Jersey Boys

It’s all about that unmistakable falsetto voice of Frankie Valli.

That’s the voice that had girls swooning and friends trying to shelter him from the criminal element on the mob-infested streets of Newark, N.J., during the 1950s, convinced he’d become a star.

That voice also is likely what lured director Clint Eastwood to a cinematic adaptation of Jersey Boys, the Tony Award-winning musical about Valli’s career in pop-music stardom.

The film retains the cast from the stage play, including John Lloyd Young as the diminutive Valli, whose life as a streetwise Italian-American teenager included run-ins with mobsters and petty criminals, such as his loose-cannon best friend, Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza) who forms a quartet with Frankie as the lead singer. He also befriends Gyp DeCarlo (Christopher Walken), a loan shark who becomes a guardian angel of sorts for Frankie.

The group — which became known as the Four Seasons — also includes bass singer Nick Massi (Michael Lomenda) and songwriter Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen). As they pursue fame and fortune, they encounter issues involving money, family, and egos. In particular, Frankie’s loyalty to the group and its intense touring schedule puts a strain on the relationship with his wife (Renee Marino) and daughter.

The screenplay is credited to Marshall Brickman (Annie Hall) and newcomer Rick Elise, who also wrote the book based on the musical. They make obvious efforts to free the material from its stagebound roots (keeping the direct-to-camera narration that shifts between the bandmates), although that makes for some labored exposition and some awkward transitions involving Frankie’s family life.

Eastwood seems to be in a more playful mood here after a recent string of serious dramas. The tone remains relatively lighthearted, as if the filmmaker realizes that Jersey Boys is a pretty generic rags-to-riches story at its core. The pace is lively and the production is visually polished.

The music, of course, is the highlight, both on stage and behind the scenes, so it’s a shame that some of the production numbers have been abridged. All of the hits are on display in one form or another.

Still, for some it will provide a nostalgic kick, while the film might also serve to introduce a new generation to the Four Seasons catalogue. Either way, it’s a fun experience that doesn’t aspire to be much more, sort of like the songs themselves.

Rated R, 134 minutes.