The Greatest Showman is a deeply odd movie. From the start, it was maligned as a concept that was inherently a bad choice for a splashy movie musical. A biopic of notorious huckster P.T. Barnum, equipped with feel-good songs and intricate dance numbers? Yeah, sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen. While I can't claim to know much about Barnum's career and influence, Film Twitter dismissed this one sight unseen, relentlessly parodying the film for weeks on end. Despite a few Golden Globe nominations (because the HFPA can't resist a musical), The Greatest Showman seemed like a holiday also-ran, a movie that would be overshadowed by both the big Oscar favorites and the blockbuster family pictures. Reviews were embargoed until the latest possible moment, and nobody knew exactly what audiences would be paying money to see.
Ultimately, The Greatest Showman is a movie that feels energetic but ill-conceived, a mostly pointless excursion that happens to have a few really good songs. Imagine The Wolf of Wall Street if Jordan Belfort learned some important life lessons at the end. Oh, and significantly less cocaine and prostitutes. This may not serve as a direct comparison, but it's a fairly good description of the kind of film that The Greatest Showman ultimately becomes. Essentially a series of music videos with some sprinkles of plot thrown in for good measure, director Michael Gracey (apparently James Mangold did extensive re-shoots, but Gracey is the credited filmmaker) and Hugh Jackman's portrait of sales/showman Barnum is a distinct and colorful version of the classic American Dream story. It's definitely a bizarre film, although the virtually non-existent narrative is just one of many problems here. There are moments in The Greatest Showman that soar, but there just isn't much worth seeing here during the busy holiday season.
Summing up the plot of this film feels entirely useless. Barnum's poor, he starts a circus, he gets rich. Upper-crust people don't like his collection of freaks and outcasts, so Barnum tries to go legit with popular singer Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson). Circus performers get upset about Barnum neglecting them, and so does his wife Charity (Michelle Williams). Barnum learns that being different is a virtue, and that he doesn't need acceptance from a bunch of wealthy losers. Yay! Insert songs where necessary, rinse, wash, repeat. There's just nothing here. Every character is one-note, even the omnipresent Barnum, played with flair and boundless energy by the ever-charismatic Jackman. The filmmakers seemingly execute plot threads at random, ignoring big emotional beats (Barnum's dad dies in a montage) in favor of unearned, supposedly poignant moments. All of the inspirational and cathartic sequences fall flat, and some of the musical numbers made me cringe. There's a song about walking on a tightrope, and just no.
But it all depends on how willing you are to go along with what Jackman and Gracey are selling. All movies are dependent on a certain suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience; it's part of the basic fabric of the cinematic experience. However, when it comes to a movie musical that doesn't have much going for it beyond its sense of fun, that suspension becomes crucial. The Greatest Showman is silly and pandering and shamelessly manipulative, but it can be fun in its own over-the-top way. The opening number isn't bad, some of the more Broadway-esque numbers are enjoyable, and there are sparks of humor and pathos that intermittently jolt the movie to life. The real issue is that every song feels like it was ripped right from the Top 40 charts, poppy and sing-songy and seriously grating. Rebecca Ferguson's supposed opera singer Jenny Lind has a scene where she gets on stage and practically sings a Katy Perry song, and I damn near almost burst out laughing.
And to be frank, there's just one big ugly truth to the film- as much as it tries to convince you of its own feel-good greatness, you're not gonna find much worth celebrating in The Greatest Showman. For a movie that purports to praise humanity and individuality, this thing is shockingly cynical at times, with a protagonist that doesn't think too highly of his customers or his critics. There's a continued bit with a stereotypical critic that got on my nerves quick, and despite the film's mere 105 minute runtime, it feels like a much longer, more laborious journey. Gracey and Jackman make a concerted effort to get you to abandon your critical instincts and just enjoy the show. If someone walked away from this feeling joyful and pleased, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest. But as the kind of person who turns a critical eye to almost everything, I found much to be desired in the film's narrative and feel-good attitude.
On almost every fundamental level of storytelling, there's something off about The Greatest Showman. One-dimensional characters (did I mention that Zac Efron is in this for some reason?), a plot that feels easy and ridiculous, and musical numbers so modern in their musicality that they quickly grow annoying- it's all there and it just gets tiresome. It's relatively painless, which means that the The Greatest Showman never got anything more than a shrug out of me. There's nothing here, and it's just not a movie that I feel strongly about either way. It's a piece of entertainment that I spent money on, watched with my own two eyeballs, and then it promptly disappeared from my brain. Is it good? No, absolutely not. Will it find an audience? It sure will.
