THE GREATEST SHOWMAN: Official Reviews/Reactions (SPOILERS)

[jo]

From a faith-based blog --

www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/greatest-showman-captured-american-imagination/


Excerpts --

Why The Greatest Showman Resonates

Why has a movie about the circus struck such a chord with American viewers? After all, Barnum and Bailey’s circus ended its 146-year run last May, after the number of American circus-goers had fallen to record lows. The secret of The Greatest Showman lies in the storytelling and songwriting that taps into several longings at the heart of the American imagination.

First, The Greatest Showman celebrates the American Dream. Barnum’s rise from the lowest class to the higher echelons of New York society appeals to the American idea that anyone, no matter their background, can rise up and find success if only they combine enough imagination, determination, and grit. The movie also appeals to the populist sentiment that stands against the sneers of the elites.

Second, The Greatest Showman celebrates the centrality of the nuclear family. There’s a Chestertonian element running through the film—a man who doesn’t realize the happiness he knows with his wife and daughters until he travels the world, experiences success on top of success, loses his reputation and acclaim, and then winds up back in the arms of those he loves the most. “From now on these eyes won’t be blinded by the lights,” a repentant Barnum sings after discovering how easy it is to gain the world and lose your soul. “If all is lost, there’s more I gained,” he says. The film’s closing scene leaves us with a beautiful portrait of familial love radiating from a faithful husband and father.

Third, The Greatest Showman is a “celebration of humanity,” as one of the newspaper critics in the film reluctantly admits. By employing a company of human “oddities” and “freaks” (the Bearded Lady, Tom Thumb, Siamese twins, Dog Boy, and so on), Barnum bestows dignity on people who bear the scars of their families’ rejection. He brings people out of the shadows and celebrates their uniqueness.

Of course, the true story is darker than this film would have you think, especially in matters related to race. The movie hints at the uncomfortable truth that Barnum’s pursuit of wealth may have crossed the line into exploitation, but then pulls back in favor of hagiography. The real Barnum profited from the racism of his day, whether it was his “renting” of a black woman or his embrace of sensationalism through racial stereotyping.


An Appreciation

From a Christian perspective, there’s much we can appreciate in this film even while we remain discerning about the overall message.

First, it’s not hard to spot redemptive themes throughout the storyline. When Barnum and his future wife are children, they explore an abandoned mansion and imagine what the world might be like if it were to be restored. It’s a beautiful portrayal of a child’s innocence—finding beauty in the remains of Eden while longing for a new and better world.
Likewise, we can appreciate the seriousness with which the film treats the marriage covenant. When the potential for an adulterous affair arrives, you root for Barnum to be faithful, not give in to temptation.

We can also celebrate the film’s emphasis on treating all human beings, no matter how different they may seem, with respect and dignity. I’ve seen several reviews that mention how this company of eccentric people illustrates the church in all its glorious diversity—the “fellowship of differents” in Scot McKnight’s memorable phrase. Different people are brought together into one family, united around one mission.

Expressive Individualism and the Gospel

The biggest weakness in The Greatest Showman is its unabashed promotion of expressive individualism. According to this way of thinking, the goal of life is to discover and express your unique sense of self, no matter what others may say or do to challenge your freedom of personality. The narrative arc of your life is finding your personal route to happiness by following your heart, expressing your true self, and then fighting whoever would oppose you—your society, your family, your past, or your church.

More...

[jo]

Nathaniel Rodgers ( FilmExperience) thinks THE GREATEST SHOWMAN is on the real road to becoming a ( financial) hit! Written three weeks ago -- he probably did not expect that the movie is still hanging in there


thefilmexperience.net/blog/2018/1/17/the-greatest-showman-is-another-musical-hit-is-hollywood-wat.html

"The Greatest Showman" is Another Musical Hit. Is Hollywood Watching?
Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 8:38PM
by Nathaniel R

The Greatest Showman is the second consecutive original movie musical to become a big hit. A sign of more to come?

The Greatest Showman will be crossing the $100 million mark today at the box office. It's become a hit with little fanfare if you think about it. Oh sure it had the mainstream attention you get on opening weekend when you have big stars in your movie but beyond that did the media really take notice? It wasn't in most of the awards conversations that turn the volume way up on others movie this time of year. The only awards traction it received was for Best Original Song which is hardly a bankable business -- except, perhaps, in the case of soundtrack sales.)

But long story short: it's a hit and showing legs in US theaters in that its percentage drop each week is way below the industry norms. The same was true of Moulin Rouge! which arguably kick-started the reemergence of the then-dead genre at the beginning of the century. The musical genre has, it should be evident to everyone, a loyal fanbase. But is Hollywood paying attention...?

Both La La Land and The Greatest Showman, released a year apart, were pretty rare things: original written-for-the-screen movie musicals with non bankable directors. They were big gambles and they both totally paid off.
Why aren't they investing more resources and hiring better directors and taking chances on new creative teams? The time is now!

Sure there are occassional flops in this genre. What's more the often harsh reviews and easy dismissals from some corners suggest that the musical is not a "respectable" genre (which is so stupid that we can't even). But the fact is that musicals have performed pretty consistently with moviegoers since coming back into fashion. If they're promoted and aren't too niche they can expect to earn around $50-$100 million at the US box office. Those numbers can double or triple or quadruple IF the film crosses over with non-musical fanatics. If you keep your budget under, say, $40 million it's a good bet that you'll at least break even.


Here are the English language musicals (included hybrids that are more "musical performance" films than traditional musicals) that have opened chronologically in the 21st century that weren't super indie or buried by the studio or niche enough to gross less than $1 million though there've been a handful of those like: Colma The Musical, Guy and Madeleine on a Park Bench, Love's Labour Lost, The Singing Detective, The Last Five Years. That sort of thing.


