Grade: A-
If parents don’t take their children to see live theatre, taking them to see The Greatest Showman is the next best thing. It is as dazzling, exciting, entertaining, and invigorating a movie musical as I’ve ever seen. Experiencing it was like watching one of my future favorite musicals for the first time. The cycle would go like this: they would do a song, I’d love it so much, I’d be disappointed when it was over and think the next one couldn’t possibly match it, and then it does, in its own way. Almost every song is in competition for the best. The one that gets reprised at the end is “This Is Me” – a showstopper and house-bringer-downer. Led by the bearded lady (Keala Settle, with a powerhouse set of pipes), it is the most beautiful and powerful message of acceptance and tolerance I’ve heard since “I Am What I Am” from La Cage aux Folles.
Hugh Jackman attacks the leading role of P.T. Barnum with infectious charisma, and makes the strongest argument for a potential Professor Harold Hill if there is ever another Music Man remake. I took issue with his nasal nanny-goat vibrato in Les Miserables, but he is in fine voice here. Michelle Williams, who was recently so memorable in All the Money in the World, charms and shines here as Mrs. Barnum. And who knew she could sing, too? Ditto for Zac Efron as one of Barnum’s first business partners.*
Director Michael Gracey makes his feature film directorial debut here, and he has some interesting projects coming up, like an Elton John biopic called Rocketman, and a Jim Henson biopic called The Muppet Man. If I dock The Greatest Showman half a grade, it’s due to my prejudice against historical stories. I usually prefer new, original tales. A minor quibble. This is a captivating, fantastical film that deserves to be a frequently watched classic among families for years to come. When was the last time I saw a movie like this and kept forgetting I wasn’t at a live production, and therefore kept almost applauding at the end of every number? Oh yeah – never.
Grade: A-
- – Whoopsie. I just looked him up. Most of the world knew he could sing, as he was in those High School Musical movies. I literally have not seen a single frame or heard one note from any of those. Am I missing out, or am I lucky?
Film Reviews by Mark 
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