THE FINAL GRADE: C (5.5/10)
Images courtesy of 20th Century Fox
Ultimately, The Greatest Showman is a movie that feels energetic but ill-conceived, a mostly pointless excursion that happens to have a few really good songs. Imagine The Wolf of Wall Street if Jordan Belfort learned some important life lessons at the end. Oh, and significantly less cocaine and prostitutes. This may not serve as a direct comparison, but it's a fairly good description of the kind of film that The Greatest Showman ultimately becomes. Essentially a series of music videos with some sprinkles of plot thrown in for good measure, director Michael Gracey (apparently James Mangold did extensive re-shoots, but Gracey is the credited filmmaker) and Hugh Jackman's portrait of sales/showman Barnum is a distinct and colorful version of the classic American Dream story. It's definitely a bizarre film, although the virtually non-existent narrative is just one of many problems here. There are moments in The Greatest Showman that soar, but there just isn't much worth seeing here during the busy holiday season.
Summing up the plot of this film feels entirely useless. Barnum's poor, he starts a circus, he gets rich. Upper-crust people don't like his collection of freaks and outcasts, so Barnum tries to go legit with popular singer Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson). Circus performers get upset about Barnum neglecting them, and so does his wife Charity (Michelle Williams). Barnum learns that being different is a virtue, and that he doesn't need acceptance from a bunch of wealthy losers. Yay! Insert songs where necessary, rinse, wash, repeat. There's just nothing here. Every character is one-note, even the omnipresent Barnum, played with flair and boundless energy by the ever-charismatic Jackman. The filmmakers seemingly execute plot threads at random, ignoring big emotional beats (Barnum's dad dies in a montage) in favor of unearned, supposedly poignant moments. All of the inspirational and cathartic sequences fall flat, and some of the musical numbers made me cringe. There's a song about walking on a tightrope, and just no.
But it all depends on how willing you are to go along with what Jackman and Gracey are selling. All movies are dependent on a certain suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience; it's part of the basic fabric of the cinematic experience. However, when it comes to a movie musical that doesn't have much going for it beyond its sense of fun, that suspension becomes crucial. The Greatest Showman is silly and pandering and shamelessly manipulative, but it can be fun in its own over-the-top way. The opening number isn't bad, some of the more Broadway-esque numbers are enjoyable, and there are sparks of humor and pathos that intermittently jolt the movie to life. The real issue is that every song feels like it was ripped right from the Top 40 charts, poppy and sing-songy and seriously grating. Rebecca Ferguson's supposed opera singer Jenny Lind has a scene where she gets on stage and practically sings a Katy Perry song, and I damn near almost burst out laughing.
And to be frank, there's just one big ugly truth to the film- as much as it tries to convince you of its own feel-good greatness, you're not gonna find much worth celebrating in The Greatest Showman. For a movie that purports to praise humanity and individuality, this thing is shockingly cynical at times, with a protagonist that doesn't think too highly of his customers or his critics. There's a continued bit with a stereotypical critic that got on my nerves quick, and despite the film's mere 105 minute runtime, it feels like a much longer, more laborious journey. Gracey and Jackman make a concerted effort to get you to abandon your critical instincts and just enjoy the show. If someone walked away from this feeling joyful and pleased, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest. But as the kind of person who turns a critical eye to almost everything, I found much to be desired in the film's narrative and feel-good attitude.
On almost every fundamental level of storytelling, there's something off about The Greatest Showman. One-dimensional characters (did I mention that Zac Efron is in this for some reason?), a plot that feels easy and ridiculous, and musical numbers so modern in their musicality that they quickly grow annoying- it's all there and it just gets tiresome. It's relatively painless, which means that the The Greatest Showman never got anything more than a shrug out of me. There's nothing here, and it's just not a movie that I feel strongly about either way. It's a piece of entertainment that I spent money on, watched with my own two eyeballs, and then it promptly disappeared from my brain. Is it good? No, absolutely not. Will it find an audience? It sure will.
THE FINAL GRADE: C (5.5/10)
Images courtesy of 20th Century Fox
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