Buy Great Balls of Fire! Movie. Watch online or Download
Genres: DramaBiographyMu
Starring: Stephen Tobolowsky, Dennis Quaid, Alec Baldwin, Winona Ryder, John Doe, Lisa Jane Persky, Robert Lesser
Director(s): Jim McBride
Country: USA
Year: 1989
Available Quality: DivX, DVD, iPod
IMDB Rating: 6 out of 10 (7360 votes)
The story of Jerry Lee Lewis, arguably the greatest and certainly one of the wildest musicians of the 1950s. His arrogance, remarkable talent, and unconventional lifestyle often brought him into conflict with others in the industry, and even earned him the scorn and condemnation of the public.
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Visitors Review
Michael_Elliott (24 May 2012)
Debate What's Real but the Film is Great Fun
Great Balls of Fire! (1989)**** (out of 4) Terrific bio-pic follows Jerry Lee Lewis (Dennis Quaid) as he quicklyrises up the charts and appears to be about to take over the king ofrock 'n roll from Elvis but the media and fans turn on him when theydiscover that he's married to his 13-year-old cousin (Winona Ryder).For the life of me I'll never understand some of the negative reviewsthis film gets. Yes, Lewis had a pretty hard life full of violence,drugs, alcohol and various other items that really don't get shown herebut the point of this movie wasn't to be a dark and disturbing movieabout abuse but instead it was a movie about the glories of rock 'nroll and on that level the movie is a grand slam with great music andgreat performances. There's no denying that it appears the spirit ofLewis got into Quaid because he delivers a remarkable performance andit's a real shame that he didn't even get an Oscar-nomination. It'svery hard for any actor to try and play a personality like Lewis butQuaid has no trouble and in my opinion delivers one of the bestperformances by an actor playing a real-life person. The spirit, fireand energy he brings to the film is just remarkable and each time Iview the film the performance impresses me even more. He gets a strongsupporting cast to work with him with Ryder also turning in a greatperformance as she really captures the spirit of a 13-year-old who getscaught up with his older cousin and his lifestyle. Stephen Tobolowskyand Trey Wilson are terrific as the Phillips brothers and we get AlecBaldwin in nice form playing Lewis' cousin Jimmy Swaggart. The moviefeatures Lewis doing his own singing and piano playing and it's just soenergetic that you'll have no problem shaking your leg and wanting toget up and dance. The soundtrack features all his classic tunes andthey sound remarkably well and pack one terrific punch. Again, therewere several very dark years in the career of Lewis but this filmreally doesn't look at them and I don't have a problem with it. Mostmusic bios are full of the dark stuff so it's rather refreshing to seesomething that has fun with the subject matter. Yes, a dark film couldhave been made about the alcohol. Yes, a dark film could have madeabout the marriage. This film could have done a lot of things but whatit does is deliver entertainment and an energy that is hard to top.
ccthemovieman-1 (24 May 2012)
The Good & Bad Of 'Great Balls Of Fire'
Being a fan of Jerry Lee Lewis since he began rockin' way back in the1950s, this movie is a bit of a disappointment overall. The "bad"outweighs the "good" in here, story-wise. GOOD - The music - naturally! There is some great music in here,featuring Dennis Quaid as the entertaining rockabilly-rock-countrysinger who surely will go down as the one of the great entertainers ofhis generation. Quaid lip-syncs the songs, but that okay. They soundbetter with Lewis doing the singing. The movie is colorful,entertaining and fast-moving. Wynona Ryder looks really cute, too.BAD - There is a little bit too much emphasis on Lewis' brother, JimmySwaggart (Alec Baldwin) and, of course, they make him look like somefanatical religious preacher. Hey, I'm not a "charismatic" follower butthere was an obvious bias in here and it wasn't necessary. Also, thewriters actually made Lewis look a sympathetic victim for the criticismhe got marrying his 13-year-old cousin! Only in the film-making worlddo we see poor morals given the thumbs-up. Sorry, Jerry Lee, butmarrying your 13-year-old cousin warrants a bit of criticism! I laterdiscovered this movie was based on a book by that the same "girl," soit's no wonder it makes that relationship look "legitimate." The ending was not appropriate, either. Most of the characters in thisfilm were exaggerated to the degree that they all look cartoonish. Thismovie could have been so much better with a more objective look atJerry Lee's life and people in it.
(23 May 2012)
MAKE THOSE FIVE IRONIC STARS! WHAT A HOWLER!