MOVIE MUSICALS (2000-2017)
And how well they've performed globally.
Best Picture Nominees are in Red

2000
Dancer in the Dark Lars Von Trier ($40) - 1 Oscar nomination

2001
Moulin Rouge! Baz Lurhmann ($179) - 8 Oscar nominations and 2 wins
Hedwig and the Angry Inch John Cameron Mitchell ($3)

2002
Chicago Rob Marshall ($306) - 13 Oscar nominations and 6 wins
2003
--

2004
Phantom of the Opera Joel Schumacher ($154) - 3 Oscar nominations

2005
Rent Chris Columbus ($31)
Walk the Line James Mangold ($186) - 5 Oscar nominations and 1 win
The Producers Susan Stroman ($36)

2006
Idlewild Bryan Barber ($12)
Dreamgirls Bill Condon ($154) - 8 Oscar nominations and 2 wins

2007
Once John Carney ($20) - 1 Oscar win
Hairspray Adam Shankman ($202)
Across the Universe Julie Taymor ($29) - 1 Oscar nomination
Enchanted Kevin Lima ($340) - 3 Oscar nominations
Sweeney Todd Tim Burton ($152) - 3 Oscar nominations and 1 win
2008
Mamma Mia! Phyllida Lloyd ($609)
High School Musical 3 Kenny Ortega ($252)

2009
The Princess and the Frog Ron Clements & John Musker ($267)
Nine Rob Marshall ($53) - 4 Oscar nominations

2010
Burlesque Steven Antin ($89)
Tangled Nathan Greno & Byron Howard ($591) - 1 Oscar nomination
2011
The Muppets James Bobin ($165) - 1 Oscar win

2012
Rock of Ages Adam Shankman ($59)
Joyful Noise Todd Graff ($31)
Pitch Perfect Jason Moore ($115)
Les Miserables Tom Hooper ($441) - 8 Oscar nominations and 3 wins
2013
Black Nativity Kasi Lemmons ($7)
Frozen Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee ($1.2 billion) - 2 Oscar wins

2014
Muppets Most Wanted James Bobin ($80)
Begin Again John Carney ($63) - 1 Oscar nomination
Jersey Boys Clint Eastwood ($67)
Annie Will Gluck ($133)
Into the Woods Rob Marshall ($213) - 3 Oscar nominations
2015
Pitch Perfect 2 Elizabeth Banks ($287)

2016
Sing Street John Carney ($13)
Moana Ron Clements & John Musker ($643) - 2 Oscar nominations
La La Land Damien Chazelle ($446) -14 Oscar nominations and 6 wins

2017
Beauty and the Beast Bill Condon ($1.2 billion)
The Greatest Showman Michael Gracey ($200+)
Pitch Perfect 3 Trish Sie ($164+)
COMING IN 2018 DATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (July 20th)
A Star is Born Bradley Cooper (October 5th)
Mary Poppins Returns (December 25th)
COMING IN 2019 SUPPOSEDLY THOUGH WE DON'T TRULY BELIEVE IT.
Wicked Stephen Daldry (December 20th)


We know that Hollywood is still interested (at least in theory) in adapting stage musical hits since film versions of a couple of them have been announced. Unfortunately those seem to move at an often glacial pace suggesting it's no one's priority or that they actually believe that a film version would dent the box office on Broadway but history has not AT ALL shown that to be the case (Chicago's stage box office was reenergized by the film version and it's STILL running 15 years later. Phantom of the Opera barely noticed its film version and the chandelier still falls 8 times a week to crowds of tourists after 30 years (in short: that one will never close as much as we'd like it to).

Fact: movie musicals should be hitting us with greater regularity than 1-3 a year. There's so much that genre can do. Hollywood should be signing deals on adapting yet more stage musicals, and signing up composing teams for original musicals, and trying to make bigger crossover stars out of actors who become Broadway sensations. And how about Jamie Bell's offer to make a Fred Astaire biopic? Someone please take him up on it! There's just so much this genre of film could offer us...


In Hollywood's Golden Age musicals were as prolific a genre as any. We don't think it's crazy to ask for at least six musicals a year going forward.

One of the reader suggestions is for Hugh Jackman to do a film adaptation of THE BOY FROM OZ!

Or maybe a biopic of a famous movie musical icon ( Astaire? G Kelly? H Keel?)

Jo

[jo]

A Philippine review of the movie --

www.rappler.com/entertainment/movies/195338-the-greatest-showman-movie-review-hugh-jackman

[jo]

An editor for a student paper in Wisconsin gives the movie full marks!


thepointeruwsp.com/2018/02/06/a-celebration-of-humanity-review-the-greatest-showman/

A Celebration of Humanity: Review “The Greatest Showman”
Posted by: Kathryn Wisniewski February 6, 2018

Chase your dreams and never stop running towards them.

“The Greatest Showman” reminds viewers of everything they love about show business and what it means to live and to dream.

The film tells the story of Phineas Taylor Barnum as his life culminates to create the greatest show on earth, the Barnum Circus.

With stars such as Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron, the cast presents faces the audience will recognize while filling out with lesser-known but beautifully talented and diverse actors and actresses.


The story fits perfectly as a musical. Its striking and emotional numbers are paired with poignant choreography that will sweep the audience into Barnum’s world of the show.

Each song brings a new wave of emotion, carrying the viewer through a journey from wonder to heartbreak to hope to pride.
“The Greatest Showman” is not so much a “movie” as it is an experience. Before the film begins, a clip plays of director Michael Gracey and Hugh Jackman thanking the audience for coming to see the film and explaining that a theater showing is how “The Greatest Showman” is meant to be seen, amid an audience and as a live experience.


The film bridges the two worlds of the show and of reality in pure cohesion. The audience is allowed to be swept away into the wonder of a new world but, through the realness of the story, cannot forget the world from which they come.
In all ways, “The Greatest Showman” breaks down expectations. It changes how audiences think of their theater experience. It challenges the prejudices that exist in the world, including intolerance of difference, racism, socio-economic divide, and the opposition that faces those who dare to dream.

Regardless of who he was before he entered the show, no one will leave the theater after seeing “The Greatest Showman” for the first time without being changed.

When you leave, your heart will be fuller, and maybe your eyes a bit damper, but you’ll carry with you something you’ll never quite forget. You’ll remember to celebrate who you are and how others are different from you.
And you will never forget to dream with your eyes wide open.

Kathryn Wisniewski
Co-Editor-in-Chief

[e-mail]

[jo]

kernvalleysun.com/reel-reviews-the-greatest-showman/


Excerpts --

The Greatest Showman is an exemplary musical that harkens back to those lively, quickstepping, melodious movies of yesteryear. The songs stick with you long after the credits have rolled. As they should be coming from the same songwriting team that wrote the hits for La La Land. Composer Justin Hurwitz, and lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul deserve much praise. Jackman and Williams are wonderful together, both holding their own vocally, they shine in this film. With that being said, I give The Greatest Showman my seal of approval. I say take a chance and go see The Greatest Showman on the big screen. I dare you to try and not fall in love with this film. Now grab a date and go have some fun at the movies.

[jo]

A student paper review of the movie seems to grasp the intent of the movie better than most senior reviewers --

www.thejambar.com/marios-movies-greatest-showman-reaches-greatness-nearly-grasps/

February 8, 2018

Mario’s Movies: The Greatest Showman Reaches For Greatness; Nearly Grasps It

Posted By: Jambar Contributor 0 Views 0 Comment
By Mario Ricciardi


For an actor whose career has spanned 17 years of playing one of Marvel’s angriest superheroes, Hugh Jackman sure knows how to switch gears. I suppose that’s part of the job description when you’re an actor, but Jackman does so with poise – a certain poise that sets him apart from many of Hollywood’s other leading men.

