The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman (2017) - Run Time: 1h45min

Plot:

"THE GREATEST SHOWMAN is a bold and original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and the sense of wonder we feel when dreams come to life. Inspired by the ambition and imagination of P.T. Barnum, THE GREATEST SHOWMAN tells the story of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a mesmerizing spectacle that became a worldwide sensation."

Review:

So in case you missed it in the plot summary above - this is a musical.  If yo don't like musicals then you won't like this movie.  The person I went to see this with did not realize before hand that it was a musical and was then somewhat disappointed with the movie because it was not what she expected.  My stance on musicals is this: if you are going to pull off a musical then you need 1) an interesting story line, 2) good actors, and 3) good MUSIC!  I have seen many a musical in my day and my opinion has ranged from LOVED IT to HATED IT.  A few examples, just to give you an idea of where my opinion is coming from: Mamma Mia - it was ok - good actors, fine plot, good music, but sung by TERRIBLE singers.  Les Miserables - HATED IT!  It felt like it went on forever, not a good plot, so-so acting and TERRIBLE music - it was the same song over and over again!  I left the theatre wanting to get back the 3 hours of my life I wasted (I realize there are many people who will disagree with me).  

This one actually surprised me with how much I liked it.  The plot was interesting, especially considering it was based on fact.  I really like many of the stars in this film (Michelle Williams, Zac Effron, Hugh Jackman) and unlike some other musicals - this cast can actually SING!  I found the whole movie engaging and was actually a little sad when it ended.

I also loved the music in this one - which is obviously important to one's overall opinion of a movie musical.  The songs were catchy, and it didn't sound like they just used the same song and changed the lyrics.  In fact, I would even consider putting a few of the songs from this soundtrack onto my iPod.

I found myself tapping my toes throughout and really got invested in the characters.

One thing I didn't love about the movie - I didn't feel there was enough character development when it came to the people with exceptionalities who joined the circus.  Yes, I realize that they are not the main characters, and that the main story revolves around Hugh Jackman's character, but considering the huge part these characters played in his life, it would have been nice to get to know them more as people, and not just for their "freak" characteristics.  I think it did at least give some of them names, however they were referred to so rarely that I honestly can't remember them.  I would have liked to know more about them - their backgrounds, how they felt about being in the spotlight, etc.  Perhaps this is another movie waiting to happen!

Anyway, long story short - it was cheesy (as most musicals are), it was predictable, it was entertaining, and I enjoyed every minute of it.  If you generally enjoy musicals I would bet you will like this one, if not, steer clear.  

Rating: 8.5/10 - I will definitely be watching this one again.