THE GREATEST SHOWMAN: Official Reviews/Reactions (SPOILERS)

[jo]

An Asian viewpoint -- from the land of Bollywood!


www.asianage.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/281217/the-greatest-showman-movie-review-its-a-show-well-done.html

Of course they'll love it

[jo]

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/features/the-greatest-showman-showstopping-biopic-of-pt-barnum-36442472.html

The Greatest Showman: Show-stopping biopic of PT Barnum


By Damon Smih
December 29 2017


Roll up for director Michael Gracey's hyperkinetic, foot-stomping musical based on the topsy-turvy life of circus impresario and master of shameless self-promotion Phineas Taylor Barnum.

Razzle smooches dazzle in every breathlessly choreographed frame of this rags-to-riches fairy tale, set to an infectious score composed by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who won Oscars for La La Land and who should clear their mantelpiece for more golden statuettes.


Unquestionably, the script co-written by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon, is light on characterisation and polishes the morally questionable legacy of manipulator PT to a sanitised lustre.

Somehow, despite manifold failings, Gracey's picture is a joy-infused, whoop-inducing blast of pleasure that calibrates every swoon of romance with masterful precision.


Barnum once professed: "The noblest art is making others happy." The Greatest Showman does that with a flourish and I was gleefully and giddily suckered.

Tailor's son PT (Hugh Jackman) falls under the spell of Charity Hallett (Michelle Williams), who harks from privileged stock. "Sooner or later, she'll tire of your life, of having nothing," sneers her father (Frederic Lehne).

PT and Charity live modestly with two cherubic daughters (Austyn Johnson and Cameron Seely) until daddy dearest blags a $10,000 loan for a museum of living curiosities.

Sardonic newspaper critic James Gordon Bennett (Paul Sparks) denounces the enterprise as "a primitive circus of humbug".
The public disagrees, swarming to PT's palace, which he expands with investment from rich kid Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron).
Hungry for acceptance, PT abandons his position to mastermind the world tour of Swedish songbird Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson).

His prolonged absence strains the Barnums' marriage as protests against the circus reach fever pitch.


Like the film version of Mamma Mia!, The Greatest Showman plays to its splashy strengths, delivering pop-powered entertainment in its purest form.

Jackman embraces his role with gusto, catalysing a sweet screen romance with Williams between spectacular musical sequences.

In a daredevil feat worthy of Barnum himself, the disparate elements defy gravity and endlessly delight.



Four stars

[jo]

Hey --

Update from Rotten Tomatoes --

TOMATOMETER

55%
Average Rating: 6/10
Reviews Counted: 170
Fresh: 93
Rotten: 77

Critics Consensus: The Greatest Showman tries hard to dazzle the audience with a Barnum-style sense of wonder -- but at the expense of its complex subject's far more intriguing real-life story.


AUDIENCE SCORE

90%
liked it
Average Rating: 4.5/5
User Ratings: 9,256

It's moving up -- from a low of 39% now up to 55%!

Maybe the new reviewers are listening to what audiences are now saying!


Jo

[jo]

Delving deeper into the AUDIENCE SCORE on Rotten Tomatoes --

It seems it is not just a Yes or a No vote for an audience vote to be counted,

The LIKE vote represents ratings of at least 3.5 of 5 stars to be counted among the favorable votes.

Interesting that the average vote of 4.5 of 5 stars is way above the minimum requirement.




By way of comparison -- here are other RT ratings/Audience Scores :

LES MISERABLES

TOMATOMETER

69%
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Reviews Counted: 236
Fresh: 164
Rotten: 72

Critics Consensus: Impeccably mounted but occasionally bombastic, Les Misérables largely succeeds thanks to bravura performances from its distinguished cast.


AUDIENCE SCORE

79%
liked it
Average Rating: 4/5
User Ratings: 264,665

LOGAN

TOMATOMETER

93%
Average Rating: 7.9/10
Reviews Counted: 326
Fresh: 302
Rotten: 24

Critics Consensus: Hugh Jackman makes the most of his final outing as Wolverine with a gritty, nuanced performance in a violent but surprisingly thoughtful superhero action film that defies genre conventions.