One minute he’s stabbing through hearts with claws, the next he’s moving them with songs from Les Mis. Not to mention that he can act too (Prisoners anyone?). He’s a regular triple threat (even though there’s nothing regular about that) and the box office knows it. His latest star vehicle is the musical/P.T. Barnum biography, “The Greatest Showman.”

“The Greatest Showman” tells the story of P.T. Barnum, the eccentric dreamer behind the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Although Barnum has a legacy that to this day isn’t the most ethically outstanding, Showman glosses over all that to tell a blissful story about holding on to your dreams.

As Jackman’s portrayal of Barnum grows from boy to man, he manages to get the girl, raise a beautiful family and invent a business that allows society’s undesirables to shine. It’s an optimistic story void of drama until a race-fueled romantic subplot and Barnum’s personal deviation from his original intent for the circus comes to fruition.

The additional subplots are crucial to the structure of the film, not to mention keep the audience engaged. Unfortunately, director Michael Gracey fails to flush them out. It has just enough drama to keep the attention of the audience, but not gain their concern. Hence, the story portion of the musical doesn’t do as much as it could. Luckily, in turn, the key component to every musical is … the music.

“The Greatest Showman” flaunts a soundtrack that does an outstanding job combining show tunes with pop power ballads. The opening song “The Greatest Show” starts us on a ride that takes us through performances by Jackman, Zac Efron, Zendaya and Loren Allred – all formidable singers who outshine the film’s narrative simply by singing and dancing their hearts out to a beautiful whirlwind of camerawork.

From the start to finish, the music of “The Greatest Showman” is its own element that leaves you in high anticipation for each following number. It’s hard not to be swept away by this tale of dreamers risking it all for a world that does not want to accept them. Showman has a unique optimism and persistence that does not alienate. It is made for all backgrounds and interests. Despite its occasional shortcomings, it manages to speak to the hearts of its audience. It is a feel-good movie that is worth feeling good about. “The Greatest Showman” is not a Christmas movie, but it carries the same romanticism and light-heartedness Christmas movies are so beloved for. It shines as a whirlwind of color and positive messages regarding our social climate.

Unfortunately, it misses the mark on providing anything truly substantial. I encourage you all to see it, but I would not insist upon it. Now, going to Spotify to listen to the soundtrack … that’s a different story.
🐧🐧🐧 (3/5 Penguins)

it manages to speak to the hearts of its audience.

And that it why the movie and the music is sweeping the world across ages, genders, and borders! It is speaking in a universal language that enchants and inspires!


Jo

[jo]

A religious point of view, on the fatherhood theme of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN --

www.ncregister.com/blog/becker/keeping-the-showman-great-of-p.t.-barnum-vows-and-fatherhood

[jo]

Someone from a seemingly small town publication writes the value of the movie on today's set of values and sense of humanity --

townhall.com/columnists/kimberlyfletcher/2018/02/12/greatest-showman-is-the-feelgood-movie-of-the-century-n2447873

'Greatest Showman' Is the Feel-good Movie of the Century

Kimberly Fletcher
|
Posted: Feb 12, 2018 7:47 AM
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If you haven’t seen “The Greatest Showman” yet you are missing the experience of a lifetime. While most films get the “have you seen it” question, with Greatest Showman it’s become “how many times have you seen it.”

I’ve seen the film five times myself and I’m calculating how many more times I can see it before it leaves the theater. Alexa has the soundtrack on endless repeat (much to my husband’s chagrin), and I have my children doing Google searches to find out how much time I have to wait for the DVD to be released. My friends are wondering if I need an intervention but since many of them have seen the film at least 10 times they really have no room to talk.

So, why is it so many people—especially women—love this film? The answer is pretty simple. We’re all looking for a good message and a little joy in our lives. Greatest Showman more than delivers. From the very first beat of the epic soundtrack to the crescendo of the last solitary note audiences are captivated by the music, the story, and the powerful message. It is the feel-good movie of the century celebrating life, inspiring dreams, honoring marriage, and treasuring family.

The film is filled with life lessons wrapped in a captivating story the whole family can enjoy. The acting is exceptional, choreography flawless and editing absolutely phenomenal. But it is the powerful messages of the film that inspire emotions, draw us in and keep us coming back for more. Many critics have focused on the inaccuracies of the film in portraying the real life of PT Barnum but that isn’t what the film was about and it doesn’t mean the messages of the film aren’t filled with truth. That is what we should focus on. These nuggets of truth are reflected in some of my favorite quotes from the film.

“You don’t need everyone to love you.” –Charity Barnum

Charity, played by Michelle Williams, is by far my favorite character. She is the epitome of true grace and dignity—the kind of woman society should honor and emulate. Charity is extremely supportive of her husband and devoted to her family. She is kind, prudent, and strong. When Phineas becomes consumed with praise and recognition Charity lovingly reminds her husband that he doesn't need everyone to love him. He just needs a few good people.
Charity left a rich, lavish life to be with the man she loved and live in humble circumstances. Though they had very little she made everything the best it could be and was genuinely happy. Later, after Phineas falls from the height of his success and loses everything Charity’s character shines through when she tells her husband, “I never wanted more than the man I fell in love with.”

What a great message to remind us of what, and who, is really important in our lives.

No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else. –P.T. Barnum

Hugh Jackman does a fantastic job in the role of P.T. Barnum. Wolverine fans will be blown away! I love how he and the director welcome you to the show before it starts. Phineas Taylor (P.T.) Barnum, (played by Jackman) has big dreams and while he steps out of the norm to chase those dreams, he ends up trying to be like everyone else when he achieves them. His desire to be “more than he was” causes him to lose everything—including his family. That is when he realizes the value of his life in the eyes and hearts of those that really matter. He remembers what life is really about and that his family is the most important thing in it. Who wouldn’t love a message like that?

“They're small minded people.” –Phillip Carlyle

Phillip Carlisle is a wealthy, upper class producer when Phineas convinces him to join the show as a marketer. Phillip falls in love with Ann, a black trapeze artist, played by Zendaya. Phillip loves Ann but fears what his parents and others will think of their relationship. Eventually, love conquers, and he has the courage to stand up to his parents and be the change he wants to see in the world.

It isn’t always easy to stand up for what we know to be right and true but it is always courageous. What mom wouldn’t want her kids to experience that on the big screen?

"When you're careless with other people, you bring ruin upon yourself." -Jenny Lind

One of my favorite parts of the film is the storyline with Jenny Lind. It is a great tribute to the value of marriage and the significance of that commitment. Jenny falls in love with Phineas and becomes a woman scorned when he doesn’t act on her advances. In fact, he flees like Joseph fleeing Potiphar’s wife and goes straight back home to his family.

