficionado, so it was fantastic to watch this legendary director turn into an enraptured audience member right in front of us.”
Vincent Piazza, who came into the film without a musical background, appreciated the support of his fellow castmates, as well as his director. “John Lloyd, Erich and Michael were there to help me through the numbers, which was a blessing, and I had great teachers. And I knew I was in the best hands with Clint. The fact that he believed in me gave me all the self-confidence I needed.”
Eastwood concludes, “I know audiences will come out of the theater humming the songs and that’s great. But I also hope they enjoy learning the story of where those songs come from and remembering the four young men whose legacy is still being felt today.”
“Jersey Boys” is distributed in the Philippines by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.