Great Music and Likable Leads, but This Show Is Not the Greatest

Rating: 6/10 (13 February 2019)

I will admit, I'm a sucker for movie musicals. Give me genial, upbeat stories set to catchy music and I'm willing to forgive a lot of flaws. Generally speaking, musicals are easy to enjoy, no matter who is behind the camera. The Greatest Showman, Hugh Jackman's musical biopic of circus pioneer P.T. Barnum, is indeed likable. Jackman makes a great ring leader, for the circus as well as the film, and the songs are undeniably appealing, but with banal, clichéd, uninteresting stuff going on between the music, The Greatest Showman is barely worth the two-hour investment.
The film is very light on story. The narrative is your standard biographical retelling of an unlikely rise to fame. In this case, it's P.T, Barnum, who had an interesting real life, but whose circus' rise to prominence is rendered pretty well drama-free, here. The Greatest Showman pays lip service to ideas of self-worth and confidence, and it admirably creates a sense of camaraderie among the circus' entertainers, but whatever interest I took in the story was fleeting. The manufactured conflicts, including an interracial love affair between Zac Efron and Zendaya's characters, or a sub-plot concerning circus protestors, wear thin as they go along. The best musicals not only have great music and colorful dance numbers but a powerful central narrative. That aspect is clearly lacking in this script.
Despite feeling like an old-fashioned Hollywood musical, The Greatest Showman is actually rather unorthodox when it comes to its music. The songs are all modern pop, which is initially rather odd considering the film is set in the 19th Century, but before the first number was over, I had warmed to the notion. Now I don't consider myself a fan of modern pop music, but these songs impressed me. There's a brassy mix of acoustic and electronic to nearly every song, and as a result, they all sound kind of similar, but I couldn't help tapping my toes to most of them. These are great songs. If I had one complaint, it's that the best songs seem to be loaded at the front.
There is a subset of 30-40-year-old women who will absolutely adore The Greatest Showman. It is rooted in classic Hollywood, with a charismatic lead actor, a feel-good story, and wholesome themes. Yet, it's hip enough in its music to feel fresh. For that subset and others, that is all they will see. They won't be bothered by the lack of a compelling narrative or the shopworn clichés about letting your freak flag fly. They won't mind the grinding pacing or the chopped-up dance numbers that never linger long enough. There is a lot you have to overlook in The Greatest Showman to really enjoy it, but it is possible.
63/100