Phineas made some seriously poor decisions that led to that moment but the fact that he realized the gravity of the situation and left, totally redeems him. He took account of what he would gain and what he would lose and he was man enough to make the right choice. That’s the kind of man I want my boys to be.

“Celebration of Humanity” –Bennett

There is a pesky reporter in the film that continuously writes bad reviews of Barnum’s shows. In one beautiful moment however, the reporter, Bennett, speaks truth, “I wouldn’t call it art, but putting all shapes and colors on stage with you—some might have even called it a celebration of humanity.”


The entire film is a celebration of humanity! From casting to the big screen, director Michael Gracey has created a masterpiece of epic proportion reviving the love of musicals and setting a new standard for Hollywood—great message, good music, no erotic sex or vulgarity. Love it! If Greatest Showman doesn’t run away at the Oscars there’s no justice in the world.

Now I impatiently wait the release of the DVD. This is definitely a film worthy of that big screen TV my husband bought on Black Friday last year.

This is the kind of response that should be sent to the New York Times and its film editor Stephanie Goodman!

[jo]

Sometimes there is a feeling that some critics do not want to be caught off-guard...they simply have to find some negativity even if the artistic subject says otherwise *rolleyes*

insidepulse.com/2018/02/16/the-greatest-showman-review/

The Greatest Showman – Review
Joel Leonard | February 16, 2018 | Film, Reviews, Theatrical Reviews, Top Story | 0 Comments

2.5 of 4 stars

In every moment in this movie you can tell, you can tell just how badly Hugh Jackman wanted to make this movie. You can find entertainment news articles dating back to as early as 2009 about Hugh Jackman working on an original musical about the life of P.T. Barnum. After his portrayal of Wolverine, Jackman’s love for Broadway and musicals is probably the thing he’s best known for. Jackman has hosted the Tony awards in the past, starred in multiple Broadway shows over his career, and was also the star of Les Miserables back in 2012. When Jackman hosted the Oscars he took time out to perform an extended tribute to movie musicals, boldly declaring at the end that “The musical is back!” Of course it would be close to a decade before he was able to finally present the movie he was probably thinking of when he boldly declared that. Despite a musical movie making a splash every year or so Hollywood still seems to be nervous about putting out a full blown original musical. So in that sense, The Greatest Showman is still something we don’t get to see all that often.


One of the biggest conversations coming out of the movie is what kind of man P.T. Barnum was in real life. The “Champion for the Lost” that this movie portrays him as was not the man in real life. You can find plenty of articles and think pieces all over the internet that are more than happy to tell you where the movie is inaccurate. But this movie is a musical, a musical fantasy and one that’s rated PG at that. You can criticize the movie for not being accurate to the real history if you want but that was clearly never the film’s goal. The Greatest Showman is without question a movie about the power of the individual, and celebrating our differences, and while P.T. Barnum was, at the very least, a more complicated individual that what Jackman is portraying here, it’s worth noting that Jackman’s Barnum is still, more often than not, the one that gets put in his place here.

Jackman’s version of P.T. Barnum is a man who was born into poverty, fell in love with a well off girl, and spent his days dreaming of a life where he would be accepted among the elite of society. While Barnum spends his time with the circus cast that he’s pulled together, a big part of the story is about Barnum’s attempts to bring “legitimate” or high class performances to those who look down on his circus act as the lowest form of entertainment. Barnum is quick to abandon the interests of his companions when an opportunity to fulfil his personal needs presents itself, though this is pretty much the expected plot from any formula driven movie about finding your true self, especially one that revolves around any aspect of the show business.

In fact that’s an easy way to describe much of the movie. The plot goes in every direction you would expect the plot to go. You get a few side stories, but even those tread a very familiar path. This isn’t necessarily a complaint to be leveled against the movie. At times is can be nice, perhaps comforting, to see a new story that follows familiar beats but you shouldn’t expect anything to catch you off guard. The plot is kept as familiar as possible to make plenty of room for the real star of the show, the songs.

As with any musical, The Greatest Showman can live and die on how much you enjoy the songs in the movie. With eleven songs, The Greatest Showman has enough music in it to feel like it’s justified in being a musical (as compared to say La La Land which has five full out musical numbers with a lot of extra “musically themed” moments to make it feel like a full musical). While all the songs are good, there’s not a ton of variety in them. The themes of dreaming big and making your own destiny are the main point of most of the songs. “This is Me” is clearly meant to be the big song of the movie, the one that would be at the end of Act One if this were done on a stage. However, one of the better songs in the movie, and one that is likely to be overlooked, is a duet between Zac Efron and Hugh Jackman called “The Other Side” where Barnum is convincing Phillip Carlyle (a playwright played by Zac Efron) to join him in his circus endeavor. It’s light, fast paced, and a bit of a hidden gem in a soundtrack that’s full of impassioned ballads and heartfelt anthems.
The Greatest Showman is a fine movie. And with only one (maybe two) big musical movies coming out in a year it does a good job being a safe, enjoyable musical for those who want to see a new musical on the big screen. And it’s important that the genre of musical continue to produce original content, not just adapting shows that were already hits on Broadway (those shows themselves having often been adapted from movies in the first place), so it’s good to see an original musical with original songs, getting to the big screen. But hopefully it is a stepping stone for the genre. If we want to truly be able to declare that “The musical is back!” then hopefully we’ll be seeing new, interesting, risks in the form of musicals in the near future.

He obviously does not seem to fully appreciate what a musical should be! He tries to show that he understands even Broadway musicals *rolleyes* Yet, he does not seem to understand the role of songs ( in advancing the story and/or enhancing characterizations) in a musical. He seems to think that you simply put in songs here and there so you can call a piece of work a musical

The Greatest Showman has enough music in it to feel like it’s justified in being a musical (as compared to say La La Land which has five full out musical numbers with a lot of extra “musically themed” moments to make it feel like a full musical)

Why should he feel that "side stories" ( obviously referring to the Philip/Anne relationship issues) be not an important part of the storyline? The movie is not just a modern fairy tale re PTBarnum but also an important social commentary of the times when Barnum lived! Intesting that other critics wanted a fuller exposition on the backgrounds of the "freaks"

You get a few side stories, but even those tread a very familiar path

His reference to this musical being a passion project of Hugh has no relevance at all to the movie. It puts a patronizing note to his review.

Ahh...critics!

