THE GREATEST SHOWMAN: Official Reviews/Reactions (SPOILERS)

[jo]

When will the EMBARGO be lifted?

[jo]

Guy Lodge writes for Variety UK --

Let me guess -- FROM NOW ON? Haha - my bias is showing!

But it looks like the music will seduce the critics!

[jo]

It's press screening time ( it looks like it is all over key cities in the USA) and I have seen a tweet originating from London. Early on a Sunday -- how will they react? I have no idea when the review Embargo is lifted...but after press screenings, there is usually an avalanche of brief social media reactions ( although now it can be contained in 280 characters on Twitter?).

Jo

[jo]

Writer for COMINGSOON.NET

Why is the tweet not appearing? Was he asked to delete his very favorable word-of-mouth because of the embargo? I thought Twitter remarks were allowed because they can only write something very brief and to the point?



EDIT: This explains it --

MaryAnn Johanson‏
@maryannjohanson

Embargo for some but not others, I guess...

…
MaryAnn Johanson added,
This Tweet is unavailable.
9:51 AM - 10 Dec 2017

****************************

Alan Cerny‏
@nordlingcs
4h


Replying to @maryannjohanson
Shit, I'll delete. They didn't give us one in the email

***********************************

MaryAnn Johanson‏
@maryannjohanson


Alan Cerny‏
@nordlingcs
4h
4 hours ago

Better safe than sorry

*******************************

MaryAnn Johanson‏
@maryannjohanson
4h
4 hours ago


Replying to @nordlingcs
My tweet was NOT a dig at you, by the way, but at studio PR, which frequently uses bizarre and inconsistent embargoes.

*******************************

Alan Cerny‏
@nordlingcs
4h
4 hours ago

No worries, I understand

Ha - I don't believe that it wasn't a dig at Cerny! She was probably jealous that Cerny was bold enough to write down a very brief comment ( I wish I had printed it -- rather than just getting the Twitter link). Otherwise, why bother?

At least we know that it wasn't FOX that prompted the deletion of the tweet but some amount of professional jealousy! LOL!


=======================================


But Alan Cerny's very favorable reaction was already half-won because he loved the musical score!

Alan Cerny‏
@nordlingcs
Follow
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I don't give a damn. I adore the songs in THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. All of 'em. There's usually a throwaway song in these things, but not here. They're all great.
3:50 PM - 8 Dec 2017


*********************************

Darren Nguyen‏
@dbnguyen3
Dec 8

Replying to @nordlingcs
Not surprising with @lacketylac and @pasekandpaul involved


************************************


RollingHistoryTeachr‏
@jeffmcconnell8
Dec 8

Replying to @nordlingcs
That’s great to hear! I’m really not a big musical person but something about that is appealing to me.

The @lacketylac mentioned with Pasek & Paul is Alex Lacamoire, the TONY- and Grammy-winning musician who works with LMMiranda, such as on Hamilton and another Broadway musical. Pasek and Paul invited him to be one of the producers for the soundtrack album of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN.

[jo]

[jo]

It's funny how critics are dropping all the clues

From the Variety/Observer writer based in London --

Probably referring to the Embargo Police

***********************************

Guy Lodge Retweeted

Zac Efron‏
Verified account

@zacefron
1h
1 hour ago

I finally looked... #GreatestShowman

[jo]

From media --

[jo]

Someone on BroadwayWorld (BWW ) has spoken about the film in glowing terms!

pdjennings
Send PM
Stand-by
joined:2/3/06
Greatest Showman soundtrack
#49

Posted: 12/10/17 at 1:59pm
Attended a press screening of the film this morning ... IT. IS. AMAZING. It's puzzling that Fox isn't pushing this for awards consideration ... because it's breathtaking. By the end of the first real number (A Million Dreams) ... we were already bawling. Never really stopped.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if they make this into a stage show in the future.

[jo]

[jo]

Not an official film critic but she maintains a blog, so her review is probably as valid as the other ones appearing on this thread --

Anyway, it is the first full review of the movie --


juliesaysso.com/movie-review-just-great-greatest-showman/

December 10, 2017 / julie

MOVIE REVIEW: Just How Great IS “The Greatest Showman?”


I had several snarky thoughts when I first saw the trailer for The Greatest Showman.
Things like:
-I think I preferred this movie when it was called Moulin Rouge.
-Isn’t Hugh Jackman a little old to be playing Michelle Williams’ husband?
-Really??? Another slow-motion shot of a hot-chick dangling from the ceiling???


