Great Balls of Fire! (1989)

Fun and over the top biopic about Jerry Lee Lewis

This comic book like biopic about singer Jerry Lee Lewis (Dennis Quaid) rise to fame and subsequent fall from grace after his marriage with his 13 years old cousin Myra (a very young and very good Winona Ryder) was discovered, is probably not terribly true to life, but it is still very entertaining. Quaid happily hams it up in an over the top performance that has to do more with caricature than with acting. Alec Baldwin adds to the fun in his cameo as Jerry Lee's cousin, preacher Jimmy Swaggart. There is a nifty, idealized pop reconstruction of small town America in the 1950s. And the music, of course, is great. Best scene: staid English journalists raising a scandal when the singer and his teen wife arrive. January 29, 2008

Jerry Lee and Dennis Quaid Rock!

Great Balls of Fire is one of my favorite movies of all time. The actors and the soundtrack are fantastic. I grew up in the fifties with Elvis and all the others, have a great collection of Elvis music, but I didn't realize Jerry Lee Lewis because of circumstances, and perhaps, because he didn't quite have the charisma of Elvis, was really quite talented and outrageous--which I love--rebel against a pseudo-traditional view and do your own music and live your life as you want. One of my favorite parts is when Dennis/Jerry Lee tells his cousin, preacher Jimmy Swaggert, Alec Baldwin playing Swaggert, if he's goin' to hell, he's goin' there playin' piano, his god-given talent. I rarely watch films more than once, but I own this one and whenever I need an uplift, I watch it again. It's esp. good the filmmaker/producer/director used Jerry Lee Lewis' own voice and music. Quaid, a brilliant actor, gives this role just the right combination of tongue-in-cheek humor and depiction of the wild man. November 2, 2007

My Favorite movie of all time!!

I can't explain what it is about Jerry Lee Lewis. Even though I was no where near being alive during the time of his greatest success. I have been a fan of his music & antics as long as I can remember. All of my love for Jerry Lee Lewis was sealed up when I saw this movie. I remember the first time it aired on VH1 & I happened to catch it. The songs make you want to jump up & dance forever. The love story is amazing (even though you aren't sure when you become okay w/ the fact that this young woman is not only just 13 but his cousin). The story is amazing & the acting is brilliant. If you love Jerry Lee's movie then I can't imagine you wouldn't love this movie! September 14, 2007

Recreating or Overacting?

Dennis Quaid worked very hard to capture Jerry Lee Lewis' eccentric personality. I am uncomfortable with the results. Not knowing the real Jerry Lee Lewis, except from short newsreel coverage, it strikes me as a bit of overacting. In Quaid's defense, though, Jerry Lee was always "acting" it up in front of the public, and that comes through in this movie. What I find, as a rock history buff, most intriguing is that of all the early rock star tributes, this one has the sound track done by the actual subject of the film. Gives it some authenticity and energy that others could not and do not have. And that alone makes this a worthwhile addition to your library, in my opinion. September 9, 2007

Video-Great Balls of Fire

The video arrived in excellent condition and it was delivered in the timethat was quoted by Amazon... August 8, 2007

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