[jo]

At least the previous review here did point out some of the important points in the movie ... don't bother to read this one, because it can get you exasperated ( lol - you have been warned ) --

www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2018/02/16/movie-review-the-greatest-showman-is-a-showy.html

Just by the title of the review alone --

Movie Review: 'The Greatest Showman' is a showy, confused, big hunk of nothing

to the nth degree

[jo]

While this one, written from a male perspective, gives it a 5 of 5 star rating!

themoviereport.net/2018/02/18/the-greatest-showman/

[jo]

Appreciating and applauding the true essence of this movie musical!

A review from P.T. Barnum's actual home state - Connecticut.

www.shorelinetimes.com/news/fiction-and-wonder-th-century-fox-s-the-greatest-showman/article_c1c20a7b-b273-53b5-90a9-da230eff1a14.html

At the Connecticut premiere of 20th Century Fox’s new film “The Greatest Showman” (2017), my wife and I arrived at Showcase Cinemas in Fairfield to discover an extravaganza worthy of Barnum himself.

Even before getting our nametags, we were greeted by a clown and a woman on stilts, while in the high-ceilinged lobby, a man on a unicycle performed mind-bending tricks and feats. Jugglers and magicians mingled with the politicos, historians and elites of Fairfield County, chatting with Barnum’s descendants, and with actors Ellis Rubin and Branford’s Skylar Dunn, who played the young P.T. Barnum and Charity Hallett.


Before the film began, ringmaster Joe Bray joked and made announcements, running into the theater at one point with a cardboard cut-out of Hugh Jackman. “He made it!” Bray cried.


Director of the Barnum Museum Kathy Maher thanked everyone and outlined the plan by to rebuild and renew after the museum’s terrible destruction by a tornado. The designer of the plan and former Disney “imagineer” Bob Rogers took the mike, calling Barnum the “Father of American Show Business” and praising the film as a “dazzling tribute.” And then the lights went down.



Everyone in attendance seemed to love the movie, cheering at dramatic moments and clapping at the end of rousing songs. Professional film critics, on the other hand, seem surprisingly divided, though the film has already received three nominations for the Golden Globes (best film, best actor and best song). Many criticized its lack of historical accuracy. But if a die-hard Connecticut biographer like me can overlook the many inaccuracies about one of our home-state heroes, and even be moved to tears, perhaps you can, too.


film opens with an anthemic, bleacher-stomping song, and music wraps the rest of the film, transporting us from scene to scene. Percussion is often created by clapping hands, nailing hammers, and clinking shot glasses, providing an astounding energy. Director Michael Gracey edits the scenes with quick delight, creating a narrative that never slows down. Indeed, the plot moves along at an incredibly brisk pace, and I often wanted to say “wait, there was more to that!” Of course, Barnum’s life story is so complex and fascinating that it would probably take a 100-episode miniseries to do it justice. I will continue to wait for that day, but until then The Greatest Showman will do nicely.

Hugh Jackman gets P.T. Barnum’s personality exactly right: his humor, his courage to risk, his joie-de-vivre. The circus gets a bad review? He puts it in every newspaper to bring in the curious. He needs collateral? He fakes it. But his heart is good, and his goal is happiness, for his family and for all. We meet Charles Stratton, better known as General Tom Thumb, along with a dog-boy, giant, and various other performers that found a home at the American Museum. Swedish nightingale Jenny Lind’s voice is appropriately amazing, and so is the bearded lady’s. The characters portrayed by stars Zac Efron and Zendaya provide a touching love story that mirrors the struggles of the other performers against a different sort of bigotry.

However, the movie’s key love story is between Barnum and his first wife, Charity, which some biographers dismissed as a marriage of convenience, but thanks to letters recently donated to the Barnum Museum, we now know was tender and sweet. Barnum’s occasional urge for “respectability” provides one of the central conflicts in the film, along with the tension between home life and travel that all entertainers must deal with. “When will it be enough for you?” Michelle Williams’s Charity asks her husband desperately. “You don’t need everyone to love you.”


Like all biographical movies, particularly musicals, it was full of factual alterations, conflating events and changing outcomes to suit the plot. Complications with the Jenny Lind tour in the film version are a prime example; in reality, it was likely the most successful concert tour of all time. But the film always remains true to the spirit of P.T. Barnum – the real spirit, not the caricature fashioned by his enemies and by revisionists in the early 20th century.

In fact, the movie’s seemingly modern message of diversity and tolerance perfectly echoes Barnum’s actual philosophy, perhaps best expressed in his successful plea to the Connecticut Legislature in 1865 for universal suffrage. “A human soul…may tenant the body of a Chinaman, a Turk, an Arab or a Hottentot — it is still an immortal spirit.” Though putting “freaks” on stage seems like exploitation today, at that time Barnum was giving them respect they did not have in every-day life, and a chance to make money and happiness. Some, like Connecticut’s own General Tom Thumb, ended up fabulously wealthy. Barnum’s nemesis in the film, the snobbish critic Bennett, says “Another critic would have called it a celebration of humanity.”


Though Barnum is often invoked these days when we describe the American political circus, he would have been horrified at this comparison. He saved his “humbug” for pure entertainment, and as a sometime politician was an inveterate reformer and champion of morality. Indeed, his crusade against brothels and taverns is the main reason why he served only one term as mayor of Bridgeport. In print and on stage he railed against officials, quack doctors, and others who bilked people of money and caused pain and heartache with their lies. His “humbug” was different in his eyes, because he was doing it in the service of entertainment. As Hugh Jackman’s version says in response to the charge of fraud: “Do these smiles seem fake?”

The Greatest Showman may be a highly fictionalized story, but something tells me the man himself would have approved.

[jo]

A senior High School student appreciates the worth of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN! That it is not only a source of joy but that it is also a source of inspiration , especially for the youth, which may very well guide them later in life!


www.yakimaherald.com/unleashed/reviews/greatest-showman-will-inspire-all-who-see-it/article_626dedcc-1837-11e8-a253-4b67d0e863ab.html

[jo]

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY gets into the act and tries to explain the box office phenomenon on how word of mouth made a big hit of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. Sadly, it follows how others tried to explain the cultural phenomenon by injecting a cynical explanation and actually continues to diss the movie. Even the NYTimes simply gathered many responses from readers but failed to analyze what brought on this unexpected impact on people by the movie musical.

ew.com/movies/2018/02/27/greatest-showman-box-office-titanic/?utm_campaign=entertainmentweekly&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social



The first reader reply was a sensible explanation on one reason for the appeal of the movie which is much deeper than what EW insinuated!