Some friends and I tried to develop a "Bad Movie Tuesday" where we would have a roaming party once a week and watch truly bad movies (Sort of our own private Mystery Science Theatre 3K)...this was one of the first I suggested. I've always maintained that the key to enjoying this over-the-top bio pic is to imagine that Quaid based his whole performance on Foghorn Leghorn. Winona here began the slide into disappointing movies that has stalled the beauty's career, and Alec Baldwin's "Cousin, you still got that coin I gave ya?" spiel is priceless. Even the musical numbers seem dopey. Prepare to laugh...
suplexx (23 May 2012)
Worst acting I have ever seen
It's really just terrible. Quaid overacts more than Shatner. The partwhere Elvis walks in and says "You can have it all" just kills anythingthat might have been good in this movie that's bad enough as it is.Drug use was completely snow coated, the only thing that had anythingto do with his life was the bit about him wedding his cousin. Quaidalso looks nothing like Lewis and has dark roots and eyebrows. I wishthis could be re-made in the future with someone who doesn't try sohard. A bigger budget wouldn't hurt and maybe more about his actuallife. I was very, very disappointed in Quaid. Don't watch this movie oryou will be too.
(21 May 2012)
Great Balls of Fire
this movie was recieved in GREAT condition and as always, it is an excellent movie.
(20 May 2012)
Goodness, gracious...great music.
To those who are enthralled by Jerry Lee Lewis's music (and I'm one), the music in this movie makes up for some flaws that might have been more detracting in another film. Specifically, the music is great because the soundtrack was performed by the Killer himself(as new recordings,I believe)...but the acting is overwrought with Dennis Quaid missing the mark, in my humble opinion, due primarily to his overly exuberant portrayal of Jerry Lee which obviously is intended to convey the Killer's over-the-top personality and on-stage antics but which, to my eye, comes off as more cartoonish than exuberant. Ryder's portrayal of his first cousin once removed and, ultimately, his wife is too pouty and babyish even for the thirteen year old she's supposed to be.Oddly enough, despite these criticisms the movie remains thoroughly enjoyable due in no small part to the genius of Lewis's musical performances which are rock and roll epitomized.One final thought here is how this movie reveals how drastically we have changed as a society (and probably not for the better) in that the music industry and the public destroyed Lewis's career over the indiscretion of falling in love with and marrying his underage cousin. Yet, today, much more despicable behavior in the current generation of pop musicians, such as rape,violence,drugs,suicide,intollerance and sexual immorality is more likely to rocket them to superstardom then to oblivion. Goodness, gracious....C'est la vie! To sum up: The movie's worth the fourteen bucks, even if they have the nerve not to include a single word of liner notes. Enjoy.
(20 May 2012)
Worth Buying For Two Songs...
This review is from: Great Balls Of Fire: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Newly Recorded Performances By Jerry Lee Lewis (Audio CD) Whether you're a diehard Jerry Lee fan or just a casual, this soundtrack CD is worth buying on the strength of two songs - the updated versions of title track and "That Lucky Old Sun". On this re-worked version "Great Balls Of Fire" we get the best of both worlds - Jerry Lee vocals that are relatively close to the orginal, with the added bonus of crystal clear and dynamic instrumentation on both JLL's piano and the lead guitarist. This track jumps and stands up against anything Lewis put down before or after.The remake of "that Lucky Old Sun" is a must-have collectable due to it being one of the few times Jerry Lee was officially recorded by himself on the piano - and trust me, he shines! In this era of "unplugged" recordings, it's truly a pity that no record company exec along the ruff and rocky road of Jerry's career ever thought to do an intimate album with him. But such has been the story of JLL's career: opportunity missed.Don't you miss this one - the GBOF soundtrack
hkylw21 (19 May 2012)
ridiculous
This movie easily falls into the category of laughable, if not beyondthat to actually insulting. I mean in what alternate universe did thefilmmakers and studios think that this film would play? From beginningto end we bombarded with Quaids overacting and ridiculous facialexpressions, laying on the "im a loose cannon" act a little thick.Another picking point I had with the movie was the lack of a realisticstory of events that would make you grow to connect to a character. Imean in one scene where Lewis is playing in a bar before making it bigthere is this over the top, just completely absurd bar fight that everycitizen in town is apparently a part of. Then Lewis begins to play hisrendition of "A whole lot of shaking'" and everyone immediately forgetstheir differences and begins dancing wildly as if its the most normalthing in the world. These kind of scenes, of which there are numerous,coupled with the lack of depth in any of the characters led me toactual laughter. So all in all this film is not worth viewing foranyone not interested in mocking a filmmaker and his actors decisionsfor an hour and a half.
