My Review of "The Greatest Showman"

The Greatest Showman had earned some buzz when it was first released back in 2017. I didn't get a chance to see it. Although, I was also hesitant of watching it since it was said to be a musical. This genre is kind of a hit or miss with me. The last one I really enjoyed was La La Land but that was a long time ago. They don't normally win me over. Maybe I'm too much of a simpleton to get them.

This movie became available recently and I had some extra time to kill so I went for it. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. It's not overbearingly a musical. There's song and dance here and there but they select appropriate areas to do them. The song and dance numbers are pretty good too.

A side note, I am a fan of the dancer Daniel 'Cloud' Campos and I think he had some influence on some of the dance choreography in the movie. I even see that they placed him as a bartender in one of the scenes. That was really nice to see.

Again, this movie is about P.T. Barnum, played by Hugh Jackman. He's a quintessential American rags to riches story. We've all heard of P.T. Barnum's traveling circus but few have heard of how he was a late bloomer and grew up very poor.

I didn't know how he had met his wife Charity Barnum, Played by Michelle Williams, as a child. They could probably do a whole movie about their growing love story because it's very odd that someone with nothing would be able to woo a daughter of the social elite in those times. This story gets a musical montage treatment but would have been a great story of it's own.

As a side note, I have to commend Michelle Williams. I think she takes roles that challenge her in each of her movies. She's such a diverse actor that doesn't get the accolades that she deserves.

The whole story continues about how P.T. Barnum strives to become accepted by the rich elite when really he should have realized what he had in front of his face.

There is an additional side story with P.T. Barnum's business partner Philippe Carlyle, played by Zac Efron. He's the polar opposite of P.T. Barnum as he comes from the social elite and wants to be free of the constraints that come with belonging in such a group. He's found a love interest in Anne Wheeler, played by Zendaya.

This little love interest story doesn't really get much attention. It's more to emphasize that wealth and fame aren't what matters. It's how you appreciate what's in front of you that's important.

It's a family movie so you have to understand that it can't get too dark. Everything is fun and colorful. The whole movie for the most part is animated with joy. There's not too many low points in this movie. I'm sure politically correct could tear this movie apart talking about treatment of animals and those that are different. The address a little of that in the movie but not all of it.

To be fair, they don't really have to justify anything in the movie. They're trying to tell a story and that would have gotten in the way of storytelling. They have to focus on what they're trying to say and having too many messages in the movie can make it lose focus.

Overall, I liked this movie more than I thought I was going to. It was a fun ride that I think many families would be able to enjoy. It's well worth recommending to adults and kids alike and is a very good diversion from all the comic book violence that we're used to nowadays. I will have to give this movie an 8 out of 10. It takes a lot for me to like musicals and this movie was able to do it. I would have to recommend this movie for everyone even if they don't like musicals.