Tony • 8 hours ago
The rotten tomatoes score you mentioned was from the critics, not the audience. Track record alone on critical reviews doesn't always bode well. The audience gave it an 89%. Also, this music is not just simple or "karaoke". It has impact on a culture that you are not addressing. The lyrics to "This is Me" bring people to tears. I have not been to a sing along or a repeat viewing, but I walked out of the theater after the movie when I saw it thinking,"I saw something amazing and important." This is Me came on a touch tunes jukebox at the bar the other night and the majority of the room knew it and got excited. There is a movement in our country right now and this movie is speaking to that more than most things in pop culture. While it may not be the most controversial or garner the attention of a presidential tweet, it is doing something below the surface that cannot be ignored. The fact that it is garnering news articles this long after being poorly reviewed and a poor opening weekend is evidence of far more than teen interest or pop-loving, sing-along bar flies. While the movie itself may not be the movement, it is the message of the movement. It is our country singing the message they have been writing on protest signs and the theme of marches across the various states. The fear of being seen and heard is becoming a thing of the past and every revolution needs an anthem.

14 Likes

And another one --

M • 9 hours ago
A rather cynical article. The critics don't like it; the audience does. Critics aren't anointed in some way that makes them inherently right. The movie and its music obviously touch something in people. It doesn't require excuses. And trust me, it's not just teens who enjoy it.

[jo]

Film blogger-critics can change their minds, too


www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/entries/0ba4ce50-55a3-42a9-8471-4a23d30688b5

[jo]

Eight great things about THE GREATEST SHOWMAN!


www.rappler.com/entertainment/movies/194914-the-greatest-showman-hugh-jackman

[jo]

A Mum enjoys the movie with 2 daughters and a niece --

mummyof5miracles.com/the-greatest-showman-review/

[jo]

Another attempt at a post-mortem of the unexpected runaway success of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN at the box office ...by someone who admits that she also wrote a negative review ( but thought for a while that she was willing to rethink his initial critique)...but who can't seem to accept that the critics could have been somewhat wrong!


www.vox.com/2018/3/9/17029684/greatest-showman-musical-success-explained-efron-jackman-box-office-circus-musical

Excerpts ( concluding paragraphs) --

Some critics (like me) took issue with the movie’s surface-level tribute to diversity that’s only skin-deep. Some also found troubling the way the film encourages us to accept illusion and falsehood unquestioningly — to brush the film’s more troubling aspects under the rug and not question them because it’s “just entertainment.”

And yet nobody was under any illusion that this would be the majority audience opinion. In fact, that’s just what some critics found disturbing: that it was the sort of film that packaged its faults so slickly and buried in so much glitz that you’re a joyless party pooper if you try to speak up about it. There’s a lot to enjoy and even some to praise about The Greatest Showman, and it’s no wonder that it’s been so broadly appealing. But many critics felt uneasy about how it goes about engendering that broad appeal.

To critics, there’s no such thing as “just entertainment.” Entertainment matters because it’s a window into what matters to us as a culture, and it shapes the way we think about ourselves. That a movie like The Greatest Showman is a massive hit doesn’t contradict critics’ suspicions about how the film works on its audiences — in fact, it confirms it.

But what matters in the industry isn’t critical opinion — it’s money. And while the success of The Greatest Showman may be difficult to repeat, you can be sure Hollywood will try. More movie musicals will follow; whether they can capture the magic that so strongly appeals to fans of The Greatest Showman remains to be seen.

Can't they simply accept that in these weary times, a movie that brings joy to the heart and feeds the soul ( no matter that it was a simplistic message), is accepted by people not as "just entertainment" but like a whiff of fresh air in a stuffy and ill-ventilated place, reinvigorates and reenergizes the tired mind and human psyche?

And a movie whose music and characters lead you to toe-tapping or feet-stomping, arms-raising, and sometimes-awkward singing cannot be that bad

And sometimes --

Comfort me with life-affirming stories for I am sick of arthouse films!

and

"Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies."


Jo

[jo]

A mother and her family from California see family values upheld in the movie...plus the music and the dancing, as key factors for the film's popularity and repeat patronage --

coronadotimes.com/news/2018/03/10/greatest-showman-draws-repeat-moviegoers/

[jo]

A blogger writes about his self-expressed sentiments --


drewrowsome.blogspot.ca/2018/01/the-greatest-showman.html

[jo]

www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/movies/hugh-jackman-greatest-showman-benj-pasek-justin-paul.html?mtrref=www.google.com.ph&gwh=5EC5A4A77AA98A5BBB5A729F5A8B7BD4&gwt=pay



Can't access the full story. If anyone can reprint it here ( copy and paste), that would be most appreciated.

Thanks


Jo

[jo]

A love letter from the movie press, from the UK


www.yorkpress.co.uk/leisure/music/16110437.Why_has_The_Greatest_Showman_become_the_greatest_show_on_screen_/

York's very own showman, Huge frontman and charity concert promoter Big Ian Donaghy, re-appraises the film phenomenon of the year

THE critics panned it. Of course they did.

Wolverine plays ringmaster opposite High School Musical heartthrob pretends to be a playwright as a bearded lady sings an anthem to make Frozen's Let It Go seem like a distant memory? So many wrongs can't make a right...surely?
In a world where a fanfare of PR hype arrives long before a film's release, The Greatest Showman opened almost unannounced to a whimper on Boxing Day.

Even Father Christmas was overshadowed by The Last Jedi but as Easter approaches the Force hasn't been so strong as all light sabres are cool to the touch as the latest Star Wars heads to the DVD shelves. Yet The Greatest Showman continues to fill cinemas.


Rarely do people go to see films again and again but this was such a film. Like the feeling when you first saw Singing In The Rain, Grease or Dirty Dancing, people left the cinema saying they'd be back. You felt the urge to applaud after every song as if you were in a theatre. As the credits rolled, the audience rose and clapped, appreciative for the journey they had been taken on.


Some films are deliberately made to win awards with one shot continuity and gritty dialogue. The Greatest Showman was made to win an audience. It entertains with an underdog story of joy, aspiration and acceptance: what we have in common, not what makes us different.

The critics commented on "clunky CGI", but rather than sending letters of complaint, audiences called it "visually stunning". The soundtrack album has toppled Adele and Sheeran, outselling all contenders and still at number one.
It is, in my opinion, the best soundtrack since Saturday Night Fever, with no need to skip a single track. It is modern, dynamic and exciting with instant earworms throughout: songs to rouse the soul and others to break your heart, crossing all demographics with all ages catered for.

As a raft of new singalong screenings begins, the words of the critic in the movie resonate outside every ticket office: "Mr Barnum, your show is fake". "But the smiles are real," says Hugh Jackman's ringmaster.

Some films are made for critics to pore over as they search for new superlatives for the emperor's new clothes. The critics missed this like Decca missed The Beatles but will still be sat by their laptops in their ivory towers deriding Joe Public. Perhaps they should have heeded the words of P T Barnum himself: "The noblest art is that of making other people happy". How true.


So how does this film feel after the critics' universal mauling? In the words of a bearded lady: "I am brave. I am bruised. This is who I'm meant to be. This is me."

