(2012-04-28 21:03:53)

Video-Great Balls of Fire

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

(2012-04-28 14:36:31)

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!

(2012-04-26 11:35:21)

Music

I bought the sound track for Jerry Lee Lewis's rendition of Old Man River.Which in my opinion is the best arrangement and recording of that piece of gospel music that I have ever heard.

zelda

(2012-04-26 08:39:55)

The "Killer" reigns

This film is awesome and wonderful. Jerry Lee Lewis,is one legendary music talent that still rocks. Winona Ryder plays a younger cousin Jerry scandalously marries.Alec Baldwin plays evangelist Jimmy Swaggart,another cousin related to Jerry.When you see Quaid rockin' at the piano,it is hot! Lewis wrote the great boppin' oldies we all love (Breathless,and many others).This film is a trip back to high School! I say bravo to Quaid for this remarkable music extravaganza,as he paints a sweet picture of a music Genius!

Josh M. Nileski

(2012-04-25 07:52:24)

A Truly Bizarre Film Experience

This is a movie that, if it came out today, I would hate. As it stands, Ihave distance on it and I love it because it is unlike any other film evermade.Jim McBride as a director treats the material as a straight rock and rollfairy tale. That's why, if the characters in the movie were fictitious,thefilm would be a minor stylistic classic among film buffs. Akin to "DickTracy" for its production design or "Moulin Rouge" for its weaving of pophits into a broadly stroked love story. It would be beloved if only forthefew scenes between Dennis Quaid and Alec Baldwin (as Lewis' cousin, JimmySwaggart) playing polar archetypes.As it stands, however, "the people and events depicted herein are real."Even on a script level, the movie knows that Jerry Lee is a much worseperson than depicted in the film. Where the film alludes to Jerry Leebeinga general cheating womanizer and, at times, even a specifically cruelindividual to his young wife, the script points it out more evidently.Thatthe script largely demurs from the sometimes horrific moments that Lewisinstigated in his true life romance with Myra Gale Brown is enough to turnoff most viewers. That the film itself almost completely ignores Lewis'uglier traits (even while the script is acknowledging them) is why it isconsidered so uneven and, thus, unsuccessful. However, completelydetachedfrom those detestable facts, the film does offer some of the greatest rockmusic ever recorded, an appropriately rebellious, true lovin' rocker torecord it, and a soft-focus, easily-quotable rock and roll fantasy romancefor a screenplay. Combine those things with the unfortunate,incontrovertible truth and you have an exceptionally odd amalgam of amovie.P.S.: I'll add that I am a huge fan of Jerry Lee Lewis' music, so I admitthat I have one up on a viewer who is either uninitiated or is just plainnot a fan.

(2012-04-25 00:20:58)

Nice actor performances, GREAT MUSIC ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Well, I gave the movie five stars, because of The Killer's great soundtrack. Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder and the others did a fine job as actors, but I think the movie gives you a wrong picture of Jerry Lee Lewis. I strongly recommend Jerry Lee's soundtrack GREAT BALLS OF FIRE! under Polydor Records...It leaves you BREATHLESS!

(2012-04-12 17:58:05)

I can't believe it's not fiction!

Goodness, gracious.. Great Balls of Fire is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Based on the life of Jerry Lee Lewis, responsible for such classic oldies as (obviously) "Great Balls of Fire," and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," it truly keeps your eyes glued to the screen. Dennis Quaid stars as 'The Killer' himself and portrays the ups and downs of Lewis' rocky road to success quite superbly. Staying with relatives, Jerry Lee meets and quickly moves in on his thirteen year old cousin, Myra (played by Winona Ryder, who gives Quaid a run for his money with her own stunning performance), immediately after his first song plays on the radio. People automatically love the song, and so begins the story of unbelievable success, love, and scandals -- every plot twist and turn that you would expect from a soap opera -- but these events actually DID happen! Keeping that in mind throughout the movie only makes it that much better. At times quite serious and dramatic, Great Balls of Fire keeps it just light enough to be absolutely hilarious at just the right times. In addition to the quite intriguing plot, this movie is also an in-depth look into the lifestyle of the fifties and sixties, and how what we don't give as much as a second thought to these days is what made heads spin back then. A definite must-see for fans AND non-fans of Jerry Lee Lewis, as it is a very informative and extremely entertaining movie.