AUDIENCE SCORE

90%
liked it
Average Rating: 4.3/5
User Ratings: 88,468

THE WOLVERINE

TOMATOMETER

69%
Average Rating: 6.3/10
Reviews Counted: 243
Fresh: 168
Rotten: 75

Critics Consensus: Although its final act succumbs to the usual cartoonish antics, The Wolverine is one superhero movie that manages to stay true to the comics while keeping casual viewers entertained.

AUDIENCE SCORE

69%
liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 252,537

X-MEN : DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

TOMATOMETER

91%
Average Rating: 7.5/10
Reviews Counted: 295
Fresh: 267
Rotten: 28

Critics Consensus: X-Men: Days of Future Past combines the best elements of the series to produce a satisfyingly fast-paced outing that ranks among the franchise's finest installments.

AUDIENCE SCORE

91%
liked it
Average Rating: 4.3/5
User Ratings: 275,543

X-2 : X-MEN UNITED

TOMATOMETER

86%
Average Rating: 7.5/10
Reviews Counted: 237
Fresh: 204
Rotten: 33

Critics Consensus: Tightly scripted, solidly acted, and impressively ambitious, X2: X-Men United is bigger and better than its predecessor -- and a benchmark for comic sequels in general.

AUDIENCE SCORE

85%
liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 976,438

PRISONERS

TOMATOMETER

82%
Average Rating: 7.3/10
Reviews Counted: 233
Fresh: 190
Rotten: 43

Critics Consensus: Prisoners has an emotional complexity and a sense of dread that makes for absorbing (and disturbing) viewing.

AUDIENCE SCORE

87%
liked it
Average Rating: 4.1/5
User Ratings: 107,269

THE PRESTIGE

TOMATOMETER

75%
Average Rating: 7.1/10
Reviews Counted: 191
Fresh: 143
Rotten: 48

Critics Consensus: Full of twists and turns, The Prestige is a dazzling period piece that never stops challenging the audience.

AUDIENCE SCORE

92%
liked it
Average Rating: 4/5
User Ratings: 549,806

THE FOUNTAIN

TOMATOMETER

51%
Average Rating: 5.9/10
Reviews Counted: 198
Fresh: 102
Rotten: 96

Critics Consensus: The Fountain -- a movie about metaphysics, universal patterns, Biblical symbolism, and boundless love spread across one thousand years -- is visually rich but suffers from its own unfocused ambitions.

AUDIENCE SCORE

74%
liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 261,582

AUSTRALIA

TOMATOMETER

55%
Average Rating: 5.9/10
Reviews Counted: 212
Fresh: 117
Rotten: 95

Critics Consensus: Built on lavish vistas and impeccable production, Australia is unfortunately burdened with thinly drawn characters and a lack of originality.

AUDIENCE SCORE

65%
liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 261,457

PAN

TOMATOMETER

27%
Average Rating: 4.6/10
Reviews Counted: 184
Fresh: 50
Rotten: 134

Critics Consensus: Pan finds a few bursts of magic in its prequel treatment of classic characters, though not enough to offset the rushed plot and shrill, CGI-fueled action.

AUDIENCE SCORE

41%
liked it
Average Rating: 3/5
User Ratings: 50,864

[jo]

Not another review -- but a tribute to the "defiant uncoolness" of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN from Variety top film critic Owen Gleiberman!


variety.com/2017/film/columns/the-greatest-showman-critical-sin-its-defiantly-uncool-1202650344/

December 31, 2017 10:03AM PT

The Critical Sin of ‘The Greatest Showman’: It’s Defiantly Uncool
By Owen Gleiberman @owengleiberman

Owen Gleiberman
Chief Film Critic
@owengleiberman


CREDIT: Fox


I just got back from seeing “The Greatest Showman” a second time, and found it to be every bit as enthralling as I did the first time — in some ways, even more so. It’s an enraptured, live-wire, old-school-with-a-kustom-makeover retro musical that takes you back to the feeling you had as a kid the first time you ever saw a movie that made you go “Wow!” Yet I realize that just by saying that, I have made myself sound faintly ridiculous. To call “The Greatest Showman” a movie that has gotten no respect would be to understate the royal kneecapping the critics have given it. I’m on a lonely island of enthusiasm here (though not an entirely isolated island: Stephanie Zacharek of Time and David Ehrlich of IndieWire have both signed on as “Greatest Showman” enthusiasts).


