Movie 2/100: “The Greatest Showman”
Overall Thoughts:
So often in musicals, the dialogue and the narrative are
merely tools to get between songs, and while this movie wasn’t entirely an
exception to that, there were surprisingly good moments of character
development that did help draw me in as a viewer.
If I had to guess, director Michael Gracey deliberately had
Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of P.T. Barnum serve as a kind of gateway to the other
characters of the film, allowing their narratives to begin to take center stage
as the movie went on. He seemed to fade into the background, happy to allow
others to take their turn the spotlight, and with an actor as charismatic as
Jackman, that was a really gutsy decision by Gracey.
Throughout the early stages of the movie, you’re confronted
with the question of how Barnum would be able to convince these folks, who
clearly have been shunned by society, to showcase their talents and unique
characteristics, and ultimately the narrative arc of the film leads them to
accept themselves, and in a way that isn’t a magical and formulaic “I love me
for me” story.
Visually the movie was very appealing, with blasts of color
and spectacle all over the place.
The music in the film was really well done. “Rewrite the
Stars” was a tremendous song and a great performance by Zendaya and Zac Efron,
and Keala Settle, who plays the Bearded Lady in the movie, does an incredible
job on “This is Me,” the movie’s moment where the performers in Barnum’s circus
really embrace their place in the world.
Finally, I have to give a lot of credit to Benj Pasek and
Justin Paul, who really did a wonderful job in their follow-up to 2016’s “La La
Land.” Their songwriting skills are very evident in both movies, and while some
movie musicals end up producing only one truly remarkable song, the duo was
able to really hit the nail on the head on numerous tracks on the soundtrack.
Ultimately, while the music was great and there were some
really good performances, it seemed as though the narrative structure wasn’t
there to provide a backbone to the movie. Jackman did a really nice job of
getting the audience to get swept up in his grand vision, but didn’t do as good
of a job selling the image of the self-absorbed jerk that he moves toward in
the movie’s middle stages.
I also didn’t feel that Efron was properly utilized. I would
have liked to have seen more of his character.
Favorite Performance:
I thought Zendaya’s portrayal of Anne Wheeler, the trapeze
artist who feels like she’s tip-toeing around a world that she has no real
place in, was spot on. Her grace in her movements was a great example of acting
without speaking, and needless to say, her vocal performances in her songs were
top notch.
I also very much like Keala Settle’s performance as Lettie
Lutz, the woman who ultimately becomes the de facto leader of the “band of
misfits” that performs in Barnum’s show. She goes from being absolutely ashamed
of her appearance to being a confident woman who recognizes her value both as a
person and as a performer, and seeing her development in both of those roles
was a really strong bit of acting.
Favorite Scene:
Honorable mentions go to the scene when Efron’s character
Phillip Carlyle is negotiating with Barnum over a role with the act, as the
choreography and the song were both extremely entertaining and engrossing.
Settle’s performance in “This is Me,” where the circus
performers are walking through the midst of a champagne-soaked party to the
horror of party guests, was excellent and worthy of an honorable mention spot
as well.
Ultimately, the scene that will probably stay with me the
most is the gorgeously shot and choreographed scene where Efron and Zendaya
sing about their love for one another, and about the societal circumstances
that seem destined to keep them apart.
Everything about the scene worked on just about every level,
and it was probably the movie’s most breathtaking bit of theatrics, a high compliment
for a film about the art of entertainment.
Stars: 3 out of 5
