I love Hugh but Keala stood out

Rating: 7/10 (19 April 2018)

I really wanted to see The Greatest Showman because of Hugh Jackman. He is more than a "triple threat" since he is at home in not only musicals, but also drama, comedy, and fantasy. He displayed all of these attributes in The Greatest Showman, but was shortchanged in a movie that sacrificed depth for glitz.
I felt breathless by the end of the movie, not because I was overwhelmed with the film but because the book of the movie tried too hard to juggle multiple story lines and cover too great a period of time - while mounting lavish production numbers.
I was underwhelmed by the plotline involving Zac Efron and Zendaya - although I guess they were inserted to provide teenagers and twenty-somethings with a romantic pair with which they could relate. Much more interesting was the relationship of Barnum and his wife - and the threat posed to it by Jenny Lind.
This movie should have focused on the most interesting characters, the Barnum family and P.T.'s performers - especially the Bearded Lady, played to perfection by Keala Settle.
Well worth the time investment to see this movie, but the script needed a good editor.