The critics have been naked in their hostility. “The Greatest Showman,” it has been declared, is a pile of wholesome conventional movie-lite squareness. The way the film turns P.T. Barnum’s circus of human oddities into a freak-show cavalcade of identity politics, all standing tall to claim their pride and dignity (you go, Bearded Lady!), is a pious and sentimental 21st-century anachronism. The film whitewashes Barnum himself, taking someone who was an exploitative profiteer and transforming him into a saintly grinning maestro-with-a-dream played with rambunctious gusto by Hugh Jackman. And I haven’t even mentioned all that catchy Broadway dance pop, staged in music-video numbers that look like something out of a family-friendly version of “Moulin Rouge!”




In reaction to these criticisms, I can only say: Yes, yes, yes, and yes. “The Greatest Showman” is, does, and commits each of those mortal cinematic sins. It’s an ultra-square movie. It salutes the Bearded Lady, Tom Thumb, and the rest as if they were members of some persecuted minority group united in a chorus of “What I Did for Love.” And if you’re looking for “reality,” you’d be better off saving your ticket money and spending 20 dutiful minutes perusing the P.T. Barnum page on Wikipedia.

Yet the historical-accuracy point, which has been made by more than a few critics, raises a telling question. Namely: Who in God’s name goes to a kaleidoscopic musical about P.T. Barnum looking for a chronicle of the complex historical figure he really was? As someone who has often argued for greater reality in movies, I might feel differently if the film were some epic dramatic P.T. Barnum biopic. But it’s not. It has roughly the same relation to the P.T. Barnum story — glancing, affectionate, fanciful — as “Singin’ in the Rain” does to the history of the waning days of silent film. “The Greatest Showman” is unabashedly a concoction. But here’s the thing: It’s a passionate and bedazzling one, a gracefully crafted tall tale that glides by without belaboring a moment. It’s as if Baz Luhrmann went back in time and made a musical for MGM in the late ’40s.


Here, I think, is why the reviews have been so united in their hate. The points raised above can all be debated, but what the critics are really saying is what they’re not actually coming out and saying: that “The Greatest Showman” is fataly uncool. It’s a splashy but chaste PG revel, with the barest hint of a dark side. It’s like a Blue State musical made for an audience of Red State potluck geeks.

Yet on that score, it’s an entrancing romance-of-showbiz bauble, with songs so infectious they soar. “Moulin Rouge!,” for all its visionary passion, was laced with puckish irony, and “La La Land” embedded its sincerity in a heady look-we’re-making-a-musical! meta splendor. “The Greatest Showman” never gets within a country mile of irony. It serves up its wide-screen emotion in big, sincere slabs. And that, let’s just say it, is something that now makes certain people cringe.



The cool factor has bled into film criticism from pop-music criticism, where enthusiasm for uncool acts — like, say, Coldplay — is frowned upon, unless it’s positioned as some sort of semi-apologetic guilty pleasure. And you can feel the influence of the cool factor in the way that certain films that might once have been power players have been tossed onto a slag heap of diminished respectability. “Darkest Hour,” starring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, met with an early burst of acclaim, but it’s so straight-down-the-middle in its inspirational nobility that it began to be treated by the press as uncool. That’s why Oldman, once considered a lock for an Academy Award win, is no longer a lock; there’s no hipster quotient to his highly traditional bravura-under-latex performance. And a tastefully intelligent physical-deformity weeper hit like “Wonder,” which would once have been a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination, now doesn’t even seem to be in the right ballpark. Even its box-office success doesn’t work for it. It’s hot…but it’s not cool.

I’m not saying these movies should be winning Oscars. But I’m taking note of a shift away from middlebrow taste on the part of the film-critic establishment that’s now made itself part of the awards machine. When applied to a movie like “The Greatest Showman,” that anti-middlebrow fervor becomes a lethal dart. As a drama that expresses itself in joyful bursts of pop passion, “The Greatest Showman” is twice the movie that “Baby Driver” was, yet “Baby Driver,” for all its stitched-together faux-Tarantino overkill, was rhapsodized over as the coolest movie of the year. “The Greatest Showman” is one of the uncoolest, because it’s a wholehearted musical that’s neither kitschy nor ironic nor hip.