You get the point.


See, I have to sit through a ton of movies and I’m afraid that, after a while, many of them start to look the same.
I even warned my daughters to “keep your expectations low” when we sat down to watch The Greatest Showman, and then prepared myself to be sufficiently underwhelmed.


Man…was I wrong.


The Greatest Showman is inspired by the life of circus creator and father of modern show-biz, P.T. Barnum (played by an unstoppable Hugh Jackman). Michelle Williams is his supportive wife Charity, Zac Efron is his partner Phillip Carlyle, and Zendaya is the trapeze-artist Carlyle scandalously falls for. Those two have terrific chemistry, but it’s hard to beat the electricity generated when Efron and Hugh Jackman share the screen. One of the best scenes in the whole picture is when Barnum talks Carlyle into joining the circus, and they try to out-dance each other. I just might have been stomping my feet along with them.


This is the first time out for director Michael Gracey, but he made the spot-on decision to turn The Greatest Showman into a modern-musical, opting for pop-songs over tunes from the 1800’s. He also had the forethought to hire songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, long before they won a Tony for Dear Evan Hansen and then a Golden Globe AND an Oscar for La La Land. Pasek and Paul crafted eleven original songs for The Greatest Showman, each more emotional than the last. Broadway star Keala Settle almost runs away with the whole movie when her Bearded Lady sings This is Me. Honestly, I cried so hard through that one, I was struggling to catch my breath.


The Greatest Showman might feel a little predictable and twee at times, but the emotions are so raw and authentic, you probably won’t care. It’s also rated PG, so it’s one you can share with kids of any age. My own daughters (ages 10 and 13) see almost as many movies as I do, and are strangely even more cynical. Even THEY were pulled into the music and magic of The Greatest Showman. It’s the perfect film to enjoy with your whole family over the holidays, and that’s coming from someone who hates musicals.


No, I wasn’t looking forward to The Greatest Showman and I was fully prepared for disappointment…but sometimes it feels GOOD to be WRONG. (A+)

[carouselkathy]

Will the top tier critics wait for the official opening day, or will they offer some early reviews?

[jo]

I think there is supposed to be an embargo. When the embargo stays too long, the gossip would be it's because the movie is not great/bad and the studio is delaying the reviews publication probably to give them more time on enhancing audience appeal. Who knows?

On a scale of things, my first level of interest now would be how the general public reacts to the movie. If as it was bruited about among the movie press, that the movie is not supposed to be a top Oscar contender (supposedly as admitted by FOX itself), then audience reaction is important in gauging the success of the movie in terms of box office appeal.

If it gets a Golden Globe nomination on Dec 11 ( tomorrow over there), then maybe the reviews will be generally favorable.

Jo

[jo]

Hint of negativity from Gregory Ellwood of Playlist.net --

Ellwood doesn't seem to understand musical theatre! You don't just get songs and plop them into another film, another story!

The songs were composed to advance the story ( of The Greatest Showman) to enhance the laying out of plot and character development...You cannot simply pilfer those particular songs and hope they will work in another movie Can you put THE GREATEST SHOW song to THE POST or PHANTOM THREAD as mood music? Or COME ALIVE to enhance DARKEST HOUR suspense? Or maybe use the melody of THIS IS ME to CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, etc??

Ha! Supposed expert in film arts does not appreciate a related entertainment art fully! Even if you rewrote the lyrics to the melody, will they fit the mood of the other film? Pasek and Paul used their considerable musical theatre training and experience to enhance the film storytelling, using a contemporary tone! They wrote the songs to fit THE GREATEST SHOWMAN.

Ellwood is saying what he is saying because the musical score is a big selling point of the movie, not per se, but as to how it supports the storytelling and characterizations, and using a musical form that fits modern culture! What he should appreciate is that THE GREATEST SHOWMAN represents an excellent melding of three different entertainment art forms -- film...musical theatre...pop music!

Jo

[carouselkathy]

Of course I haven't seen it, but it seems that in any musical, the music IS the movie. I was skeptical before I heard the music because I usually don't care for modern music in a period story. I didn't care for FINDING NEVER-LAND because of that very reason. However, THE GREATEST SHOWMAN score works for me. Maybe it's just the Pasek & Paul magic.

One of the initial reviews of OKLAHOMA! on Broadway in 1943 said something like, "No showgirls, no glitter, no hit.". Later the same critic said, "No showgirls, no glitter, no tickets!" Sometimes, critics are wrong. It's time to wait and see.

