Great Balls of Fire Reviews

This disappointing film biography of rock 'n' roller Jerry Lee Lewis virtually ignores Lewis' much-publicized dark side, instead adopting a sanitized, light-hearted comic approach. The film begins in Ferriday, Louisiana, as the child Lewis is captivated by the sights and sounds in a black boogie-woogie joint. The film then jumps ahead to 1956, as the twice-married and twice-divorced Lewis (Dennis Quaid) arrives in Memphis to live with his cousin while trying to score a record deal. Lewis is taken with his cousin's 13-year-old daughter, Myra (Winona Ryder), and she with him. After his career takes off, he spirits Myra across the state line and marries her, scandalizing the world and destroying his popularity. In addition to being extremely limited in insight, writer-director Jim McBride's giddy presentation seems contemptuous of the personalities involved and of the milieu that spawned them: he turns everyone into a redneck caricature. The whole thing has such an air of directorial condescension that one has to question McBride's motives: Does he have anything but contempt for Lewis, the American South, or rock 'n' roll? What is most disappointing about the film, however, is its near-total refusal to delve into Lewis' complex, conflicted psyche. Most of the cast of accomplished actors are wasted in these roles, although two do manage to stand out: Ryder as the innocent-savvy Myra and John Doe, in an underplayed performance, as her father. The musical sequences are entertaining and energetic.