Yet audiences are responding to it. For a movie that started slow out of the gate, it’s enjoying a surprisingly robust second weekend — an indication that the word of mouth on it is creating some ripples. I feel like I know why. It’s a picture with so much to savor, from the barroom drinking duet between Jackman and Zac Efron that’s a giddy tour de force of tossed shot glasses to the glory of Zendaya’s trapeze moves and the burnt-in hurt of her tears; from Rebecca Ferguson-with-the-voice-of-Loren Allred’s incandescent performance of “Never Enough” to the exquisite way that Jackman, in the last scene, throws away the line “The show must go on!” If you see “The Greatest Showman” with an open heart, I promise the movie will sweep you up. You just won’t feel cool about it.

[carouselkathy]

Great article, and so to the point! Today's critics would probably hate MY FAIR LADY (because Eliza's selling flowers wasn't gritty enough), GIGI (for glossing over mistresses at the turn of the century), and THE SOUND OF MUSIC (because the real "Maria" was a stricter parent than the real "Captain").

[mamaleh]

Gleiberman articulated with crystal clarity why people love and critics hate TGS, at least generally speaking. Love that “rambunctious gusto” phrase he uses to describe HJ’s performance.

That Variety piece should be required reading at every film school and media outlet.

Ellen

[jo]

LOL - he made sure many people read it, with this tweet :

[jo]

James Corden endorses Owen Gleiberman's piece in defense of GREATEST SHOWMAN! Of course, that is one of his best crosswalk musicals

[jo]

Check out the tweet replies to the Gleiberman piece -- click on the tweet itself and it will take you to the original tweet which you can click on to unfold the replies.

One of the replies came from Edward Douglas who is a film blogger/reviewer --

Also, it looks like Gleiberman was already critical of his fellow critics for what he calls kneecapping of the movie --

[jo]

These replies to James Corden's endorsement of the Gleiberman write-up --

[jo]

Is this turning to be a battle between the critics and the masses


Look at how social media is surging in favor of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN


Latest stats from Box Office Pro --

Social Media Tracking


Facebook Index

DATE/# LIKES
December 31, 2017 /186,340
December 30, 2017 /182,446
December 29, 2017 /174,032


Twitter Index

DATE/# TWEETS/POS:NEG RATIO
December 31, 2017 /14,609 /142 : 1
December 30, 2017 /20,271 /104 : 1
December 29, 2017 /17,541 /55 : 1

[jo]

These are the so-called TOP CRITICS who voted for (Good Guys) and against (Evil Empire) the movie -- mark their names


www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_greatest_showman_2017/reviews/?type=top_critics

[jo]

Check out the reactions to the Owen Gleiberman piece on defying the other critics over THE GREATEST SHOWMAN --

variety.com/2017/film/columns/the-greatest-showman-critical-sin-its-defiantly-uncool-1202650344/#article-comments

I think the first reaction must have been written by one of the critics alluded to

Save for one which fell for the " if it is about a real person, the movie must follow fact-checking" stuff that most of the critics leaned their negative write-ups on, the rest were like the chorus in the movie -- precise, in concert with all the others, and game to perform (talk).


Jo

[jo]

A particular reaction to the Gleiberman piece --

Susan says:
January 1, 2018 at 5:28 am

I used to believe that critics were providing a valuable service, both to their readers and the movies – a cross-section of society providing their honest opinions, which people could accept or disregard. But that model worked better when each town had its paper, and everybody knew “their” critic and whether they tended to agree with them or not. I still supported this notion even with the advent of aggregate services like RottenTomatoes .. now it’s just a larger sample size! How could that be wrong?

But my opinion changed when I recently realized that many critics have their own clique on social media where they chat with each other and wield their blue “validation” dots like the sceptre of Zeue, trying to impress ONE ANOTHER and their oh-so-cool followers. An assessment was made of this film by critics, as a group, during pre-screenings, and when the long embargo lifted (long, because surely the film studio could see this as well as any random observer like me), the initial reviews came out in a chorus of boos. No wonder the film got off to a rocky start at the box office. Thank goodness social media also helps spread word of mouth from the audiences. I think it’s no surprise that the initial critic rating (which was right around 40% positive at first) has been moving steadily upward to the point that it’s now at 55%. Perhaps it’s been steered by those who aren’t in the “cool” clique and only viewed it later, maybe even with an applauding audience. Now audiences are influencing critics?! What a world we live in. Thanks for this analysis, Mr. Gleiberman.