The people have spoken. Joe Public 1, Critics 0.

[jo]

thefilmstage.com/reviews/review-the-greatest-showman-skirts-history-to-deliver-a-progressive-crowdpleaser/

He calls it ultimately " a winning piece" after he lists what he finds lacking in the movie.

Grade : B-

[jo]

One UK critic wonders, that with the runaway success of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, if critics are losing the plot?

www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/does-greatest-showmans-runaway-success-prove-critics-losing/

It has now been three months since The Greatest Showman first stamped and whinnied its way into British cinemas, and there is no sign of it piping down yet. The Hugh Jackman-led musical, inspired by the life of PT Barnum, has so far outlasted Star Wars, Winston Churchill and a week-long snowstorm: Marvel superheroes and nuclear catastrophe are virtually the only things left that might trip it.

In the UK, the film has taken more than £1 million every weekend since its Boxing Day release, a feat even Avatar and Mamma Mia! didn’t match. To find its like, you have to go back to 1997, when The Full Monty took £1 million-plus per weekend for 13 weeks – a milestone The Greatest Showman might well reach tomorrow night.
The film’s distributor, Twentieth Century Fox, attributed its success to an (understandable) appetite among cinema-goers for rousing, feel-good entertainment – and cometh the hour, cometh the Jackman, belting out power pop in a frock coat. The album charts have been likewise trampled. The Greatest Showman’s soundtrack is one of only two records in the past 30 years to spend 10 consecutive weeks at number one (the other, inevitably, is 21 by Adele). By any measure going, the film has struck a rafter-rattling chord.



Actually, make that any measure but one. Critics have not been kind to PT and his troupe of singing freaks. Of the 11 reviews of the film published in the UK national press, only one (“Simply joyful” – The Sun) stood full square behind it. Elsewhere, faint praise and not-so-faint grumbles abounded: a scattering of two stars, a smattering of threes.

That response was roughly in keeping with the bigger picture painted by the online aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, which found that 55 percent of the 200-odd reviews published worldwide skewed positive on balance. By the site’s own metric, that’s not an endorsement: it takes a score of 75 percent for a film to be “certified fresh”.




Yet for The Greatest Showman’s many fans, the film isn’t just fresh; it’s fragrant. And that gulf in opinion has dredged up a couple of perennial questions that make us critics squirm. What are cinema-goers seeing in this film that we aren’t? And if we couldn’t see this kind of word-of-mouth hit coming, what use are we in the first place?
Not much, according to around half of the respondents to a 2011 study by the British Film Institute into how we choose which films we watch. Recommendations from friends and family mattered most, with 60 percent of those surveyed describing them as a factor in making the decision, followed by critics (53 percent) then online discussion and buzz (40 percent) – although a majority (83 percent) said they did read what critics had to say regardless.

So if my maths is correct – and being an arts journalist it probably isn’t – that means only a little over one in three people reading this think I have no idea what I’m talking about.

If that’s you, you might be who actors and directors are trying to convince when they describe a badly reviewed project as having been made “for the fans, not the critics”. It’s an increasingly popular gambit, and has been recently trotted out in relation to the Tom Cruise-starring version of The Mummy, the DC superhero franchise entries Batman v Superman, Justice League and Suicide Squad, the Baywatch remake, and the Netflix science-fiction and fantasy titles Bright and Mute.


But these films differ from The Greatest Showman in one key respect: feedback on various online forums suggests that when “the fans” actually saw them, they didn’t think much of them either. Genuine, sustained audience enthusiasm in spite of bad reviews is rarer than you might think: recent notable cases include Taken, Nativity!, the Brendan Fraser-starring version of The Mummy (sorry Tom), the horror film Saw, the romantic comedy The Holiday, and the magician-themed heist thriller Now You See Me. If you saw any of these films at the cinema, chances are it wasn’t because you read anything kind about it beforehand.

The reverse might be a little more common, and can cause just as much noise. Darren Aronofsky’s psychological horror film Mother! debuted to some euphoric critical reactions at last year’s Venice Film Festival, then hit cinemas the following week with all the force of a waterlogged sock. Or take James Gray’s stately Amazonian epic The Lost City of Z, a film I could have hardly loved (or gone on about) more, which ended up being buried on its release a year ago by Beauty and the Beast.

This is always galling – the best thing about being a critic is introducing people to films that you love they might not otherwise have found – but from our perspective, there’s no mystery behind the disconnect.


When critics go to the cinema we’re typically there to work, so are likely to respond warmly to any film that expects us to do just that. We also usually haven’t paid to be there, so have nothing but our time at stake. But in that BFI study, audience members overwhelmingly thought of films as being entertaining (87 percent), escapism (68 percent), emotional and/or moving (60 percent) and exciting (59 percent) – while only 50 percent thought of film as something with artistic value.

So in other words, if you’ve retreated to your local Cineworld of a Tuesday evening to unwind, you may not be in the ideal frame of mind for a disorienting and ghoulish two-hour religious allegory, even if it does star Jennifer Lawrence.

In the case of Mother!, that’s what the film’s distributors, Paramount, had to sell. And the strategy they opted for – opening it like a blockbuster on 468 screens nationwide, while an accessible and well-reviewed horror film, in the form of the Stephen King adaptation It, was playing in all of the same venues – had more than a hint of the smash and grab. (I asked Paramount to talk me through the Mother! campaign for this piece, but they declined.)

There are ways to build audiences for even the most offbeat, low-key and challenging films, but carpet-bombing them into multiplexes isn’t one of them. Instead you start small, allow the film’s core audience to seek it out on the back of reviews, and then gradually expand into more venues as strong buzz builds.


That’s how StudioCanal dealt with Jonathan Glazer’s abstract alien abduction drama Under the Skin (2014) – a film that is, if anything, even more challenging than Mother!, but which implausibly made more than £1.2 million over three months. It’s how Universal are currently handling Greta Gerwig’s seriocomic mother-daughter drama Lady Bird, which opened on 10 screens last month before expanding to 190, and is currently playing on 382, having taken £4.7 million to date. But go big on a tricky film straight away, and you can guarantee everyone who takes a chance and regrets it will be sure to tell all their friends.

That was the dilemma facing Paramount recently with their science-fiction film Annihilation, Alex Garland’s long-awaited follow-up to Ex Machina, starring Natalie Portman. The reviews in the main couldn’t have been stronger (we gave it five stars), but as an ambitious, provocative, philosophically inclined work, it was liable to die a swift commercial death. So perhaps still smarting from Mother!, the studio took the unprecedented decision of selling the international rights to Netflix, on condition that the streaming platform didn’t also release it in cinemas, as they sometimes do with well-reviewed titles.


