March 27, 2014

Jersey Boys Movie Update: Film Footage & Presentation by Clint Eastwood at CinemaCon in Vegas!

March 27th, 2014

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At CinemaCon 2014 in Las Vegas today, Warner Brothers put on a show for exhibitors that included footage from the upcoming JERSEY BOYS film and a presentation by the film’s director Clint Eastwood! Below is the scoop from The Hollywood Report & Los Angeles Times:

The Hollywood Reporter: When Eastwood took the stage to talk about his musical film Jersey Boys, he received the first standing ovation of the convention. “Nine years ago, it started in La Jolla, California, as a small get-together of actors portraying this play that they never thought would be anything,” he said of his film based on the Broadway musical, which follows the rise of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
The first footage for the film was packed with big musical numbers and, interestingly, the characters break the fourth wall by talking directly to the cameras. The story follows the group as they appear on American Bandstand and perform such familiar hits as “Sherry” and “Who Loves You.”

Los Angeles Times: Even old pro Eastwood stumbled a bit, though he had a better grasp on his material. The director came here to talk about his adaptation of “Jersey Boys,” the blockbuster musical now entering in its ninth year on Broadway. A production of the show has also been in Sin City for six years; Eastwood noted that on his way to Caesars Palace he’d had a seen a billboard touting its No. 1 status in town.
“So we got a lot to live up to, and I don’t know that we’re going to live up to it with the sound you have here,” he said, referring to the theater’s state-of-the-art technology. “This sound system has blown me clear out of my seat. Actually, it’s the first movie I’ve been able to hear in a while.”

It’s clear Eastwood is trying to keep the millions of fans of the Frankie Valli musical happy with his film, as the movie seems to remain pretty true to the production. The film has monologues in which characters speak to the camera, and the movie is lighted as if it were a classic movie musical. The picture seems likely to attract older crowds; with no recognizable stars to speak of in its leading roles, it’s unclear whether the film will appeal to anyone under 50.

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What about that last comment from LA Times: it’s unclear whether the film will appeal to anyone under 50. Do you guys agree with this? What about our JB Blog readers under 50? Are you guys planning to go see the JERSEY BOYS movie? Do you think the under 50 crowd who has not yet experienced the JERSEY BOYS stage production will head to the movie theaters this summer to check it out?

14 Comments »

  1. Well, I’m certainly not under 50, but I have seen the Vegas Jersey Boys about 10 times so far and there have been many younger people at the show, standing and cheering right along with us “golden oldies”. If the younger set doesn’t go see it, they will miss one fantastic show.

    Comment by Sidney Cartwright — March 27, 2014 @ 11:31 pm

  2. Depends on marketing. Like any other movie that sells, put it on t.v. enough times Use an appealing scene and you have an instant hit. Young or old doesn’t matter. Go Jersey Boys you can do it!!!!!

    Comment by Richard Caporusso — March 28, 2014 @ 7:30 am

  3. I’m not even 40, never mind 50! Have been a Valli/Seasons fan for more than 21 years & have seen Jersey Boys in London & New York, a total of 180 times so far. Am truly looking forward to the film & plan to see it the day its released, at least once. John Lloyd Young is a belting Frankie & was lucky enough to catch him in London…..
    Bring it on!

    Comment by Tina Ryan — March 28, 2014 @ 8:50 am

  4. I’m not even close to 50 & I can’t wait to see the movie. I’ve seen the show more than a dozen times & have many friends that have too. There will be no problem attracting younger people to this film. It’s a great story with great music that transcends across many generations.

    Comment by Trisha Clark — March 28, 2014 @ 11:21 am

  5. I called it! On this site a while back I said that it would be best if the characters talk to the camera. And they are! So happy about this!