[jo]

She was very annoying when she spoke about her reactions to the movie's trailers! She even sarcastically asked " Is this what Hugh Jackman wasted his Wolverine capital on??"

But then she saw the movie --

And she fell in love with it and Hugh and the musical score

She did point out a few shortcomings -- but I think those were said so her review would seem more balanced. She does have many followers - hope they now follow what she is endorsing as very good entertainment!




Also, she did point out that there were other songs which were equally good ( or even better) than THIS IS ME, so she said she could not understand why it is the only song being pushed for awards. She thinks a few others should have also been pushed because they were so good.

But it is refreshing to see when someone who had opposite strong opinions about the trailers has now reversed her opinion after she had seen the actual movie! Hope other critics would also revisit their opinions of the movie!

Jo

[mamaleh]

Hear, hear!

Ellen

[hughmanity]

Thanks for posting, Jo.  I've been wondering about her review, ever since I was also displeased by her trailer reaction.  And yes, there are other songs worthy of the same attention as This is Me, as great as that is.   (Personal fave is From Now On...anyone agree?)

Jan 2, 2018 17:37:54 GMT -5 jo said:

She was very annoying when she spoke about her reactions to the movie's trailers! She even sarcastically asked " Is this what Hugh Jackman wasted his Wolverine capital on??"

But then she saw the movie --

And she fell in love with it and Hugh and the musical score

She did point out a few shortcomings -- but I think those were said so her review would seem more balanced. She does have many followers - hope they now follow what she is endorsing as very good entertainment!




Also, she did point out that there were other songs which were equally good ( or even better) than THIS IS ME, so she said she could not understand why it is the only song being pushed for awards. She thinks a few others should have also been pushed because they were so good.

But it is refreshing to see when someone who had opposite strong opinions about the trailers has now reversed her opinion after she had seen the actual movie! Hope other critics would also revisit their opinions of the movie!

Jo

[jo]

Grace Randolph also tweeted her endorsement of the movie --

[jo]

This review from the director of the Huntington Museum ( WVa) focuses on what he thinks are the most important theme of the movie -- that of personal relationships, supported by strong performances from the cast and the musical score.

www.herald-dispatch.com/features_entertainment/amid-spectacle-personal-relationships-give-greatest-showman-some-heart/article_1d8cf81d-4bc3-5089-9e65-c8a083750f34.html

[jo]

Update on the approval ratings --

Rotten Tomatoes :

TOMATOMETER

56%
Average Rating: 6/10
Reviews Counted: 180
Fresh: 100
Rotten: 80

Critics Consensus: The Greatest Showman tries hard to dazzle the audience with a Barnum-style sense of wonder -- but at the expense of its complex subject's far more intriguing real-life story.

AUDIENCE SCORE

90%
liked it
Average Rating: 4.5/5
User Ratings: 11,325

Hope the 56% approval rating now stays...and even moves upward, although new reviews are now only trickling in.

Also, in fairness to ROTTEN TOMATOES, it also features the AUDIENCE SCORE ( holding firm at 90%, LIKES measured by favorable reviews of at least 3.5 of 5.0) which also publishes all the full audience reviews ( same situation as the Critics Ratings).

Btw, "Rotten Tomatoes is owned by the ticket-sale site Fandango, of which Warner Bros. owns 30 percent and Comcast Universal owns 70 percent".


IMDB user rating has firmed up at 8.0 of 10.0. It also provides updated demos profile from about 24000 voters/raters now.

www.imdb.com/title/tt1485796/ratings?ref_=tt_ov_rt



METACRITIC User scores is now at 7.6 of 10.0 from close to 100 user votes.

www.metacritic.com/movie/the-greatest-showman

[jo]

A mom writes a parental guidance review for different age ranges.

But there is an interesting backstory -- it seems her youngest daughter ( 6 yo) saw her watching the video clip of the workshop version of FROM NOW ON and begged and begged to see the movie.

noguiltlife.com/the-greatest-showman-review-for-parents/

Must be one of Hugh's youngest fans

Jo

[jo]

www.abqjournal.com/1114399/foottapping.html

Foot-tapping cheesiness: Great soundtrack tells story of P.T. Barnum’s life
By Richard Roeper / Universal Press Syndicate
Friday, January 5th, 2018 at 12:02am



Just about every moment in “The Greatest Showman” is dripping with corny, cheesy and shameless sentiment.

