Starring
Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson,
Zendaya, Keala Settle, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sam Humphrey, Paul
Sparks, Austyn Johnson, Cameron Seely, Eric Anderson. Directed by
Michael Gracey. (2017/105 min).
My
wife, Francie, took our two daughters to see this in theaters, and it
was all they talked about after returning home. Since then, they each play the soundtrack incessantly on their phones. So when this
Blu-Ray arrived for me to review, Francie was excited to notice a sing-along option listed among the many bonus features. When she told
our older daughter about it, Natalie shrugged and said, "I
already know all the songs by heart."
My
girls aren't alone, of course. A lot of folks seem to know them by heart...already. And The Greatest Showman
isn't just a musical. It's a !!MUSICAL!!
in the classic tradition...big & bright, colorful & catchy,
flashy & fun. Cynics might have to accept The Little
Sleeper That Could is shaping up to be one of those musicals that
transcends its decade, much like Grease did in the 70s. Critical consensus notwithstanding, the general public will probably still be singing along to "This is Me" and
tapping their toes to "From Now On" long after they've forgotten La La Land.
 |
| "Here's to swimmin' with bow-legged women." |
I had two takeaways after finally watching the film myself. First, I
get the feeling Hugh Jackman (as P.T. Barnum) would be perfectly
happy doing musicals for the rest of his career. His enthusiasm is
infectious, too. Not only does the sincerity of his performance
effortlessly manipulate the audience, the entire supporting cast
rises to the occasion. Second, while I'd never presume to declare
anyone's opinion wrong, I do believe some critics missed the point of the
film.
 |
| Hugh loves to catch snowflakes with his tongue. |
Loosely
based of the rise of P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman
makes no pretenses of being biographical, nor should anyone look for
much depth or substance. On the surface, the movie might even seem
narratively slight, just an excuse to link numerous flashy musical
numbers. Sure, that's one way to look at it. Another way is to look at the music as the narrative. There isn't a
single song that doesn't advance
the plot or embellish a particular character. One of the disc's
bonus features allows access to the musical numbers only; viewed in
sequence, I would argue that you'd still be able to follow most of
the story.
And
fortunately, it is a good story, albeit a familiar and predictable one, told with a
lot of panache. Despite some modern trappings, the film's ultimate
intent is obvious: the kind of pure, old school musical Hollywood
used to make before we all became too jaded for our own good. There
may not be a lot of depth, but with deliberately artificial
production design, insanely-catchy songs, a consistently upbeat tone and stunning
choreography, you'd have to work real hard not to be swept along.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
SING-ALONG
VERSION
FEATURETTES:
"The Family Behind The Greatest Showman"; "The
Spectacle"
"THE
SONGS" - Though listed as a featurette, at 70 minutes, it's
practically its own feature-length documentary.
MUSIC
MACHINE - Access the songs directly in sing-along mode
ART
& STORYBOARD GALLERIES
AUDIO
COMMENTARY - By Director Michael Gracey
TRAILERS
DVD
& DIGITAL COPIES
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS
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