"The Greatest Showman" (2017) Film Review

 “The Greatest Showman”: a magical flick perfect for holiday entertainment.




                                          
                                                                    Trailer Courtesy of Regal Cinemas.

Directed By: Michael Gracey
Rated: PG
Runtime: 1:45
Review By: Livi Edmonson

“The Greatest Showman”: a magical flick perfect for holiday entertainment.

Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, and many other extraordinary cast members, star in the latest musical phenomenon called “The Greatest Showman”. The musical is a romanticized, fictitious film created around a real legend: P.T. Barnum. Thanks to Hugh Jackman’s charm and a severely unrealistic script, the film depicts Barnum as more of a hard-working family man, whereas the real Barnum could best be described as more of a controversial, con man rather than a celebrated entrepreneur and ringleader.

                                                                                                       Image Courtesy of 20th Century Fox.

Filled with 11 exciting tunes to sing and dance to, we see P.T. Barnum take his poverty-doomed life and turn it into a spectacular sensation, officially birthing show business.  We see him rise, fall, rise, and fall some more, but eventually rise to his highest potential when he becomes a true man and realizes that no matter how many hoaxes he pulls off, all of the success in the world is not worth it when he lets down everyone else around him.

                                                                                               Image Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly.

Many critics seem to have a couple of issues with this film, saying that the events in the story are completely untrue and that it is wrong to paint P.T. Barnum as such an iconic figure of history, but I am here to completely disagree with all of these critics.

First off, when 20th Century Fox first released the idea of this film to the public, they clearly said that “The Greatest Showman” is a film that was inspired by the historical origins of Barnum and how his circus came to be. Therefore, not one of the filmmakers ever said that this film was a completely truthful autobiography.

Second off, since when do we, as audiences of a filmmaker’s creation, start fact-checking cinema? This movie is extremely entertaining and incredibly heartwarming, so why can’t all audiences take it with its face value and enjoy the film because of the magic it brings to the screen.

Yeah, I guess they could have done a more realistic biography over Barnum, but the truth is this: no one wants to see the real story unfold, especially in a musical like this. The real story would be too gruesome and would not attract large audiences of all ages like “The Greatest Showman” does.

                                                                                                       Image Courtesy of 20th Century Fox.

If you are not a fan of musicals, then do not waste your money on this film, for it contains singing and dancing the whole entire time, emphasis on whole. But, if you are a fan of musicals, get ready to hit the jackpot with this movie.

With fun, catchy songs written and composed by the Academy Award winning and Tony Award winning lyricists of the film “La La Land” (2016) and the hit Broadway musical, “Dear Evan Hansen”, “The Greatest Showman” is an absolutely whimsical musical that will easily be one of your favorite ones ever. Also, as someone who danced competitively almost all of their life, it is safe to say that the choreography and dance numbers are phenomenal to say the very least.

What makes musicals like this so intoxicating is that the actors and actresses can actually sing and dance, showcasing all of them as triple threats. (Yes, that really is Zac Efron and Zendaya on those ropes. Impressive, right?)

                                                                                                       Image Courtesy of 20th Century Fox.

All in all, “The Greatest Showman” is an inimitable film that will undoubtedly bring joy into the hearts of those who enjoy a story so incredible that it allows its audiences to escape into a fabulous world of singing and dancing.

Instead of watching films for the purpose of being educated, we should start watching films as a purpose of entertainment. An audience’s opinion of a film should be solely based on how the film makes them feel, instead of on how much of the film is actually real. After all, films are not meant to be pieces of complete realism, that’s what makes them so great.




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