Great Balls of Fire! (film)

Great Balls of Fire!
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jim McBride
Produced by	Executive Producers: Michael Grais Mark Victor Art Levinson Producer: Adam Fields
Written by	Jack Baran Jim McBride
Story by	Myra Lewis Murray M. Silver Jr.
Starring	Dennis Quaid Winona Ryder John Doe Alec Baldwin
Music by	Jerry Lee Lewis
Cinematography	Affonso Beato
Editing by	Lisa Day Pembroke J. Herring Bert Lovitt
Distributed by	Orion Pictures
Release date(s)	June 30, 1989
Running time	108 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$13,741,060 (USA)

Great Balls of Fire! is a 1989 American biographical film directed by Jim McBride and starring Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee Lewis. Based on a biography by Myra Lewis and Murray M. Silver Jr., the screenplay is written by McBride and Jack Baran. The film is produced by Adam Fields, with executive producers credited as Michael Grais, Mark Victor, and Art Levinson.

The early career of Jerry Lee Lewis, when he became a teen idol and married his 13-year-old cousin Myra, is depicted in this film. Until the scandal of the marriage depreciated his image, many had thought Lewis would supplant Elvis Presley as the "King of Rock and Roll" in the 1950s.

Plot

Jerry Lee Lewis, nicknamed "The Killer", performs during the early years of rock and roll from 1956-1958. Lewis is shown as a man with many different sides: a skilled performer with little discipline, an alcoholic, and an abusive husband. As Lewis rises to the top of the charts with such hits as "Crazy Arms," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On," and "Great Balls of Fire" he falls in love with Myra Gale Lewis (Winona Ryder), the 13-year-old daughter of his first cousin, and eventually marries her.

There is a sub-plot of Lewis' relationship with another cousin, the preacher Jimmy Swaggart (Alec Baldwin). Swaggart's career keeps him in constant conflict with his cousin's wild life of rock and roll, and brings out some uncomfortable exchanges. The financially successful Lewis buys a new car and a short time later gives it to his cousin, and when Swaggart praises the Lord for this gift, Lewis replies:

"Don't thank Jesus, thank Jerry Lee Lewis!"

When a British reporter discovers he is married to his teenage cousin, Lewis is condemned as a child molester and a pervert by the public. Lewis learns he is about to become a father, as his 13-year-old wife tells him she has become pregnant. The closing title card reads: "Jerry Lee Lewis is playing his heart out somewhere in America tonight."

Cast

• Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee Lewis
• Winona Ryder as Myra Gale Brown
• John Doe as J.W. Brown
• Stephen Tobolowsky as Jud Phillips
• Trey Wilson as Sam Phillips
• Alec Baldwin as Jimmy Swaggart
• Steve Allen as Himself
• Lisa Blount as Lois Brown
• Joshua Sheffield as Rusty Brown
• Mojo Nixon as James Van Eaton
• Jimmie Vaughan as Roland Janes
• David R. Ferguson as Jack Clement
• Robert Lesser as Alan Freed
• Lisa Jane Persky as Babe
• Peter Cook as British reporter

Production

The story was co-written by Myra Gail Lewis (her autobiography Great Balls of Fire!), the former wife of Jerry Lee Lewis, with Murray Silver. Despite this, co-writer Silver was upset by the lack of accuracy in the film, claiming it was "phoney". Director Jim McBride admitted that it was never his intention to tie his film to the facts, and stated "This movie does not represent itself in any way to be a historical documentary. We use the book as a jumping-off point."

Jerry Lee Lewis has openly stated that he hates the film and the book it was based on. Lewis did, however, praise Dennis Quaid's portrayal of him in the film, saying "he really pulled it off".

Filming locations

The film was filmed on location in Marion, Arkansas, Memphis, Tennessee, and West Memphis, Arkansas.

Reception

Critical response

Roger Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, did not like the film because of its screenplay, and wrote, "This is a simpleminded rock 'n' roll history in which the pleasures are many and the troubles are few. Lewis, played by Dennis Quaid as a grinning simpleton with a crazy streak and a manic piano style, climbs the same career ladder as many of the stars of musical biographies, but he does it with lightning speed." Ebert also said that Quaid did a nice job of reproducing Lewis' stage persona.

Critic Caryn James wrote that the film portrays the fun side of rock and roll, and wrote, "Jim McBride's film is a compressed, cleaned-up version of the Jerry Lee Lewis story, but it re-creates the soul-shaking, brain-rattling fun of rock-and-roll. It also captures, perhaps for the first time on film, something of the sexual aura of rock-and-roll at its birth." Yet, she added that anyone looking for a true sense of music history will be let down by the film.

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 65% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on twenty-three reviews.

Awards

• Young Artist Awards: Young Artist Award; Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture, Winona Ryder; 1990.

Exhibition

The film opened in wide release in the United States on June 30, 1989. The box-office receipts were poor. The first week's gross were $3,807,986 and the total receipts for the two week run were $13,691,550. The film was in wide release for ten days. In its widest release the film was featured in 1,417 theaters across the country.

Soundtrack

An original motion picture soundtrack was released by the producers on the Polydor Records label on June 8, 1989. Jerry Lee Lewis re-recorded his music from the 1950s for the soundtrack with the title track "Great Balls Of Fire," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "That Lucky Old Sun." The soundtrack contains 12 tracks.

CD track listing

1. "Great Balls Of Fire"
2. "High School Confidential"
3. "Big Legged Woman" - Booker T. Laury
4. "I'm On Fire"
5. "Rocket 88" - Jackie Brenston And The Delta Cats
6. "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"
7. "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" - Valerie Wellington
8. "Breathless"
9. "Crazy Arms" - Jerry Lee Lewis/Dennis Quaid
10. "Wild One"
11. "That Lucky Old Sun"
12. "Great Balls of Fire" (Original Version)

External links

• Great Balls of Fire! at the Internet Movie Database
• Great Balls of Fire! film trailer at You Tube