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Great Balls of Fire! (1989)

 -  Biography | Drama | Music  -  30 June 1989 (USA)
6.0
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Ratings: 6.0/10 from 9,372 users  
Reviews: 56 user | 21 critic

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... See full summary »

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(book), (book), 2 more credits »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
Myra Gale Brown
...
J.W. Brown
...
Jud Phillips
...
...
...
Himself
...
Lois Brown
Joshua Sheffield ...
Rusty Brown
Mojo Nixon ...
James Van Eaton
...
Roland Janes
David Ferguson ...
Jack Clement
Robert Lesser ...
...
Babe
Paula Person ...
Sam's Secratary
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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. Written by Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

Jerry Lee Lewis: He Rocked The Nation... And Shocked The World. See more »

Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

Certificate:

PG-13 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

30 June 1989 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Great Balls of Fire  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Gross:

$13,741,060 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The original recording of the song "Honey Don't" by Carl Perkins is heard in this film and is a Sun Records label. See more »

Goofs

During the concert scene with the hot blonde fan in the white fringe top, she throws down her old cigarette when she starts to dance, but a moment later, she's magically holding a new freshly lit smoke. See more »

Quotes

Jerry Lee: England can kiss my ass!
See more »

Connections

References Gone with the Wind (1939) See more »

Soundtracks

"High School Confidential"
Written by Ron Hargrave (as Ron Hargreave) and Jerry Lee Lewis
Performed by Jerry Lee Lewis
See more »

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User Reviews

 
Immensely Entertaining & The Music Is Great
3 September 2001 | by (Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada) – See all my reviews

An excellent job by director Jim McBride of putting Myra Lewis's book about the life of legendary rock and roll star Jerry Lee Lewis (her husband) on film.

Dennis Quaid gives an over the top performance (sometimes a bit too over the top; but, then again, this is Jerry Lee Lewis) as Lewis, arrogant and child-like, trying to deal with sudden fame, having to deal with the consequences of having married his thirteen year old cousin (Myra, who authored the book). Quaid was truly excellent in this role. Yes, the lip-synching was perhaps a bit too obvious at times, but for the sake of hearing some great music performed by the real Jerry Lee Lewis, that was an irritant I could easily put up with. The relationship between Lewis and Myra (Winona Ryder) is developed sensitively and tastefully by McBride. Humour is added by exploring the complex love-hate relationship between Lewis and his cousin, the evangelist Jimmy Swaggart (Alec Baldwin). There is also great irony, given what ultimately happened to Swaggart, as we listen to him lecturing Lewis about the dangers of taking the "gold-paved streets of rock and roll."

I really enjoyed this movie. Perhaps it was guilty of portraying everyone in it as a bit of a caricature, but it still seemed to offer an entirely believable story of Lewis's life. Well worth the watching.

9/10


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