Greetings,
Well, I wasn't planning on going to the movies at all this year. As I've mentioned, I'm a bit disillusioned with Hollywood at the moment. I mean, I haven't been to the movies in well over a year. But I was invited to go on Christmas Day, so I figured what the heck? So, I spent the holiday watching The Greatest Showman. Because the person who invited me picked it.
To be honest, I didn't know much about this movie at all. I knew it was coming out, that it was about P.T. Barnum, that Hugh Jackman was involved and I suspected it was going to be a musical of some kind. Spoilers! It is. Now the last time I went to see a Hugh Jackman musical on Christmas it was was Les Miserables, and . . . yeah, no. So was this experience any better? Let's find out.
I'll start with the good things. Hugh Jackman. Yes, Hugh Jackman was great in this, but he usually is. I've always thought he was the epitome of an entertainer, so, obviously, this part was perfect for him. He has such a commanding presence and he steals every scene he's in. He also just seems like a nice guy, which is saying a lot considering how other celebrities carry themselves. And most importantly, he hasn't been accused of any untoward behavior. Let's keep it that way.
There are also a few familiar face in the supporting cast. Michelle Williams is there and she's . . . she is there, alright. Look, I've made it no secret that I am not a fan of Michelle Williams. I think she is very overrated as an actress, but as a singer? Well, as a singer, she should stick to acting, even in my opinion. Okay, she wasn't horrible, but she's not a singer. Then, we have Zac Efron, who was really good and worked incredibly with Hugh Jackman. It's nice to see him break free from that teen idol status he had years ago and become a skilled actor. And it's nice to see him singing and dancing again. Unless I missed something, I think this is the first he has done of that since "high school". In fact, if he stays on this trajectory, I could see him someday being as respected as Hugh Jackman in the triple threat department, and never seen again as just some kid who did a Disney Channel thing a few times.
And whilst we are on the subject of kids who do Disney Channel things, Zendaya is in this as well. Admittedly, I know very little about her. Obviously, I know about her Disney Channel career and I think she was on Dancing With the Stars. That's about it. She was okay in this. She's an okay actress and an okay singer, but as she gets older and gains more experience, I think she may get a lot better. She did shine with her dancing abilities, and some of the choreography was super intricate, so hats off for that. And speaking of young actors, who are always a gamble, the kids in this did a great job. Austyn Johnson and Cameron Seely, who played Barnum's daughters really managed to hold their own against a lot of seasoned professionals. I wouldn't mind seeing either of them in some more movies.
Aside from people we recognize, this film had a lot of secondary characters who were members of the show. They all did great, no matter how big or small their parts were, but there were two that really stood out. First was Sam Humphrey as Charles Stratton, a dwarf who was one of the first to join Barnum's show and the first to be convinced that his "flaws" could be something that would make him endearing to people and very special. Second was Keala Settle as Lettie Lutz, the bearded lady. And dang, this woman has a crazy amazing voice. She was mesmerizing every time she sang, and I hope she gets a lot more work out of this. Overall, every one of these actors portrayed these people who were always considered outcasts with a lot of heart and they made you want to embrace them.
Now let's discuss the music, because it's a musical. When I heard the opening notes of the first song, it sounded a bit like a Fall Out Boy song, so I thought maybe this was gonna be like Moulin Rouge. But no, these were all originals written by the team of Pasek and Paul, whose work I am not super familiar with, but they did write a few good songs from the second season of Smash. I'm happy to say I really enjoyed all the songs in this. They weren't just story points with music behind them, but they were actually well-written and memorable songs. Big thumbs up on that.
So, did I have any other problems with the film? Yes. I admit I know very little about the life of P.T. Barnum and I think whoever wrote this was in the same boat. I mean, as far as historical accuracy goes, it would seem that what they got right was that Barnum existed and he did a show and that's about it. I think they also may have made Barnum look like a much better person than he actually was. Whilst this version was a flawed man and made big mistakes, especially when it comes to the question of whether or not he was exploiting the people he hired, the real one may have been even worse in that department. I just wish they would have gone deeper into that and made it more precise. Sadly, I think the idea of getting facts straight may have been tossed aside in favor of pandering. Now I understand that this is a musical that is merely based on a real person and his life, so things are going to be made fantastical, with possibly some magical realism, so I can look passed this problem a bit. Considering what the subject of a lot of the story is and that Hollywood is still running the show, said pandering could have been much, much worse. Still, I think if you're going to do something that is based on a certain time in history but you want to mix it up a bit, doing things in this stylized manner is the perfect time to do it.
In conclusion, I had an enjoyable time at this movie. I don't think it's going to be everyone's cup of tea, but if you're into musicals and if it looks like something you'd like, it might be worth a watch. It's one of those films where you just kinda know if you're going to like it or not, just by seeing what it is. Personally, I like musicals, I like Hugh Jackman, so I give this a thumbs up at, like, a 45 degree angle.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
