Great Balls of Fire! (1989)

The life and career of wildly controversial rock 'n' roll star Jerry Lee Lewis.

Director:

Jim McBride

Writers:

Myra Lewis (book), Murray Silver Jr. (book) (as Murray Silver)

Stars:

Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder, John Doe

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Quaid	...	Jerry Lee Lewis
Winona Ryder	...	Myra Gale Brown
John Doe	...	J.W. Brown
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Jud Phillips
Trey Wilson	...	Sam Phillips
Alec Baldwin	...	Jimmy Swaggart
Steve Allen	...	Himself
Lisa Blount	...	Lois Brown
Joshua Sheffield	...	Rusty Brown
Mojo Nixon	...	James Van Eaton
Jimmie Vaughan	...	Roland Janes
David Ferguson	...	Jack Clement
Robert Lesser	...	Alan Freed
Lisa Jane Persky	...	Babe
Paula Person	...	Sam's Secratary

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. In 1956, Louisiana bad boy Jerry Lee Lewis moves to Memphis, determined to dethrone Elvis Presley with his ferocious, God-given talent. When Jerry Lee bangs out the chorus with his feet, huge fans howl out for more. When he finishes his performance by setting his piano ablaze, they mob the stage. But when he marries his 13-year-old cousin Myra Gale Brown...the scandal nearly destroys the Killer's career.

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Plot Keywords:

1950s | child bride | title based on song | marriage between cousins | rise and fall | 

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Taglines:

Jerry Lee Lewis. His music rocked the nation. His story shocked the world.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 June 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Great Balls of Fire

Filming Locations:

Somerville, Tennessee, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$13,741,060

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jerry Lee Lewis hated both this film and his ex-wife Myra Lewis' autobiographical book which was a source. Linda Gail Lewis, Jerry Lee Lewis' sister, also thought this film was a poor and unjustified version of the real Jerry. The book's co-author Murray Silver Jr. was outraged by the film, which he thought departed from the book or the truth. Silver made several criticisms such as, "The movie was phony." 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."

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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.

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Quotes

Jerry Lee Lewis: England can kiss my ass!

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Connections

References Gone with the Wind (1939)

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Soundtracks

Patricia
Written by Dámaso Pérez Prado
Performed by Dámaso Pérez Prado

User Reviews

I completely disagree, I really loved this movie..

Personally I disagree with the other user's comments as I saw this movie on TV a while ago and really enjoyed it. What makes it so interesting is the fact that someone would actually go ahead and marry their cousin who was only 13 years old.

This movie is pretty accurate and the acting and music is great.

Dennis Quaid's portrayal of the Killer is definitely one to watch.

His accent and facial expressions are priceless and Winona Ryder's Myra is sweet and believable. This movie offers a great insight into the personal life, music and career of J.L.L. A really enjoyable film I would highly recommend :-D