(16 May 2012)
The Greatest Movie Ever Made!
Great Balls of Fire! was the greatest movie ever made. Dennis Quaid and Winona Ryder should have more roles like that together!
Mary (15 May 2012)
It Was Awesome
This movie is so good. The story was so interesting.I almost cried in the part where Myra tells Jerry she's pregnant. But I still think Jerry should have waited a few years before he married her. She was way too young. He didn't even ask her father's approval.
(14 May 2012)
what??
now don't get me wrong, i LOVE Jerry Lee..some of my fondest memories were my grandma dancing down the hall to great balls of fire..but you can't download this soundtrack?? i've been trying to find "That lucky Old Sun" version that matches whats in the movie, but i finally found it but i have to buy the soundtrack and wait for it to come to my house? All I want is that one mp3 but you can't always get what you want...
blanche-2 (13 May 2012)
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.
(12 May 2012)
Good
This is good, and Dennis Quaid even does a decent job singing in the duet he does with Jerry Lee. It's funny, though, how the "better" recording (technically) of the title song isn't as good as the original more murkier sounding one. But they're both good.
(12 May 2012)
The best CD ever!!
This was the first tape I ever got. It was all I listened to for about five years. Now, the tape is worn out, because I listened to it so much.
sddavis63 (06 May 2012)
Immensely Entertaining & The Music Is Great
An excellent job by director Jim McBride of putting Myra Lewis's book aboutthe life of legendary rock and roll star Jerry Lee Lewis (her husband) onfilm.Dennis Quaid gives an over the top performance (sometimes a bit too over thetop; but, then again, this is Jerry Lee Lewis) as Lewis, arrogant andchild-like, trying to deal with sudden fame, having to deal with theconsequences of having married his thirteen year old cousin (Myra, whoauthored the book). Quaid was truly excellent in this role. Yes, thelip-synching was perhaps a bit too obvious at times, but for the sake ofhearing some great music performed by the real Jerry Lee Lewis, that was anirritant I could easily put up with. The relationship between Lewis and Myra(Winona Ryder) is developed sensitively and tastefully by McBride. Humour isadded by exploring the complex love-hate relationship between Lewis and hiscousin, the evangelist Jimmy Swaggart (Alec Baldwin). There is also greatirony, given what ultimately happened to Swaggart, as we listen to himlecturing Lewis about the dangers of taking the "gold-paved streets of rockand roll."I really enjoyed this movie. Perhaps it was guilty of portraying everyone init as a bit of a caricature, but it still seemed to offer an entirelybelievable story of Lewis's life. Well worth the watching.9/10
(06 May 2012)
the real jerry lee lewis
Dennis Quaid does a very good job of playing JERRY LEE LEWIS but the music performed by the real Jerry Lee Lewis is the hit of the movie. Jerry will be 67 years old in september of this year and can still rock as hard as anyone. there is only one JERRY LEE LEWIS. Do yourself a favor and see him while you can. As they say in the movie, Jerry Lee is playing his heart out somewhere in America tonight.
smatysia (04 May 2012)
Quaid over the top...young Ryder exceptional
Well, I liked this movie a lot more when I saw it the first time some yearsago. It is good to go back and see some of Winona Ryder's work as a childactress. She really was good here. Dennis Quaid played Jerry Lee Lewiswaaaay over the top. Quaid is a good actor, so I know that this wasintentional. I wasn't around in the Fifties, and so missed all of theeventsportrayed here. Anyway, it's a pretty decent flick, and, of course, themusic rocks.
Chris (03 May 2012)
A great movie.
I think that the movie really showed the problems that Jerry Lee went through at thet time.Dennis Quaid did a very good job bringing the character to life on the big screen.
Megan Luminais (03 May 2012)
LOVE IT!
MAN HE WAS THE NEXT KING OF ROCK ROLL BETTER THAN ELVIS HE MARRIED HIS 13 YEAR OLD COUSIN WHO WAS HIS LITTLE BRIDE AND SHOCKED AMERCIA HE SET THE PIANO ON FIRE WOW! LET ME TELL YOU THIS MOVIE IS THE BEST YOU'LL LOVE IT WHEN YA SEE IT I SURE DO
(02 May 2012)
Goodness,Gracious, GREAT BALLS OF FIRE!
I love this movie! Dennis Quaid is a perfect Jerry Lee Lewis!He perfectly portrays the HOT wildman Jerry Lee was! This a great movie and has the BEST music ever played in it.After all Jerry Lee Lewis has a ferocious God given talent on him!
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