The Greatest Showman (2017) Review

The Greatest Showman (2017)

Directed by Michael Gracey

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya

Plot Synopsis: (via Wikipedia)
The film is inspired by the story of P. T. Barnum’s creation of the Barnum & Bailey Circus and the lives of its star attractions.

My Opinion:

I really enjoyed this movie. I saw it a good few weeks ago & I’m glad I didn’t review it right away as this is one of those films that has really grown on me since seeing it. I can understand why it’s getting repeat viewings & why it’s still playing in cinemas so long after its release.

Now, I have to say I don’t think this is a perfect film. Far from it! It’s certainly not up there with the biggest musical classics such as The Sound Of Music or Singin’ In The Rain (My list of my Top Ten Movie Musicals can he found HERE). I don’t think it will age quite as well as the classics but it’s a fun film & the songs are far more catchy & memorable than those in La La Land. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a “better” movie than La La Land but I enjoyed it a lot more than that one. It feels more genuine & has more heart. Unlike La La Land, it’s not pretentious or “trying too hard”. Sorry – I can’t help but compare the two since they’re both current musicals. Seeing this has actually made me like La La Land even less.

Where do I start? I’ve always been intrigued by circuses & that whole lifestyle so I enjoyed the story in this one (I don’t know how accurate the story of P. T. Barnum actually is in this, though). One of the only slightly negative things I’ve read about this was how they “glossed over” the treatment of the entertainers (called “Freaks”) in the old days. I disagree. This is a musical, not a documentary. It’s lighthearted, yes, but it certainly didn’t ignore the poor treatment of these people. We all know how horribly they were treated. It was a different time and the movie does what it can to celebrate people’s differences. This does give me the opportunity to again mention a movie that I love & that I think deserves more attention – Tod Browning’s 1932 film Freaks. It was very ahead of its time & I’d recommend it to all bloggers. I reviewed it HERE (one of the rare reviews that I actually put some effort into). 😉

Back to the movie. Jackman is very good but that’s to be expected. You can tell he really enjoys doing films like this & I think that really shows in his performance. Who doesn’t like Jackman?! He seems like a sweetie. And I’m starting to like Zac Efron as well! I think I’ll always see him as a kid but he was really good in this and was great in the scenes with Jackman & with Zendaya. As for him & Zendaya, I loved that romance. I think that relationship will be a big part of the reason why people like this film so much. I loved their scene together with the hoop thingy. They’re so young & so cute (I sound like such a granny!).

There are so many characters & different types of relationships in this, which is probably another reason why it’s done so well as most people will have a different character they like or can relate to. It also felt like we got to know most of them pretty well. They spent an equal amount of time on Barnum’s personal life with his wife & young daughters as well as his professional life with his circus family. The song & dance numbers looked great and, as I already mentioned, the songs are quite memorable (I’m glad one of them, This Is Me, is up for an Oscar). I’m not sure if that song is my favorite but I’ve only seen the movie once. I’ll know better when I’ve heard the soundtrack a few times, which is likely as my young daughter liked this movie a lot. And I think that’s another reason this film has done well: it appeals to all ages.

I may have been wrong when I said at the start of this review that this may not age quite as well as the classics. I do think it’ll definitely age much better than La La Land, which doesn’t appeal to all ages in the same way that this does. Oops – I’ve brought La La Land into this again! Sorry. I’ll stop rambling now & just say that The Greatest Showman is a fun family musical. Ignore the snobby critics.

My Rating: 7.5/10