    Comment by Nick — March 28, 2014 @ 12:28 pm

  6. Christopher Walken is in it. “no recognizable faces” just you wait, america, Just you wait

    Comment by agnes — March 28, 2014 @ 2:59 pm

  7. I’m on the younger end of the Jersey Boys fans and I say it will do well for people under 50! For two reasons:
    1 – They are a boy band. Clearly boy bands have done well with younger fans, especially female ones ;)
    2 – Talking to Michael Ingersoll at the stage door one day he said that the reason he thought Jersey Boys struck a chord with younger audiences was because
    of the American Idol syndrome. Jersey Boys is a rags-to-riches story just like American Idol is. They take contestants, pluck them out of oblivion and make
    them a star!
    I loved the stage show and I’m sure I’m going to love the movie!

    Comment by Arlene — March 29, 2014 @ 7:40 pm

  8. With this ‘age of audience’ logic, I wonder what age viewer the LA Times thought would go see the movie “Amadeus” or the film “Ray” with Jamie Foxx… or “The Ten Commandments” for that matter. By the way, I know a lot of my over-50 friends who loved “Toy Story” and “Beauty & the Beast” was nominated for Best Picture.

    A good film is a good film and I’m very optimistic that Jersey Boys will fall in that category! Jersey Boys fans have gone through lots of starts and stops with the movie plans over the years and it’s very exciting now to be just three months away from its release!

    Comment by Audrey — March 30, 2014 @ 1:01 am

  9. I go to an all-girls high school; in our Junior Year, our class saw the Broadway show for our annual Culture Day. At the time, many of us were either 16 or 17. And I can assure you, we all loved it – each and every one of us. The teacher who took us was in his late-fifties, and it was an absolutely amazing experience to hear him singing the lyrics and dancing to the medleys. (One of the theatre’s employees even had to admonish him for “being too rambunctious.” Apparently, it was distracting to the other audience members when all of us were dancing to “Who Loves You” at the show’s end. :( )
    But ANYWAYS, back to my point – I just wanted to clarify that Jersey Boys and the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons DOES, in fact, appeal to younger generations. It’s a brilliant show, and had us in tears, doubled over in laughter! That reporter for the LA Times is, undoubtedly, quite the ignoramus to make that statement. Case closed. Absolutely cannot wait for June 20th!

    Comment by Jolene — March 30, 2014 @ 3:28 pm

  10. I have been following Jersey Boys since 2006 and I am proud to say that John Lloyd Young has become a good friend. Waiting in line so many times for tickets I have always been amazed to see so many college students coming back time and time again. Sure, those of us over 50 remember Frankie Valli but the cast of Jersey Boys through the years has made this one of the most successful shows on Broadway, not only because of their talent but because of their generosity and stagedoor patience with each and every one of the fans that have come out to not only see the show but to spend time with the cast members after the show. John Lloyd Young has a huge fan base especially on the East Coast and California but also as far away as Hawaii and other states and now I am sure England will be just as mezmorized as we all are and that includes all the young fans of Jersey Boys. I know the movie will be a success since I watched some of the filming done in Frankie Vallis hometown and the cast was having a great time along with Clint Eastwood. Already planning on being at the premier in New York on June 20th.

    Comment by Marlene Cetrulo — April 2, 2014 @ 6:56 am

  11. It looks like Belgium will be seeing the film two days before those of us in Jersey (and across the US & UK). What’s up with that?*!?!! Tell me this is a typo: http://tinyurl.com/JBReleaseDate

    Comment by Audrey — April 2, 2014 @ 8:58 am

  12. I’m 18 and I grew up loving The Four Seasons. I’ve seen Jersey Boys on Broadway multiple times and I am absolutely ecstatic for the movie to come out!

    Comment by Brittany — April 9, 2014 @ 2:47 pm

  13. I’ll bet this group will be going!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAi_QeRWinQ

    Comment by George O'Brien — April 22, 2014 @ 9:57 pm

  14. Check out ex 4 Seasons and like them
    http://Www.Facebook.com/thehitmenlive

    Comment by Ron Gartner — May 3, 2014 @ 9:40 am

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