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Great Balls of Fire!

Great Balls of Fire!

Drama · History · Music · 1989

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.

Movie details

Great Balls of Fire!

“The true story of a legend.”

1989 Drama · History · Music 1h 48m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.3 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Great Balls of Fire!?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jim McBride

Written by

Jack Baran · Jim McBride

Dennis Quaid

Dennis Quaid

Jerry Lee Lewis

Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder

Myra Gale Brown

John Doe

John Doe

J.W. Brown

Stephen Tobolowsky

Stephen Tobolowsky

Jud Phillips

Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin

Jimmy Swaggart

Lisa Blount

Lisa Blount

Lois Brown

Trey Wilson

Trey Wilson

Sam Phillips

Court is in session

Put Great Balls of Fire! on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.