Walken plays: Gyp DeCarlo - real-life mobster with a heart of gold, amateur therapist and music-lover
Paying forward the dollar bill trick from McBain
Synopsis: Clint Eastwood's adaptation of the smash hit Broadway show detailing the rise, fall, and resurrection of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons is faithful and functional, if not particularly lively or inspired. Story-wise, it's a cross of fairly rote backstage musical tropes and fairly rote gangster pic tropes (if I had a nickel every time they made reference to "growing up in the wrong part of town", I could fund my own feature film), but the soundtrack is catchy as hell, and masterfully performed by the lead quartet, reprising their Broadway roles, which goes a long way. Otherwise, you can tell Clint's just out for a lark after he includes a shot of the quartet watching him in Rawhide on TV. I see what you did there.
Walken, sadly, barely factors in here. His kindly mob boss is more of a stock mentor figure and plot device than actual character, and he isn't given the chance to do much other than beam at how much he enjoys Valli's rendition of "My Mother's Eyes." At one point he also gets to dabble in couples counselling, when a spat between the Boys starts to threaten his investment, and Walken's brusque, 'having none of your bullshit' impatience perfectly cuts short the staleness of the requisite second act rift. Otherwise, he's largely pleasantly in the background, there to lend money or advice as the plot calls for it. But hey - if Eastwood had to work with such an unforgiving, one dimensional character, calling Walken to infuse some weirdness and gravitas into it was definitively the right move.
Synopsis: Clint Eastwood's adaptation of the smash hit Broadway show detailing the rise, fall, and resurrection of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons is faithful and functional, if not particularly lively or inspired. Story-wise, it's a cross of fairly rote backstage musical tropes and fairly rote gangster pic tropes (if I had a nickel every time they made reference to "growing up in the wrong part of town", I could fund my own feature film), but the soundtrack is catchy as hell, and masterfully performed by the lead quartet, reprising their Broadway roles, which goes a long way. Otherwise, you can tell Clint's just out for a lark after he includes a shot of the quartet watching him in Rawhide on TV. I see what you did there.
Walken, sadly, barely factors in here. His kindly mob boss is more of a stock mentor figure and plot device than actual character, and he isn't given the chance to do much other than beam at how much he enjoys Valli's rendition of "My Mother's Eyes." At one point he also gets to dabble in couples counselling, when a spat between the Boys starts to threaten his investment, and Walken's brusque, 'having none of your bullshit' impatience perfectly cuts short the staleness of the requisite second act rift. Otherwise, he's largely pleasantly in the background, there to lend money or advice as the plot calls for it. But hey - if Eastwood had to work with such an unforgiving, one dimensional character, calling Walken to infuse some weirdness and gravitas into it was definitively the right move.
"BOYS. Boys. Let's not get too HEAted talking... about our FEElings."
Wacky Walken dialogue: Slim pickings, but barking "Stay out of my bathroom!" during the group therapy scene is a nice touch.
DOES HE DANCE: Only once, during the closing credits group dance bit - and even then, he's only visible in one or two shots. You get Christopher friggin' Walken in a musical, and don't give him one chance to strut his stuff. I know all he does is talk in the show - but c'mon, Clint: not one teensy bit of artistic licence or magic realism? For shame.
Overall Walken-o-meter: 3/10 cowbells. The movie is fine, and Walken is always worthwhile, but it's a piece of amusing but under-explored stunt casting in a thankless role, and Clint's allegiance to the show is too rigid for Walken to work his magic with it.
"Gangsters get shaved. They do! Bob De Niro did it in The Untouchables. Now it's MY turn."
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