(2012-04-12 04:04:20)

Completely satisfied

Love it!! It was in great shape and everything, no problems! Used movies are definitely the way to go

mason l

(2012-04-04 20:29:28)

great movie!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT A WONDERFUL MOVIE THIS IS. I SAY SEE THIS MOVIE! IT IS VERY INTERESTING. DENIS QUAID DID VERY GOOD.

Samantha

(2012-04-04 05:31:13)

I love It

First of all, I love Jerry Lee Lewis. This movie is a great dipiction of his life and his love for his music career and family. It showed that what he thinks about himself is all that matters. Anyway great movie, I can watch it a million times.

(2012-03-27 11:22:30)

Great balls of fire! What a fun romp! Rock on, Jerry Lee...

I was enjoying a quiet dinner tonight when this movie came on TV! I thought I'd watch a few minutes and get back to my typing, but NO! Jerry Lee grabbed me and wouldn't let go...just as he did back in the day.Like one of the reviewer's grandmothers, I used to dance around the house to Jerry Lee's rock 'n roll, especially the unforgettable, lively "Great Balls of Fire." He was a riot then and he's a riot now!I love, love, love this movie...because it's lively, fun and makes me feel good! I did feel sad for Jerry Lee and his teen bride. Even though she was young, they loved each other and my heart broke to see them misunderstood and his music banned because of his marrying her at such a young age (thirteen). The English treated them disgracefully, and I don't blame him for not apologizing...at great cost to his career.To view the way Jerry Lee and Myra defied everyone and stuck together through thick and thin was tender, moving and rather sweet. Bittersweet moments! And even though this rock 'n roll legend was a rebel and a bit cocky, you couldn't help but love the guy... Dennis Quaid was riotous in the role of Jerry Lee, and Winona Ryder was perfect as the very cute, adorable teen. They were both lovable (and naive in many ways). I thought I'd die laughing when she took her doll house with her as she moved from her father's home to live with her new husband. (And wait till you see Alec Baldwin carrying on as a stereotypical Baptist preacher; even though his role was rather laughable, he did a great job of acting...lol)Kudos to this cast and the producers for a few hours of almost nonstop laughter, dished up with the bittersweet romance.I won't forget this film for a long time. Even though certain parts were left out of "The Killer's" life, this movie managed to give the main details and give us a good concept of his life and lots of great rock 'n roll.It's heartening to know he's still performing and as popular as in his heyday. Rock on, Jerry Lee!Reviewed by Betty Dravis, July 2, 2010Author of "Dream Reachers" (with Chase Von) and other books

Eric Ryder

(2012-03-27 10:16:15)

Killer Performer With An Odd Reputation

It all started in the mid 1940's a very young Jerry Lee Lewis (Dennis Quaid) and his Bible-thumping cousin Jimmy Swaggert (Alec Baldwin) eavesdrop into a dance hall in a segregated black community in the Southern part of the United States. Swaggert does not approve of this kind of music, claiming that it's music by the devil (for a well known fact, "Hound Dog" was not originally an Elvis Presley song it was written by Big Mama Thornton). But Lewis thinks this evil music is his meal ticket to stardom. By the 1950's was turning around, Lewis starting excelling this vile music which caught the attention of Sam Phillips, the guy who turned Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash into stars. Sure enough, Phillips was impressed with his raw energy, his fancy banging on the ivories and his charismatic charm. In 1958, Elvis takes some time off to join the army, and Lewis was on the verge to be the next King of Rock 'n' Roll. But those dreams went down the toilet when he married his 13 year old cousin Myra Gayle Brown (Winona Ryder). This ticks off the British press and the Americans aren't too pleased by this news. Dennis Quaid does an incredible job, even if he's not really singing. However, he shows how dynamic he is by banging those keys and providing the energy that made Lewis,"The Killer". The music was fun to listen to, but I'm a stickler for ballads. It's strange that his bad reputation caused radio stations to ban his music, though he can be heard on stations that play softer music like Rosemary Clooney, Ray Charles and Louis Armstrong. Young Winona Ryder shows her youthful charm as the confused teenage cousin/wife of Lewis. It was hilarious in the scene where Myra goes shopping for her wedding dress. I was impressed by Steve Allen's cameo as he looks younger from his days as the original host of the Tonight Show. Unknown actor Michael St. Gerard does an impressive impersonation of Elvis. The King doesn't say much, but the physical and mental portrayal. One great scene has Elvis in bed with a girl watching Lewis on the telly as he turns in another energetic performance and the girl is enjoying every moment of his presence. Some other archived footage of Lewis' TV performance being seen including the hilarious cameo of Ward and June Cleaver. The song "Patricia" by Perez Prado seems apropos for a scene where Jerry Lee and Myra ask themselves if they should tell Myra's parents about their marriage. The organ reflects the youthful demeanor while the jazzy trumpet is in connection to Lewis' raw energy and the booming of the trombones are representing the actions of how Mr. Brown will react after he hears the news of his little girl being married to a much older man. Sure the man pulled off some repulsive antics in his life, but the movie does everything in its power to make them seem tamer than it should have been. Overall I thought this was an entertaining biopic of another musician who's encountered the triumphant and troubling life of a musician.