[jo]

I think it works fine because the musical score was written to advance the story of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. It also fits the character development -- such as A MILLION DREAMS representing the dreams and ambitions of the young Phineas...while FROM NOW ON recognizes that he has learned his lessons and will thereafter live his life in a different and more positive light. THIS IS ME is excellent because it lays emphasis on the difficulties of the less fortunate and misfits and from thereon inspire them towards a unique place in the sun! I think Pasek and Paul wrote the song with the characters and the plot fully in mind! That was why Michael Gracey was with them practically the whole time when they were conceptualizing their songs and turning them into musical gems - the cinematic vision was always the underlying premise of the music and the lyrics.

Given that they were juxtaposing a contemporary tone to a historical piece required additional touch and musical skills. The pulsing beat of THE GREATEST SHOW is very modern but it is also the lyrics which make them sound very contemporary and yet this song is sung by people who supposedly lived in the 19th century. I think Pasek and Paul's very strong way with lyrics was a real gift for this project! The songs of Charity ( Tightrope) and Jenny Lind ( Never Enough) painted a very strong image musically of their characters and the personal conflicts within them - I did not expect to find these kinds of songs in the score!

I have expressed some initial disappointment that Hugh does not get to sing a solo song. But... maybe I was being too literal there! The GREATEST SHOW, COME ALIVE, and FROM NOW ON as well as the duets A MILLION DREAMS and THE OTHER SIDE represented different phases in his life as an impresario/entrepreneur and in his personal life -- so his leading those songs already represent the missing soliloquys


Jo

[hughmanity]

Jo, I was also initially disappointed, wanting him to have his "big solo moment".   But like you,  I've come around after hearing these songs and how he leads them and lets the other cast members tell their stories.  To me, it also shows how "un-diva-like" Hugh truly is: not necessarily wanting to be the "star"  hogging the spotlight, but rather being part of an emsemble that  pushes the story forward.

Dec 10, 2017 21:50:14 GMT -5 jo said:

I have expressed some initial disappointment that Hugh does not get to sing a solo song. But... maybe I was being too literal there! The GREATEST SHOW, COME ALIVE, and FROM NOW ON as well as the duets A MILLION DREAMS and THE OTHER SIDE represented different phases in his life as an impresario/entrepreneur and in his personal life -- so his leading those songs already represent the missing soliloquys


Jo

[jo]

That is just 7 days away!

[jo]

This is part of a review of two current movies ( one just opened and the other is just about to open) --

www.dallasvoice.com/show-must-go-10246921.html

‘The Last Jedi’ stumbles, but only a little; being a sucker for ‘The Greatest Showman’

ARNOLD WAYNE JONES | Executive Editor
[e-mail]

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If you want the thrill of a new film discovery akin to previous Star Wars episodes, you couldn’t do much better than The Greatest Showman. I confess going into this film without many expectations: A biopic about P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman), who arguably invented not only the modern circus, but the entire idea that any publicity is good publicity, and that if you give the people what they want — to be amazed — the truth can always take a backseat. I imagined how it would play out, with rags-to-riches predictability, megalomania that torpedoes his personal relationships, confidence when the naysayers shot him down on his way to eventually immortality.

That’s exactly how the plot shakes out.


But what surprised, delighted and thrilled me was the way it was told. This is a newfangled musical of the highest order — colorful, exciting, chock full of terrific songs and eye-popping choreography. I just loved it.

It’s not often you feel the desire to get all gooey-lovey-dovey about a movie, but if you’re going to, a musical is the way to go. The songs are by Justin Paul and Benj Pasek, the duo responsible for the lyrics to last year’s La La Land as well as the Tony darling Dear Evan Hansen, and they are infectiously fun as well as emotionally rich and plot-driving. You leave the moviehouse with a whistle in your head and a skip in your step.


A lot of that falls in the lap of Hugh Jackman. Jackman is probably the only legit movie star today who is perfectly at ease in the flamboyantly open-hearted genre of song-and-dance musicals. He’s got the chops: A Tony for The Boy from Oz, a Oscar nomination for Les Miz; his big break was on the London stage playing Curly in Oklahoma. He’s talented and guileless, and he doesn’t so much show off as embody the musicality of his character. From the first shot — his silhouette in a dramatic pose, with the score grabbing you with its first notes — the director, newcomer Michael Gracey, projects his aesthetic: Let the showmanship speak for itself. Unlike La La Land — a kind of post-modern take on the nouvelle vague movie musicals of Jacques Demy, populated with capable actors who sing and dance, but who aren’t really “singer-dancers” — The Greatest Showman luxuriates in its widescreen showboating and frenetic editing. It’s much closer in tone to Moulin Rouge, or even the winsome, animated musical Sing!, than La La Land or Chicago. It wears its heart on its sleeve.


