Clint Eastwood’s legendary career as both an actor and director often overshadows his musical talents. He directed the well regarded jazz biopic Bird and composed the music for several of his feature films including Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby.
That should change come June when Eastwood’s film version of the jukebox musical Jersey Boys goes toe to toe with the summer’s superhero blockbusters.
Eastwood’s film features several veterans from the Broadway show along with Christopher Walken.
The trailer doesn’t miss many of the usual musical biopic beats, from the early crush of fame to the eventual dark side of success. But those songs, oh those songs, will separate the movie from its predecessors. Rag Doll. Walk Like a Man. Sherry. Dawn. Working My Way Back to You.
John Lloyd Young won a Tony for his portrayal of Valli on Broadway back in 2006. He gets the plum lead role as the crooner with the unforgettable falsetto.
Jersey Boys, set for a June 20 release, will face some dynamic competition this summer. It might just be the perfect counter-programming and a way to give teens an idea what their fathers and grandfathers grooved to many years ago.