moonspinner55

(2012-03-18 15:51:41)

An unrestrained talent gets the performance it requires...

Speaking in hindsight, Dennis Quaid has recently gone on record assaying he should've taken the filmmakers' advice and brought hisportrayal of real-life hell-raising singer/piano player Jerry Lee Lewisdown a notch or two. However, it's precisely Quaid's energy (and theaccomplished 1950's period flavor) that keeps this otherwiseundistinguished movie going. It's one-half rollicking musical-bio, andthe other half an unsteady riches-to-rags tale. Jerry Lee finds hisbombastic stage presence hard to shake off in life, rising to the topof the charts--and about to steal the rock 'n roll mantle from ElvisP.--until a marriage to his under-aged second cousin causes a backlashthat lasted many years. Fashioned like a live-action cartoon, it'ssomething of a drag when the filmmakers eventually pull out all theusual tried-and-tired clichГѓВ©s, boozy depression and angry rebellion.Winona Ryder, as Quaid's teen bride, struggles with a sketchy role; infact, all the supporting characters are one-dimensional compared toLewis. Quaid (who lip-syncs to the vocals but played his own piano)rides roughshod over the whole shaky enterprise. ** from ****

Court

(2012-03-18 07:35:19)

love

i absolutely love this movie, i wish i owned it but jerry lee lewis is my moms secong cousin twice removed...cool huh!

Jessica

(2012-03-07 23:36:47)

Love it

It is a great movie. Is it on video? I would love to have it. It shows how much luv really means to some people. E-mail me at daddysangel1971@yahoo****.com if you have any info on him or his family plz( there is no stars in the e-mail adress)

tbng

(2012-03-07 11:28:40)

Save your TIVO disk space

This movie has some of the worst acting I've ever seen. Dennis Quaid'sperformance was high school caliber. While it's difficult to portray anoff-the-wall character like Jerry Lee Lewis, it can be done. Just askJamie Foxx (although Ray Charles had more depth to his personality andmusicianship than Lewis ever dreamed of possessing). The Phillipsbrothers portrayal belonged in The Dukes of Hazzard, and Alec Baldwinplaying Jimmy Swaggart is a bit like Donald Duck performingShakespeare. When Robert Duvall played a country preacher, I bought it.Baldwin never made me believe a single word. Wynona Ryder's part wasthe best, and she was mediocre. (And can anyone figure out how she was13 when Lewis met her and still 13 more than a year later?) Somechecking on the Internet reveals the essential facts presented by thefilm were true, at least no more fouled-up than most Hollywood biopics. This film did badly at the box office, and it should have.

(2012-03-06 09:48:17)

Very good music

Questa colonna sonora ti permette di sentire la musica "dentro". Solo allora capisci perchГѓВЁ Jerry Lee Lewis suonava come un indiavolato. Un consiglio: ascoltatelo

policy134

(2012-03-05 22:43:17)

Totally one-sided and not very pleasant but Dennis Quaid certainly hits it straight out of the park

Just re-saw this last night and to put it bluntly: "Style instead ofsubstance". We can already guess that there had to be a lot more toJerry Lee Lewis than what is depicted here. The Jerry Lee Lewischaracter in this movie is not depicted as a real human being for oneminute throughout the entire hour and a half plus running time, butthen again, all the other characters are only one pencil-stroke frombeing total cartoon characters.Let's take the beginning. We see Jerry Lee and his cousin, JimmySwaggart sneaking over to the black jazz club and we see Jerry gettinghis inspiration. Might be possible. We see how the two cousins choosedifferent paths in life (also possible). Then we cut to Jerry Leeplaying the piano as an adult (now played by Dennis Quaid) and it'sthrilling and a little scary. Cut to a scene where he first meets hissecond cousin, Myra. From then on the whole thing turns into a recap ofcertain events played out in a style befitting a news reel on highspeed.Not that the movie is not a little entertaining and it's great to hearnew versions of the songs that made Jerry Lee. Alec Baldwin as JimmySwaggart is also a reason why you should at least take a look at this,an indicator of his greater successes in the years to come. WinonaRyder as Myra is the most one noty character in the film. She teases,she sobs, she chews gum and play coquettish and that's about it. Thereis never for a minute given a reason why she ended up being the thirdMrs. Lewis and speaking of wives, where are the first two? That is whythis really can't be classified as a biopic, but more of a inaccuratenews reel. We see Jerry get his first song played on the radio, we seehis second single going into the top ten, we see his third go to no. 1and so on. Then comes the inevitable downfall. Absolutely, no basis inreality.To conclude another minor quarrel: The movie takes place from '56 to'58 and still Myra says: "I am only 13" right up till the end.

