THE GREATEST SHOWMAN Review

The Greatest Showman, a wholly original musical from the mind of Jenny Bick (and ushered through the big studio system via Rob "Dreamgirls" Marshall) that tells the story of P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman), is a weirdly fascinating experience. There were instances throughout this brisk, but admittedly epic in ambition musical that at one point might feel alarmingly slight and free of any such substance while at other points-specifically during the musical numbers-it could feel akin to a religious experience. Crazy, right? Like most things, The Greatest Showman is a balancing act, but surprisingly-so is gauging one's reaction to the film. While the film, narratively, falls into refurbished clichés of countless other rags to riches stories it also doubles down on sweeping love stories, including large themes of inclusion and tolerance for those different than what society and humanity have deemed as normal and then, somehow matches all of this up with the terms of a musical that require dance numbers, songwriting, and lyrics that both explore these aforementioned themes and narratives as well as pushing as much forward. The viewer's balancing act comes from the then aforementioned disparate elements of those cliché story beats and the rather impressive soundtrack of songs as composed by La La Land composers Justin Paul and Benj Pasek. It's so strange, even now, twenty-four hours after having seen the film and I can admittedly understand every complaint I've since read about it; sharing many of them in regards to the boxing in of Barnum's story to that of a standard Hollywood storyline. And yet, there is this undeniable aspect of the film and all the joy and hope it provides in these moments that says something about the movie, the craft behind it, and the reaction they garner. First time feature director Michael Gracey (who has mostly worked in the visual effects departments on other projects) certainly seems overwhelmed by the scope of what he has taken on here as glimpsed in both how he captures and conveys the themes as well as a majority of the musical numbers, but seriously-by the end of nearly every number and, as a result, the film-what has just occurred on screen leaves you feeling so gleeful and allows the characters to be so endearing that it's impossible to deny the appeal of The Greatest Showman despite its many, many flaws. 

First Trailer for THE GREATEST SHOWMAN Starring Hugh Jackman

I'm convinced there isn't anything Hugh Jackman can't do and it seems he will only continue to prove that idea correct this fall as he once again stars in a musical, but this time it's an original musical and one based around the life and times of P.T. Barnum, who Jackman will be portraying. The founder of Barnum & Bailey Circus, P.T. Barnum has come to be regarded as a brilliant promoter and the man who transformed the nature of commercial entertainment in the 19th century. While it is always interesting to see biopics around historical figures the general public isn't overly familiar with The Greatest Showman boasts multiple reasons audiences should be eager to see it. Besides the fact it stars Jackman, one of our most endearing movie stars today, it will also feature original songs by Justin Paul and Benj Pasek who penned the lyrics for songs featured in last year's La La Land. Strangely enough, 20th Century Fox has also placed a rookie feature director at the helm of this rather expansive and impressive looking movie in Michael Gracey. Gracey has worked in the visual effects department on a few films you might have heard of, but what made Fox and friends think he was the prefect choice for a big, broad original musical with huge stars and what is no doubt a healthy budget I'm not sure. Written by Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City) and Bill Condon (Beauty & the Beast (2017)) the film is apparently, "inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum," which only seems to indicate that this won't be wholly faithful to history as it actually were. Of course, if you get your history from the movies then you probably get about as much as you deserve, but nonetheless I'm excited for a big, original, musical production set around a figure who was an inherently entertaining and "showbusiness"-minded personality. As for the trailer itself I'd be lying if I said it was exactly what I expected as I expected something more in line with a combination of The Prestige (as far as the mythological tone and mysterious sense of wonder it might possess) and Water for Elephants (grand cinematography of a forgotten heyday), but while the film still looks to be visually dazzling the tone of the trailer is more upbeat and more modern than those expectations led to me to hope it would be. The point is still that I'm enormously intrigued as to how this will turn out and can't wait to experience it on a big screen. The Greatest Showman also stars Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, and opens on Christmas Day.