But for all the credit rightly heaped on Jackman, the rest of the cast sells this show. The “freaks” in Barnum’s show are mostly in the background, but impressively developed as individuals, especially the stupendous Keala Settle as the Bearded Lady. Michelle Williams not only sings like an angel, she transitions flawlessly from happily poor helpmate to patrician, sad rich wife. Zac Efron, who has his own legitimacy with musicals, plays Barnum’s business partner; theirs number set in a bar, where Jackman convinces Efron to join him in this fantastical enterprise, is a brilliantly staged and edited sequence. (One of the film’s editors, Tom Cross, also did La La Land.) And Rebecca Ferguson as the “Swedish nightingale” Jenny Lind wows you in her introductory number.

The song she sings, of course, isn’t from the canon of 19th century coloratura, but a contemporary, elaborately orchestrated number — the kind Celine Dion might open a show with today, not an opera star from 150 years ago. But that fits in with the Baz Luhrmann-esque ethos of the movie. It speaks in modern idioms to adequately convey the experience of an age long past.

Indeed, the legacy of Barnum is at its lowest ebb ever; the show he created, which became the Ringling Bros./Barnum & Bailey Circus, shuttered its tent forever earlier this year, its treatment of animals seen as incompatible with 21st century progressivity. But The Greatest Showman doesn’t occupy itself with such social hot potatoes. Instead, it concentrates on the celebratory nature of humankind’s diversity, the groundbreaking development of entertainment. Maybe I’m a sucker, but that enchants me.

The Last Jedi now playing in wide release. The Greatest Showman opens wide on Dec. 20.

[mamaleh]

Love reading those positive comments. Maybe Fox's strategy to hold off on critical comment works after all. The impression that gives may be dicey, but lower expectations can result in ebullient praise when the movie is a surprise delight.

As for the impression, formed before that person's seeing the movie, that HJ seems too old Michelle Williams, I just looked up her age: 37. Especially in those days (the mid 1800s), it was not unusual for a husband to be 12 or more years older than his wife. And she's been around so long, I thought she was at least 40. Live 'n' learn. In the clips I've seen, they look like a great couple.

Ellen

[jo]

An LA critic posts his social media reaction. In a subsequent tweet, he says he was cleared to post social (media) sentiments, as the embargo seems to apply only to full reviews.

[carouselkathy]

When reviews are held back, doesn't that indicate the expectation of lukewarm or negative notices? Worried!

[hughmanity]

Dont know if this is legit, or how it escaped the embargo, but here's a review


clture.org/the-greatest-showman/

[jo]

Sorry, I can't get it to open.

Do you mind reprinting the review, hughmanity?

Thanks

[hughmanity]

Sorry I don't really know how to reprint but the text is below!

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‘The Greatest Showman’ is an undeniable spectacle with a infectious soundtrack
By Douglas Davidson

December 15, 2017

December ushers in two types of films: the prestige pictures (The Post, The Disaster Artist) and the family-friendly pictures (Pitch Perfect 3, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle). Then there’s The Greatest Showman, a film that offers an anthem-infused look into the life of the infamous P.T. Barnum and one that perfectly straddles the line between period drama and affable spectacle. Director Michael Gracey’s impressive debut instills the typical biopic narrative with the rhythm and beauty of musical theater. The Greatest Showman is a cinematic experience that’s perfectly emblematic of the spirit of Barnum.

This is the story of Phineas Taylor Barnum (Hugh Jackman), born a tailor’s son, whose large dreams of a world filled of incredible wonders require a herculean effort to realize, no thanks to his low-born station. Undeterred, Barnum seeks any means he can to rise above – stealing, selling newspapers, and joining the railroad – until he raises enough funds to, first, marry his childhood love Charity Hallett (Michelle Williams), and then move to New York City to live their dreams. Despite the a slew of realities holding him back, his persistence leads him to open a museum of oddities and curiosities – the first step to creating the world-renowned extravaganza that toured the world for nearly two centuries.


