Movie Review – The Greatest Showman

About the movie:

The Greatest Showman is a 2017 American period musical drama film directed by Michael Gracey, and written by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya. 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.

Principal photography on the film began in New York City in November 2016, and it premiered on December 8, 2017 aboard the RMS Queen Mary 2. It was theatrically released in the United States on December 20, 2017 by 20th Century Fox, seven months after the circus stopped operating, and has grossed $102 million worldwide.

The Greatest Showman received mixed reviews with praise for the cast (particularly Jackman), music, and production values, but criticism for the artistic license taken, with some reviewers calling it "faux-inspiring and shallow".^[4][5] At the 75th Golden Globe Awards, the film received three nominations: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actor – Musical or Comedy (Jackman), and Best Original Song ("This Is Me").

More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Showman

My opinion:

When we walked out of the movie theatre in the end, I heard people say that they didn’t know it was a musical. For me this fact was one oft he main reasons to actually go see the movie. Of course Hugh Jackman sold it to me ;). Being a huge musical theatre fan, I knew a Barnum musical exists, but it’s not related to this movie. The songs are totally different and some characters were just added for the movie. The storyline seems to be similar though.

The story follows PT Barnum (Hugh Jackman) and his dream to be successful with his “circus”. He tries to find unique artists to perform in his show and he finds them. The journey to success is not easy though and he suddenly wants more, forgetting what is all about. The storyline is very simple, but I think the message behind it is very important and it really comes through.

I loved seeing Barnum with his family. Michelle Williams is a great actress (wife) and the two daughters were absolutely adorable. They added a lot of cuteness and sparks to the story. Obviously Hugh Jackman was brilliant! He is a wonderful actor, a very talented singer and just perfect for the role. Rebecca Ferguson played Jenny Lind, I was really impressed with her singing, but she is actually not singing herself, it’s Loren Allred. Zac Efron and Zendaya had great chemistry and I really loved their song. The girl playing young Charity Barnum was also very cute and talented. It0s a fantastic cast, I really have to say and they work really well as a group.

My absolute highlight was the music! The songs are just magnificent and I listen to them all the time now. They help to portray the message and they really add a lot to the story. The choreography is on point as well and I just love all the colours, animals and the shows they put on.

It might not be historically accurate and Barnum was actually a bit different, but I don’t care. IT’S A FABUOUS MUSICAL FILM!