The Greatest Showman (B or 3/4 stars)
'The Greatest Showman', a musical biopic about entrepreneur/showbiz pioneer P.T. Barnum from the songwriters of La La Land & directed by Michael Gracey, is CORNY, CHEESY & EARNEST. It's also rollicking, amiable & rousing. There are inaccuracies from a historical stand point, but you get what you pay for -- a grand musical spectacle that goes down easy during the holidays. As a young boy, Phineas, the son of a penniless tailor, meets Charity, the daughter of one of his dad's wealthy clients. He makes her giggle, but that earns a slap from her snob father. That doesn't deter the kids though, and the spark btwn. them lasts throughout their youth, even while she's off at boarding school & he's an orphaned street urchin.
Yrs. later, Finn & Charity (now Hugh Jackman & Michelle Williams) marry & have 2 daughters. He's able to secure a $10,000 bank loan {by falsifying something; a habit of his} to open up an old museum of oddities (wax figures, the work of taxidermists), but when that fails, he gets 'inspired' by an encounter with a little person to invite misfits to join his show. They include: bearded lady, Letty Lutz (Keala Settle), Tom Thumb (Sean Humphrey), beautiful black trapeze artist, Anne Wheeler (Disney star, Zendaya), the Strong Man, Dog Boy, Siamese twins & others of their ilk. Barnum's show is critically panned - the harshest critic refers to the show as a "circus"; not realizing how Barnum likes the term - but the masses absolutely love it.
The overnight sensation allows Barnum to quickly earn a fortune, so he recruits a partner, well-to-do playwright Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron), who arranges an audience with Queen Victoria, and falls into a forbidden romance with black trapeze artist, Anne. Life is good for Barnum. But his enthusiasm & appreciation for his misfit circus performers takes a backseat. And he can't stop looking for approval from society's upper crust. That includes legendary Swedish opera singer, Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson), who becomes on obstacle to Barnum's happiness both lucratively, as well as with his home life. Melodrama, singing & dancing ensues.
High-spirited performances propel this musical biopic, which IS flawed, but mostly delighted me thanks to its cast, the craft on display & the musical numbers. There's value in watching the multi-talented Hugh Jackman sing & dance. Its fun watching him perform; knowing how stellar he is as a macho action star, as well. One of my peeves with this movie is that it doesn't delve into some of the uglier aspects of Barnum's life (mistreatment of people; animals). That always hung in my mind as I watched. Having said that, the film entertains with those big, orchestra-heavy songs by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (the award-winning lyricists for La La Land & Dear Evan Hansen).
Though the music is anachronistic to the time {19th century/pop, haha}, the soundtrack is the best aspect of the film and, more remarkable than the actual 'story' we're provided. Right off the bat, we're thrust into the opening anthem, "This is the Greatest Show". I lovvved the emotionally-powerful "A Million Dreams" duet btwn. Jackman & Williams. There's the swoony "Rewrite the Stars" -- a lovely duet by Efron & Zendaya as they swing on the circus ropes. Jenny Lind has her own show-stopper on the big stage. And the climactic, empowering Golden Globe-nominated ballad "This Is Me" is belted out by Keala Settle. When the rest of the misfit cast joins her, it's quite the pivotal moment. Seamus McGarvey's (Atonement) cinematography is beautiful. Nathan Crowley's sets are glorious; if not as 19th-century NY grungy as it likely was. Ellen Mirojnick's costumes are great. And Ashley Wallen's choreography {in the musical numbers} is a highlight.
As mentioned earlier, Jackman impresses. Zac Efron is a joy to watch; harkening back to his High School Musical days. Zendaya surprised me both in the magical duet with Efron & a teary hospital scene. I just wish their subplot was more fleshed out. Too many subplots are rushed, fudged or glossed over. But I digress. This rare original movie musical is a jubilant extravaganza to behold. The story is easy to follow. And it showcases themes - however hollow - of love, ambition & acceptance. All in all, if you can swallow the spoonfuls of syrupy sugar, gulp the corny cheese being fed to you and ignore the historical inaccuracies, 'The Greatest Showman' really is the perfect antidote to enduring those holiday blues & frustrations.
Yrs. later, Finn & Charity (now Hugh Jackman & Michelle Williams) marry & have 2 daughters. He's able to secure a $10,000 bank loan {by falsifying something; a habit of his} to open up an old museum of oddities (wax figures, the work of taxidermists), but when that fails, he gets 'inspired' by an encounter with a little person to invite misfits to join his show. They include: bearded lady, Letty Lutz (Keala Settle), Tom Thumb (Sean Humphrey), beautiful black trapeze artist, Anne Wheeler (Disney star, Zendaya), the Strong Man, Dog Boy, Siamese twins & others of their ilk. Barnum's show is critically panned - the harshest critic refers to the show as a "circus"; not realizing how Barnum likes the term - but the masses absolutely love it.
The overnight sensation allows Barnum to quickly earn a fortune, so he recruits a partner, well-to-do playwright Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron), who arranges an audience with Queen Victoria, and falls into a forbidden romance with black trapeze artist, Anne. Life is good for Barnum. But his enthusiasm & appreciation for his misfit circus performers takes a backseat. And he can't stop looking for approval from society's upper crust. That includes legendary Swedish opera singer, Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson), who becomes on obstacle to Barnum's happiness both lucratively, as well as with his home life. Melodrama, singing & dancing ensues.
High-spirited performances propel this musical biopic, which IS flawed, but mostly delighted me thanks to its cast, the craft on display & the musical numbers. There's value in watching the multi-talented Hugh Jackman sing & dance. Its fun watching him perform; knowing how stellar he is as a macho action star, as well. One of my peeves with this movie is that it doesn't delve into some of the uglier aspects of Barnum's life (mistreatment of people; animals). That always hung in my mind as I watched. Having said that, the film entertains with those big, orchestra-heavy songs by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (the award-winning lyricists for La La Land & Dear Evan Hansen).
Though the music is anachronistic to the time {19th century/pop, haha}, the soundtrack is the best aspect of the film and, more remarkable than the actual 'story' we're provided. Right off the bat, we're thrust into the opening anthem, "This is the Greatest Show". I lovvved the emotionally-powerful "A Million Dreams" duet btwn. Jackman & Williams. There's the swoony "Rewrite the Stars" -- a lovely duet by Efron & Zendaya as they swing on the circus ropes. Jenny Lind has her own show-stopper on the big stage. And the climactic, empowering Golden Globe-nominated ballad "This Is Me" is belted out by Keala Settle. When the rest of the misfit cast joins her, it's quite the pivotal moment. Seamus McGarvey's (Atonement) cinematography is beautiful. Nathan Crowley's sets are glorious; if not as 19th-century NY grungy as it likely was. Ellen Mirojnick's costumes are great. And Ashley Wallen's choreography {in the musical numbers} is a highlight.
As mentioned earlier, Jackman impresses. Zac Efron is a joy to watch; harkening back to his High School Musical days. Zendaya surprised me both in the magical duet with Efron & a teary hospital scene. I just wish their subplot was more fleshed out. Too many subplots are rushed, fudged or glossed over. But I digress. This rare original movie musical is a jubilant extravaganza to behold. The story is easy to follow. And it showcases themes - however hollow - of love, ambition & acceptance. All in all, if you can swallow the spoonfuls of syrupy sugar, gulp the corny cheese being fed to you and ignore the historical inaccuracies, 'The Greatest Showman' really is the perfect antidote to enduring those holiday blues & frustrations.