Though this denied British Ex Machina fans the chance to see Garland’s new film the way its creator intended, it may have been the best available approach: in the US, Annihilation has barely made back three quarters of its production budget, and polled a lowly C from CinemaScore, an American firm that harvests gut reactions from opening night crowds. (Anything less than a B suggests viewers felt in some way cheated; Mother! is one of just 19 films in the survey’s 39-year history to have scored an F.)

Paramount surely knew they had a great film, but also one that word of mouth could squish. Given a straight choice between watching Annihilation at home or Garland compromising his original vision to make it an easier sell, option one sounds good to me.

If the current climate of anxiety around mould-breaking films depresses you – well, join the club, but also remember that it’s audiences, not critics, who have the power to change it. The Greatest Showman’s extraordinary commercial success will make studios likelier to gamble on original musicals in future – so while I might not have enjoyed it much, the next five-star masterpiece in this neglected genre may owe its very existence to Hugh Jackman and his frock coat. On behalf of all my fellow critics, thanks for that.


5 hits the critics got wrong

1. Taken (Pierre Morel, 2008)
Few critics bought Liam Neeson as an action man, but this crunchily unprogressive Euro-thriller caught on like a kind of post-9/11 Death Wish.

2. Nativity! (Debbie Isitt, 2009)
This semi-improvised comedy set in a Coventry primary school looked like daytime TV, but the Britain’s Got Talent bonhomie struck a popular chord.

Nativity
3. The Mummy (Stephen Sommers, 1999)
A goofy swashbuckling throwback that in the late 1990s couldn’t have been further off-trend. But it scratched a long-neglected itch.

4. Saw (James Wan, 2004)
Mainstream audiences unexpectedly embraced a new brutality and sadism in horror which had reviewers struggling to hold down their lunch.

Kate Winslet in The Holiday Credit: Zade Rosenthal
5. The Holiday (Nancy Meyers, 2006)
Meringuey even by Nancy Meyers’s sweet-toothed standards, this romantic comedy was widely eviscerated – though not by us – yet it played for almost three months.

6. Now You See Me (Louis Leterrier, 2013)
Ocean’s Eleven with magicians. Sometimes lightning just strikes.

[jo]

I think that while this article tried to examine why audiences defied critical reaction -- he is missing one key point!

The movie is actually a beautiful and well-made movie musical!


What did most critics find wrong or wanting --

*that it did not portray Barnum realistically

*that the storyline or plot was flimsy ( with not much depth or character development) or that the pacing was too fast.



The issue of realistic portrayal of Barnum has been explained, thus --

*this is not a documentary

*this is not a real biopic per se... but it takes inspiration from the character of and accomplishments of Barnum specifically on the origins of the bigtop circus and the development of mass entertainment ( also known now as show business!).



On the storyline and character development --

*the film was developed as in musical theatre -- you cannot isolate the musical score from the plot and characterizations! The lyrics provide much of the worth of the songs in pushing the plot ( e.g., rather than seeing the young Barnum grow up and see the struggles and various stages of his life, we simply advance to that state where we find the adult Barnum taking over in A MILLION DREAMS - it sets the stage of the story that will unfold!). Since a movie musical is already laden with music and production numbers, would we rather see a movie that is 3 hours long without losing interest? To be honest, in the revival of Oklahoma!, I thought the dream sequence of Laurey started very interesting (including that dance sequence with Curly) but become too extended and boring when it staged that very long and extraneous dance sequence in the dream ballet. The Greatest Showman precisely avoided such extended and boring sequences - do we really want to see the struggles that Barnum encountered while growing up -- all we needed was a fantasy sequence how he wanted his future to look like...what would drive his ambitions...since the main plot point is how he succeeds in show business.

*the musical score provided some strong character development points. The song This is Me did not occur in a vacumn. It started with the oddities as accepting their unfortunate personal circumstances...but having realized their worth, expressed their viewpoint and stand in that song of acceptance and self-empowerment. The song Tightrope is a look into the character of the patient wife of Barnum, who was willing to follow her chosen life partner no matter the risks and the circumstances! Because it was acclaimed actress Michelle Williams in the role, did we want her portraying all the angst and wistful longings, not in song and dance, but in full dramatic moments??

The Other Side is not just a throwaway duet from Jackman and Efron, the two main characters in the storyline, to please fans of the 2 actors. First and foremost, it was a critique, a look at the disparity between the social register New Yorkers ( "misery and whiskey and parties and plays") and the more common folks ( "come alive!") -- not that it may have been obvious to many! What was very obvious of course was that a business partnership came into being between 2 people who looked at showbusiness in different ways and that it also started a lifelong friendship! I guess the bartender gimmicks were too distracting

From Now On was another excellent example of character development and plot advancement. For Barnum, it was an epiphany moment - when he realized that all along in his life, he looked at the wrong values and the wrong goals and the wrong people to admire and love! His tears of atonement were indications that he sincerely meant what he was saying to his troupe! That they moved into a celebration of friendship and kinship (in their career goals) was such a high point! Then Barnum realized that he needed to mend another side of his life, that has always been his foremost goal in life since he first thought of those million dreams! Such a beautiful and exciting musical number -- too spectacular maybe that we may have lost sight of the fact that the moment meant the real turning point in his life! That moment was the dramatic highlight in the movie.

Never Enough was meant to show how Barnum became fascinated by the sheer artistry and talent of an exalted performer and how he saw through her a realization of one of his dreams - to be accepted in the higher strata of society through his entertainment attractions! The singer named Jenny Lind fascinated an audience... the impresario named PT Barnum was exhilarated with his discovery of an outstanding performer!


Rewrite the Stars was not simply a love song. The whole production number and song lyrics reflected the wide disparity between social standing at that time as well as an issue that was probably more divisive then ( racism) that it is now.

Come Alive simply and successfully speeded up how the troupe with Ringmaster Barnum got their act together! What a climactic moment in the discovery of entertainment that pleased the masses!


The Greatest Show, both prologue and epilogue, was such a well-constructed opening number that harkens the past from where it came from! That both story opening and ending enclosed the evolution and success of the bigtop circus emphasizes that the main plotline was the origins of a form of mass entertainment which is to last for a century and a half!



Of couose the other artistic selling points were all there, too --

*the exceptional casting that gave us excellent acting moments, extraordinary song deliveries, and ravishing dancing spectacle!

*the other production values ( cinematography, choreography, production design, sound design, costumes & makeup, special effects, etc) were well worth the budgetary means given to this beautiful movie musical!

Most importantly, the movie spoke to us! In contemporary tones! Through song, through the many life lessons clearly enunciated, through the beauty of moments expressed cinematically, all impressively captured in the film's cinematic and artistic vision!



What a way to lift the human spirit!


Jo