Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Micransix Crappy film

BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

dal_asher I saw this movie when it first came out and just happened to see it again tonight - many years later. When I first saw this I had never been a fan of Lewis. After seeing Dennis Quaid's performance, which I thought was incredible by the way, I had to get Whole Lot of Shaking Going On and Great Balls of Fire right away. They soon became party favorites that got everyone on the dance floor. I understood the true genius that embodied Jerry Lee. The movie was fun and the music was fantastic. Wynona Ryder was good as the 13 year old cousin who married him. I can't imagine ever letting my 13 year old daughter marry such a man but he was so endearing that it was hard to hate him for it. I saw Jerry Lee Lewis perform on TV and I always thought he was so crazy and obnoxious and Dennis Quaid nailed him right on the head. Alex Baldwin was an unlikely person to play cousin Jerry Faldwell but he was believable. Over all I loved this movie and it made a fan out of me.

beauzee one reviewer here said Quaid "channeled" Jerry Lee...problem is, Jerry, still very much with us, thankfully, in 1989, was busy nursing a fifth of Bourbon at his club in Memphis > especially since JLL insisted on recording the soundtrack himself, no Quaid in imitation, there is no need for any mystical transference.having said all that...this film is okay for the young, or those who just want to enjoy the music and get an "idea" of his career, say from 1956 to 1966.Quaid's portrayal is (teenage) letter thin, Lee Lewis a real wild child who goes on impulse 24-7. no deep thinker...not the genius who found a way to reconcile musically, gospel and pop. he marries his 13 year old 2nd cousin because... he can. any thought about how a 23 year old can actually be *in love* with someone so young? no...he's just rockin' up a storm! I did enjoy the portrayals of Sun Record Owner and Music Visionary Sam Phillips' Brother Judd and Jerry Lee's cousin Jimmy (Reverend Jimmy Swaggart). production numbers look like MTV rejects.

Rob Kowal It's hard to believe that this film at the time had Jerry Lee's blessing. (Although he later said he hated it.) He helped Quaid to learn his "pumping" piano style and Jerry Lee did the real singing much like Ray Charles did for "Ray". Quaid's performance is the worst of his career. He's nothing like Jerry Lee. Also Ryder looks too old to be his 13 y/o cousin. I think she was maybe 17 at the time. Now Waylon Payne in "Walk the Line" doing his own singing on "Lewis Boogie" coupled with his wonderful rant in the car about how they're all going to hell... That captured more of the real Jerry Lee Lewis spirit then this whole film. They should get Payne and do a new Jerry Lee movie.

headhunter46 What more could a viewer want? Great sounding music from the original Jerry Lee Lewis, pretty girls, handsome guys and cars. OH THE CARS! So many incredible cars from the fifty's in pristine condition. I watched it a second time just to hear the music and see the cars.This movie does a good job of portraying Jerry Lee and his life. Some may think it a bit overacted but Jerry Lee was an up front, over the type kind of guy in almost everything he did. It was his passion for the music. Like he wrote, "you're driving me crazy." And maybe he seemed a bit crazy to average folks but hey, he had soul and it wouldn't let him sit still. He had to move, to play it out and sing it as well. Some reviewers felt the scenes depicting his alcoholism and on stage outbursts were detrimental to the movie. In reality, artists with the passion of Jerry Lee have a burning drive within that pushes them to emotions the average person can usually control. Artists who have the pride and passion of Jerry find it most difficult to deal with setbacks because they are driven to excel. That is what makes them artists. Whether they be musicians, painters, sculptors, architects, etc. They are constantly pursuing ways to express what they think and feel. And sometimes they are crushed when others don't appreciate their efforts. They have above average skill at what they do and yet they are emotionally more fragile than the average John or Jane Doe. I rated 8of10 (which is high for me) because it takes a Lawrence of Arabia or a Gone With the Wind to get a 10 from me. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes the early rock and roll era music or someone who wants a bit of insight as to what it was like to be around back then.I found my version at Netflix....