There are good tunes and great tunes. I grew up listening to music on the radio and in those days, I was aware about Frankie Vallie and The Four Seasons.  His solo stuff was quite good, too. He sang mostly love tunes and for the most part, the songs were unforgettable because the lyrics seemed personal, honest and convincing.

Who knew that his rise to fame and fortune was both unsettling and dramatic --far removed from the soft, cute and romantic melodies made famous by Valli and The Four Seasons?

The film itself is biographical and musical, directed by the talented Clint Eastwood, known more for his Western and detective roles. Eastwood shows us both the incredible dramatic and musical diversity of the four actors who portray Valli and the other three singers. He allows us to get to know all the singers -- their good and bad sides and somehow we begin to empathize with all the characters and go through their financial and marital  struggles and share in their rise to fame and glory.

Another reason to go to the movie is to catch the amazing Christopher Walken who is "Father figure" and the "Go To" person when things get bad for the Italian Fab Four.

If there is a low point, it may be in the film's old-fashioned depiction of women as mere sex objects and some of the women are shown as easy or as a screaming and mad housewife. Clint: consider the audience: some of the viewers are impressional young men and women. It may be a good idea for directors and screenwriters to show women as intelligent, resourceful, creative --just like the men in the film.

Also, since it is a musical, wouldn't it be nice to have the housewife sing a tune about loneliness and dejection? But then again, this film is a showcase for Franki Valli and the Four Seasons.

Still, it's a worthwhile and engaging movie. For the mot part, we know now that behind a pretty song, the people singing and writing the lyrics lead a sometimes troubled and hard life.