Ending the year on a high note

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2017)

O, my god! I knew I was a sucker for musicals but The Greatest Showman just exceeds all my expectations. The songs are catchy, the dance numbers are hypnotic, all the performers look and sound fantastic, and they're all such great singers. None of them fumbles, none of them sound dreadful like Russell Crowe in Les Miserables because almost all of the ensemble in The Greatest Showman can carry a tune. The story is a bit basic but that's ok, it was always designed to be a feel-good movie that's triumphant, extravagant and joyous.
Written by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon and directed by Michael Gracey, Hugh Jackman plays P.T. Barnum who came from nothing and marries the love of his life, Charity, played by Michelle Williams. Charity comes from a privileged family, while P.T. Barnum grew up poor. So now comes a chance where P.T. can finally prove that he's more than just some dirt kid from the street, he opens up a circus spectacle that became a big sensation but his ambitions and his desperate need for approval makes him unable to see the joy and happiness that are already there right in front of him.
First of all, what you need to know is that this is not a straight up biopic of the actual P.T. Barnum because the actual P.T. Barnum had his controversies. So what THE GREATEST SHOWMAN basically does is take the character P.T. Barnum and put a spin on his story, including his touring with opera singer, Jenny Lind. Zac Efron and Zendaya's roles are that of a young love but their subplot also ties nicely with the drama of Hugh Jackman and Michelle William's characters.
And I freakin 'love all the songs featured in this film, I have the soundtrack by the way and I kept listening to it for hours on end, put them on repeat and listen to them again the next day. So addictive. Written by the same songwriting team behind "La La Land" but I must say that "The Greatest Showman" songs are way better, they stay in your head for days. Kudos on the dance choreographies too, everything about this film's music is so in sync harmoniously, the songs match what is going on at that moment in the story, they compliment the characters' emotions. Another thing that you need to know is that even though the story is set in the '1800s, the music is not meant to sound like it comes from that era, the style is more contemporary or hip-hop, it's meant to give you that grand majestic impression, more like Las Vegas rather than Broadway, if that comparison helps.
This of course is not Hugh Jackman's first rodeo in the world of musical, Zac Efron and Zendaya are talented in that department too, so what you have here is a group of talents that are highly skilled at dazzling you with their moves and vocal chords, it helps that easy on the eyes as well. Jackman in particular has that bravado presence about him. But don't be mistaken, this is not some Oscar worthy achievement ala Les Miserables, although.. if it does get nominated, it deserves to be recognized for at least the costumes and the production design, but THE GREATEST SHOWMAN is all about entertaining you with bright colors and it's all about making your foot tap while at the same time celebrating entrepreneurial spirit and celebrating diversity which are something I can definitely relate to. THE GREATEST SHOWMAN is charming, it's uplifting, it makes you smile, it's a great way to end the year on a high note.
-- Rama's Screen --