Michelle Williams as Charity Barnum and Hugh Jackman as P. T. Barnum courtesy of 20th Century Fox
Showman succeeds on multiple levels. Costume design work by Ellen Mirojnick (Logan Lucky) draws the eye to each character’s immaculate attire. The costumes feel almost too clean and elegant given the time period and underlying narratives of racial and class tension, yet it’s forgivable as the pop of the color enhances the Broadway-esque feel of Seamus McGarvey’s (Nocturnal Animals) gorgeous cinematography. The costumes and cinematography work in concert with Gracey’s background in visual effects to help Showman transcend its biopic origins and become something more fantastical. This is what you should be aiming for if you’re making a Barnum biopic.

Showman is truly an ensemble piece where each song is elevated by the performances and vice versa. Leading the troupe is Jackman, a proven versatile performer in a role that has has already earned him a Golden Globe nomination. As his wife, Williams holds her own, matching Jackson step for step and note for note. Her performance begs the question of when she may get the chance to sing on stage. Zac Efron appears as socialite Phillip Carlyle, a man with too much money and a great deal of connections, who serves as the audience’s social proxy as the narrative dips into the tensions of the era. Carlyle gives no quarter with Jackman’s Barnum – highlighted in the rather fun song “The Other Side” – as they work out their impending partnership. Where Barnum has Charity, Efron’s Carlyle has Anne Wheeler, an aerialist (Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Zendaya) who is more comfortable flying through the air than she is walking the streets as a black woman in 1800s New York. There are times when the Anne/Carlyle narrative feels forced as the story moves away from Barnum; yet their chemistry together is undeniable, and song “Rewrite the Stars” made me long for more.


Zac Efron as Phillip Carlyle
Each song performed in Showman feels meticulously designed to be a standout single, their anthemic nature makes them irresistible. Whether the wholesome and hopeful “A Million Dreams” sung by Ziv Zaifman, Jackman, and Williams – embodying the desires of Barnum to rise above his lowly station – or “The Other Side” sung by Jackman and Efron, each song is suffused with ambition, longing, and desire. The standout track is “This is Me” sung by Keala Settle and The Greatest Showman Ensemble, a song that’s as heart-aching as it is inspirational for not only its theme of self-acceptance and self-worth, but whose messages resonates in today’s political climate of divisiveness. Songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Academy Awards winners for 2016’s La La Land, have outdone themselves and may just find themselves in the running again this year.

In watching a film like The Greatest Showman you’re aware that though the characters are real, the events we’re watching are adjusted for dramatic impact. With the flair of musical theater, Showman is a show, a display, a charade. This only becomes detrimental to the experience when you notice how quickly the narrative moves from one plot point to another without taking time to contemplate or examine what’s occurred or relying heavily on the songs to convey meaning to the events unfolding before us. In this way, Showman suffers by not taking into consideration the consequences of the story, instead favoring the bright lights and big dreams over the crushing reality that likely occurred. Still, this fault doesn’t stop Showman from being exceptionally engaging, earnest, and heartfelt.


Hugh Jackman as P. T. Barnum courtesy of 20th Century Fox
The Greatest Showman can be summed up in the words of Jackman’s Barnum: “Men suffer for imagining too little, not too much.” Even if the story itself is a touch forgettable, Showman is an undeniable spectacle with a infectious soundtrack, a movie that dazzles and delights. So come one, come all – buy your tickets and see the birth of the Greatest Show on Earth.

Star Rating: 4 out of 5.



Check out The Greatest Showman soundtrack:







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[jo]

Thanks

Probably a hint of what we can expect, given this observation --

In watching a film like The Greatest Showman you’re aware that though the characters are real, the events we’re watching are adjusted for dramatic impact. With the flair of musical theater, Showman is a show, a display, a charade. This only becomes detrimental to the experience when you notice how quickly the narrative moves from one plot point to another without taking time to contemplate or examine what’s occurred or relying heavily on the songs to convey meaning to the events unfolding before us. In this way, Showman suffers by not taking into consideration the consequences of the story, instead favoring the bright lights and big dreams over the crushing reality that likely occurred. Still, this fault doesn’t stop Showman from being exceptionally engaging, earnest, and heartfelt

Will the movie be faulted for the relatively weak dramatic arc...and being more focused on the spectacle that each musical number brings? But did the critique say that the movie "relies heavily on the songs to convey meaning to the events unfolding before us"?

But the overall score of 4 of 5 is positive!

We'll see...