The spirit, fire and energy he brings to the film is just remarkable and each time I view the film the performance impresses me even more. It's very hard for any actor to try and play a personality like Lewis but Quaid has no trouble and in my opinion delivers one of the best performances by an actor playing a real-life person. There's no denying that it appears the spirit of Lewis got into Quaid because he delivers a remarkable performance and it's a real shame that he didn't even get an Oscar-nomination.
PLAY JIMMY SWAGGART MUSIC ON ECHO PRIME MOVIE
Yes, Lewis had a pretty hard life full of violence, drugs, alcohol and various other items that really don't get shown here but the point of this movie wasn't to be a dark and disturbing movie about abuse but instead it was a movie about the glories of rock 'n roll and on that level the movie is a grand slam with great music and great performances. For the life of me I'll never understand some of the negative reviews this film gets. Great Balls of Fire! (1989) **** (out of 4) Terrific bio-pic follows Jerry Lee Lewis (Dennis Quaid) as he quickly rises up the charts and appears to be about to take over the king of rock 'n roll from Elvis but the media and fans turn on him when they discover that he's married to his 13-year-old cousin (Winona Ryder). Great Balls Of Fire is a good film, but really without an ending because Jerry Lee is still making music. And Flynn was still married to Patrice Wymore. Interestingly enough at the same time Lewis's stories were in the news, Errol Flynn at 48 escorting young adolescent Beverly Aadland was also making headlines. Winona Ryder got a big break in her career playing Lewis's notorious child bride Myra. Playing that honky tonk piano and singing meant more to him than the trappings of success. He's still doing well on the nostalgic circuit, playing more for the love of it than the need for money. Lewis came back and of course never got quite the same success, but music trends change in any event. I do well remember the scandalous stories back in the late Fifties that put a halt to Lewis's meteoric career. Young girls in the more rural sections of the south frequently got married at 13 to 15 and the success rate wasn't any better or worse than in the more sophisticated parts of the country. The key to understanding Jerry Lee Lewis is in remembering that what he did in marrying those child brides was quite normal behavior from where he came from. Still he does do very well capturing the essence of Lewis as I remember him as a lad. I'm used to seeing an older and more mature Quaid in films like Swimmer and The Express. Jerry Lee is played by Dennis Quaid and the role is quite a stretch for him. It serves as a singularly appropriate title for a film about his life. Great Balls Of Fire is the title song of the greatest hit by legendary rock and roller Jerry Lee Lewis who couldn't quite handle the sudden fame and wealth thrust into his hands. Winona Ryder in a relatively early role gives it a lot of sweetness without being cloying.
Dennis Quaid's performance seems to have divided viewers, am of the opinion that he did a good and on-the-edge job and that the exaggerated approach didn't stray too far from Lewis' actual persona. Scripting has energy and wit, while the story is a lot of fun mostly and never feels dull. A highlight of 'Great Balls of Fire!' is the soundtrack, which is unquestionably brilliant. It is a good-looking film with a good authenticity of the period. The lip-synching is also sloppy, very obvious and often behind the music. While it is understandable as to why it was not, there could have been more of the darker aspects of Lewis' life. It does focus rather too much on Swaggart and while Alec Baldwin is a fine actor he is a little too silly and exaggerated in the role. Am not ashamed however to admit to enjoying the film, though it is completely understandable why some may not like it. 'Great Balls of Fire!' won't be a favourite of mine any time soon, it's not a masterpiece and there are better music biopics around. While 'Great Balls of Fire!' may not be an exactly accurate depiction of Jerry Lee Lewis (aka "The Killer") or the characters, and people would have preferred a more serious approach considering how dark parts of Lewis' life was rather than the more energetic and "campier" one, to me it was a fun romp and very entertaining.
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