* * * *

(Great adaptation

of Broadway musical)

Being big fans of Frankie Valli and the Broadway Musical based on his life, we were a bit apprehensive about what director Clint Eastwood could pull off with the movie version.

Eastwood succeeded in staying true to the stage version, opening up some of the material that was confined to the stage, while still using narration to fill in some blanks and keep the story moving. Eastwood wisely chose John Lloyd Young, who played Frankie Valli in the original Broadway show, to reprise his role.

The story starts slowly, like the stage version, beginning in 1951 when teenager Frankie Castelluccio joins with some local small time hoods who sing in local Jersey joints. Frankie is treated like a son by mobster Gyp DeCarlo (Christopher Walken at his best). His boyhood friend, Tommy DeVito, also takes him under his wing, eventually making him the lead singer in his group.

Tommy, unfortunately, has big problems: He is a controller with a big ego and a bigger gambling problem. Joe Pesci introduces the group to songwriter Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen), who writes their first big hit, “Sherry.” The rest, as they say, is history.

The history turns out to be a bumpy road, with a string of hits after years of struggling and the familiar problem of a bunch of guys not knowing how to deal with their success. Tommy is jealous of Frankie’s relationship with Gaudio. There are serious squabbles. Tommy runs the group into serious debt. The group breaks up. Frankie goes into a funk after tragedy strikes his family. Gaudio saves him with a hit single, and Valli finds his way back.

“Jersey Boys” carries the familiar theme of stars rising to the top and then falling hard. The difference is that the musical, and now the movie, has the fabulous Four Seasons songs that we all know and love...and the talented singer/actors sound just like the originals.

We loved the ending of the musical, which had the audiences at PPAC standing and cheering both times we saw it. Eastwood recreates that ending. While the Showcase audience didn’t stand and cheer, there was a rare round of applause.

Rated R for the profanity.