eweloon

(2012-03-03 08:46:00)

A great movie

This is a great, great movie. With Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee, it's justa question of time before you're really into it. He was so fit for thepart that it was almost scary, and the proud way he was acting was justamazing. Even though I didn't think Winona Ryder did a great job; theplay between Quaid and Ryder was so special. You simply can not likethem together in this movie. Many of the other actors are trulyimpressing too, maybe Alec Baldwin in special. He seems so mad byJerry's singing that you can't understand how Quaid just can standthere and smile. The way the two of them are playing together ispriceless - though their ways pretty different.I would truly recommend this movie, and I give it 8\10.

blanche-2

(2012-03-02 23:24:43)

The piano man

Dennis Quaid struts around like a rooster in "Great Balls of Fire," a1989 biopic about Jerry Lee Lewis, one of the great entertainers.Discovered by Sam Phillips, the man who discovered Elvis and JohnnyCash, Lewis came up the ranks quickly and was poised to become the Kingof Rock 'n' Roll when Elvis went into the Army. But the scandal thatbroke when it was revealed he was married to his 13-year-old cousinMyra (Winona Ryder) and was in fact a bigamist - which today would beshrugged off - just about ruined his career. Soon he was prone toviolence on and off stage and imbibing in alcohol.I have always loved Jerry Lee Lewis' music, but the only thing I knewabout him was that he married his cousin - so that will show you whereall the publicity was focused. I had no idea his cousin was JimmySwaggert (played here by Alec Baldwin). I was struck by the qualitieshe had in common with Elvis - they both were highly-charged performerswith so much energy a stage couldn't hold them, both completelyoriginal, natural talents inspired by music they heard in theircommunities, and both were discovered by Sam Phillips. What each onewas most of all was just like one of the kids that he sang to, whocould pulsate, dance and let their hormones run wild with the music.Lewis remains today an electrifying performer with an unmistakablesound. His high gear "Great Balls of Fire," "Breathless," "High SchoolConfidential," and of course, "Whole Lotta Shaking' Going' On" areunmatched.Now, how accurate was this film? Jerry Lee himself claims he neveracted the way Dennis Quaid portrayed him in his life, though others sayQuaid was right on. It's a little like Scottish people hearing aScottish burr on an actor and saying, we don't talk like that when theydo. I will quibble with the depiction of Sam Phillips as a snake oilsalesman who, according to this script, "lost Elvis." Phillips didn'tlose Elvis - his record company was too small to promote Elvis as heneeded to be promoted, and Phillips badly needed the money Elvis'contract would bring. Elvis, Vernon and Gladys Presley thought they hadit good - no one dreamed Elvis could accomplish what he did - so SamPhillips could have kept Elvis with Sun for a longer period of time,but rather than losing Elvis, he let him go.Quaid does an excellent job as a thrilling performer who perhaps isn'tthe most likable person off stage - in fact, might be a little sleazy -and Ryder captures the teenage silliness beautifully. Baldwin doesn'tget to do much but proselytize.The most interesting thing about "Great Balls of Fire" is its relevancetoday. Rock 'n' Roll was perceived as the way to complete degradationfor teenagers and the performers were servants of the devil. Rap musicis viewed the same way today. With rock 'n' roll, the road todegradation was a sexual one - swinging those hips and getting allcharged up could only mean trouble. Today, with rap, it's the messageof violence against women and attitudes towards them, the use ofviolence and foul language. In between, we had the schools ruling thatno one could have a Beatles haircut. Maybe someday it will occur tosomebody that many things can destroy a generation - war and drugsbeing two - but music doesn't seem to be one of them.