Great Balls of Fire! (1989)
Storyline
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.
Directors
Cast
Dennis Quaid, Alec Baldwin, Stephen Tobolowsky, Steven O'Donnell, Winona Ryder, Robert Lesser, Keith McDaniel, John Doe, Mojo Nixon, Kelly Marcel, John Bloom, Peter Cook, Lisa Jane Persky, Mark W. Johnson, Trey Wilson, John Tordoff, David Sibley, Lisa Blount, Kelli Clevenger, Michael St. Gerard, Jimmie Vaughan, Steve Allen, Joshua Sheffield, Paula Person, Valerie Wellington, Carol Russell, Crystal Robbins, Tav Falco, Ryan Rushton, Bert Dedman, David A. Penhale, Carl Bogan, Richard Crowe, Melisa J. Levine, Cassie Pollard, Mary Yeargin, Jody Lynne, Joseph Woodward Jr., Linn Sitler, Sara Van Horn, John Mulrooney, Kim Smith, Jamila Massey, Ryan Ward, Bejay Baddin, Julie Balloo, Ruth Kettlewell, Stephanie Pope, Lorraine Fields, Rufus Thomas, Maurice Miller, Susan Lonergan, Bonnie Beutler, Snowy Winters, Priscilla Harris, Tike Kerby, Darrell Kiedo, Scott Sumers, Chris Solari
Trailer
Reviews
70
Anyone looking for a true sense of his importance in the history of rock-and-roll will be let down by Great Balls of Fire. But though the film may skimp on the truth, it is loaded with terrific music and outrageous fun.
60
A loud, careering thunderbolt of a bipoic, that leaves behind an imprint of the myth, if not enough of the man.
60
The acting is superb. Quaid, who practiced piano 12 hours a day (Lewis dubbed the vocals), has Lewis's megalomaniacal theatricality and perverse ignorance down perfectly, and his white-trash accent as well. Winona Ryder turns in a stunning performance as Myra, not only looking but feeling 13. And X frontman John Doe is quietly pathetic as Myra's father and Lewis's long-suffering sideman (along with guitarist Jimmie Vaughn and drummer Mojo Nixon).
50
Great Balls of Fire gives us a Jerry Lee Lewis who has been sanitized, popularized and lobotomized. Even then, the story ends in 1959 - before most of the events for which "The Killer" became notorious.
50
Lewis’s vintage rock is still cause for cheering. Too bad the movie that contains these Killer sounds never rises above a whimper.