No kidding, there were times when I rolled my eyes with all the subtlety of a round-faced emoji. But then I’d realize my foot was tapping to the catchy tunes, at which point I’d just acknowledge I was thoroughly enjoying myself, despite all cynical instincts.

Directed by Michael Gracey, and featuring songs from the immensely talented duo of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Oscar winners for “La La Land,” Tony winners for “Dear Evan Hansen”), “The Greatest Showman” has the look and feel of a Broadway hit adapted for the big screen.

This is an original work, inspired by the life of the legendary 19th-century promoter P.T. Barnum, who was devoted to finding new and creative ways to attract a crowd – even if it meant stretching the truth and inventing narratives.



It’s an easy casting decision to have Hugh Jackman play Barnum, given Jackman’s credentials as a Broadway performer. “The Greatest Showman” opens with Jackman/Barnum in splashy splendor, center stage. Barnum sings: “It’s everything you ever want, it’s everything you ever need, and it’s right in front of you. … This is where you wanna be!” And 10 days after seeing the movie, as I type these words, I don’t stand a chance of NOT hearing that tune (titled “The Greatest Show”) all over again. It’s the first of at least a half-dozen addictive numbers. As the music fades, Barnum finds himself alone onstage. Cue the flashback and the real start of the story.


After a heavy-handed sequence in which the young and impoverished P.T. (Ellis Rubin) first sets eyes on the privileged, but sweet, Charity (Skylar Dunn) and they instantly fall in love, we flash forward a dozen years or so, with Jackman now playing P.T. and Michelle Williams as Charity. (OK, fine, they’re no more believable as 20ish lovers than Robert Redford and Glenn Close in “The Natural,” but it’s not long before the story moves ahead another 10 years and we can go with it.)Through the years, as the family barely survives, Charity remains supportive of P.T. – and just when all hope seems dashed, P.T. comes up with the mad scheme to showcase the outcasts, the “freaks” of the world. And it works!




We rarely go more than 10 minutes without the characters breaking into song – and not in the “live singing” style of “Les Miserables,” but in a manner that makes it clear Jackman et al. are lip-syncing to previously recorded material. When it’s a big production number highlighting dance moves and group singing, that’s not an issue. When it’s an intimate moment with just two performers, it’s an issue. Still, there’s not a clunker in the entire soundtrack.


Even after P.T. achieves success and fame, he yearns to be accepted. To that end, he brings the famous Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson) to the States, ignoring his responsibilities as he devotes all his attention and finances to her American tour.


Zac Efron, who’s kind of a mini-Jackman (although he still has a long way to go to match Jackman’s total skill set), is terrific as Phillip Carlyle, a to-the-manor-born type who risks becoming an outcast when he partners with P.T. Given the world in which he was raised, Phillip must decide if he’ll take an even bigger risk when he falls in love with Anne Wheeler (Zendaya), a black trapeze artist.



My favorite number in “The Greatest Showman” is when the bearded lady (Keala Settle) leads the charge after the “freaks” find themselves on the outside looking in; instead of slipping into the shadows, they respond with a defiant, strength-in-numbers, badass song of affirmation.

“The Greatest Showman” ends up scoring some very timely social arguments.


‘The Greatest Showman’
RATED: PG (for thematic elements including a brawl)
WHEN: Now showing
WHERE: Cottonwood, Winrock, Starlight Cinema 8 (Los Lunas), Premiere (Rio Rancho), Regal Santa Fe Stadium 14 (Santa Fe)
3 stars

Why do people feel a little guilty singing presumably cheesy, corny, and sentimental songs? Presumably no one feels that way when singing Christmas songs/carols ( not referring to Christmas hymns which are a different type of Christmas music)? We love doing it! Jingle bells, anyone


Jo

[jo]

A review from the land of Bollywood musicals, India, praises what THE GREATEST SHOWMAN has sought to achieve!


indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/hollywood/golden-globe-awards-the-greatest-showman-best-motion-picture-musical-or-comedy-nomination-5013982/

[jo]

Scott Mendelson has said that he no longer thinks the appeal of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN is largely for the TINTIN crowd, given its emerging box office performance. Thanks, Scott, for giving the movie its due!

www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/01/06/box-office-hugh-jackmans-greatest-showman-drops-just-22-on-third-friday/#55c2faa92d6a