Critics got it wrong...

Rating: 8/10 (26 January 2019)

First off, this is obviously a fictional movie. Yes, P.T. Barnum was a real person, but this is about as loosely based on his life as a movie can get, and the movie makes no attempt to convince us otherwise. It's Hollywood, and Hollywood's job, first and foremost, is to entertain. THAT'S what this movie is about. Anyone going into it looking for a history lesson will be sorely dissappointed.
Now to the movie....not since Moulin Rouge has a movie so wonderfully executed the period piece musical. The music is absolutely fantastic...hats off to Benj Pasek and Justin Paul....and, like any great musical, is an integral part of the story telling. Is the story perfect? No, but it does a wonderful job of getting the point across without being too preachy. The main takeaway is a lesson of acceptance and love, and it's a lesson that we could all use a little reminder of from time to time. If you choose to see it, do so with the goal of being entertained, and you will not be dissappointed.