Not quite the greatest show on Earth . . .
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Zendaya
Director: Michael Gracey
The Plot: A musical drama set in the mid-1800s, based (very loosely) on the life of P.T.Barnum and the creation of his famous circus. As a boy he dreamed of entertaining the masses, but now as an adult Barnum (Jackman) works a mundane job in New York City and feels he is letting down his wife Charity (Williams) and their daughters as they live in poverty. Barnum comes up with a plan to stage a show featuring musical performers, acrobats and freak show oddities, which initially has great success and leads to him partnering with playwright Phillip Carlyle (Efron) to expand its appeal. However, as an increasingly hostile public begins to turn on the stars of the show, Barnum becomes distracted by his promotion of a famous opera singer . . .
Review: The fact that I've already mentioned this film is a musical will probably be enough for many to decide if they're going to see it or not. You either like musicals, or you don't, and there's nothing wrong with that. I like them (there, I said it), and if you like musicals there's a good chance you'll like The Greatest Showman. It has all the ingredients for what you want from both a musical and a big Christmas release - it's high on spectacle, and the genuinely talented Hugh Jackman is perfect for this kind of role, but weakness in the story prevents it from shining.
The film has spent a long time in production - Jackman was first attached to the project way back in 2009, and in an interview has stated that the creation of the original music for the film played a big part in its delay. The songs were composed by the duo of Pasek and Paul, who most recently won acclaim for their work on La La Land and a Golden Globe for its song "City of Stars", and it turns out the delay was worth it as the music and songs are one of the film's high points. You may have noticed that in the plot section I used the term "very loosely" - the film features about as much creative licence as you could possibly take with Barnum's life. While it does advertise itself as "inspired by the imagination of P.T.Barnum", if you're knowledgeable about Barnum's life or the history of his circus you may take some serious issue with what's on display here. I certainly wasn't, and didn't.
The musical aspect of the film is what it gets absolutely right. Despite what seems like a small budget for a film of this nature (approx $84million), the musical numbers are incredibly lavish and the sheer spectacle on display during them is fantastic. The standout is a number between Efron and Zendaya (as Anne, an acrobat
in the show and Carlyle's love interest) that sees them both soaring
around the stage as they sing, which is really terrific. The cinematography is actually excellent throughout the film, not just during the numbers, with Anne's slow-motion first glimpse of Carlyle as she swings up to him on the trapeze (used heavily in the trailers and promotion for the film) particularly effective. The songs are well-written, all with an emotional core and having meaning to specific points in the story, and the characters transition into and out of them with ease.
Hugh Jackman quite literally takes centre stage with his performance as Barnum, who not only forms the show but acts as its ringmaster and leader. You won't be surprised to hear that the Tony-winning actor does really well with both the songs and the dance numbers, but for the dramatic part of the role he's let down by the script (which I'll get to in a moment). While he does his best to put across both Barnum's bravado and his fears, he isn't really given enough to work with. He does, however, have good chemistry with both Williams and Rebecca Ferguson, who plays the opera singer Jenny Lind that Barnum becomes distracted by.
Of the other notable cast, Michelle Williams is perfectly fine as Barnum's wife Charity and does well with the vocal performances, including a solo number late in the film. She too, however, is let down by the script, never really given anything juicy enough for an actor of her talent to work with. Zac Efron proved early in his career that he could sing and dance, as did Zendaya, and they both are excellent here in that regard. Also, there are a number of moments for both of them (mostly Zendaya, who spends the most time on it) when it's clearly them on the trapeze, not a double, so kudos must be given for the physical performances as well. But again, they are also let down by the script.
The script is the film's weakest link and has a number of problems. The first is it's sheer predictability - it's incredibly easy to see where the story is going at all times, so virtually nothing is a surprise. It also struggles with pacing: the film clocks in at 1 hour 45 minutes, and because of this the story moves along at a brisk pace. This in turn causes the problems I mentioned when talking about the performances - none of the main cast are given any significant time for the dramatic parts of the story. In the case of Barnum, not enough exploration is given to his character's need to prove himself, or the physical temptation of Jenny Lind. For Carlyle and Anne, there's not enough bite in the racial tensions of society that impacts their relationship, particularly in the short scene involving his parents. The pacing of the story also means that the other stars of the show, the freaks, are given short drift - we only learn a few of their names, despite the importance they play in the lesson that Barnum eventually learns about knowing that it's only the approval of those you love that matters.
Now, to be fair, in musicals the dramatic aspect is not normally why you go to see them, so you could argue that the criticisms I have about the plot aren't that important when the musical numbers and visuals are as impressive as they are here. I'm not saying that the weaknesses in the script make this a bad film, far from it, but they do prevent the film from being really great. As it stands, it's just a good one.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
An entertaining musical that's high on spectacle but lacking in dramatic bite. The songs are great, the numbers lavish and the performances are excellent, but the film suffers from being predictable and not having enough time to flesh out the dramatic story threads. Still, it's very enjoyable and recommended if you like musicals.
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