Jackman Shines in the Captivating Musical "The Greatest Showman"

 

 
   About thirty seconds into the opening number in The Greatest Showman, my wife leans over to me and says "Is this a musical?! How did I not know this! I already love this movie!" Indeed, the new film featuring Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron is, in fact, a musical, and a pretty good one at that. As I try to catch up with 2017's releases, The Greatest Showman was one of those movies that I figured "I'll get around to it." I'm glad I finally did. There's something to be said about walking out of a movie theater feeling joyful, inspired, and thoroughly entertained, and The Greatest Showman offers that in spades. With dazzling musical numbers, an inspiring story, and performances that truly captivate the emotions being displayed, The Greatest Showman is a fun night out at the movies, and well worth your time.

   Loosely based on the true story of P.T. Barnum (and I mean loose because this version is nothing like the exploitative nature of the original proprietor), The Greatest Showman celebrates the birth of show business, and tells the story of a visionary (played by Hugh Jackman) who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. From the opening seconds of the movie you get thrust into the magic and mysticism of the circus and of the man behind its conception. The opening number is quick and provocative, almost out of place, but in a good way. The concept behind the story is nothing new, this whole rags to riches idea has been played out over and over again. However, it's with the performances, the music, and the spectacle of the circus itself--a character practically on its own--that allows this movie to be its own thing and not just another re-tread.


   Jackman has shown his singing prowess before, and he shines here in this insane spectacle of a movie. The version of Barnum we get here is a man who makes something of himself after being raised as a nobody. All the cliches are present, he gets the high-end girl, he follows his dreams, those dreams are shattered as his pride begins to overshadow his true desires, and then from those ashes he realizes why he did what he did in the first place. But ultimately its the charisma and charm of Jackman that elevates you above the cookie-cutter plot. You can tell from each frame how much fun he's having on screen. The musical numbers, both song and dance, are really fun, and as Barnum begins to "collect" his cast of oddities for his show, that positivity grows. That's the other interesting aspect of this version of Barnum. His creation of the circus was perceived as a means to exploit, when really it was a vehicle for him to display the importance of inclusion and equality. Unlike the real Barnum, who was thought of as ONLY exploitative, this version speaks to the world in which we live. As each unique character is able to display what makes them unique, ultimately it's Barnum who funnels those displays into the lens of equality, and that was really awesome.

   Zac Efron makes his return to the world of the musical, playing Phillip Carlyle, a famed stage actor that is convinced to leave his uppity world behind and to join Barnum in his venture. Though Barnum has his cliched arc, it's really Carlyle's character arc that is the most rewarding, for in essence it's the opposite of Barnum's. He goes from being rich and regarded, to being disregarded as a proprietor of freakdom, not to mention committing one of the highest marks of social treason of the time: falling for a woman of color. Zendaya plays Anne Wheeler, one half of a brother/sister trapeze duo, who equally falls for Carlyle but is ever aware of the social ramifications of their attraction. The two share a beautiful musical number involving swinging ropes that is touching and heart-breaking at the same time. Their storyline, at least for me, was much more interesting and more developed than Barnum's paint-by-numbers arc. That's not to say Barnum's story lacks value, because it doesn't.

   The supporting cast is equally great, ranging in talent. The music and dancing in this movie is, at times, pretty straight-forward, but mostly really engaging. For a period piece the music felt very contemporary. The award-winning lyricists from La La Land worked on these songs, and their craft is ever-present here. The opening will hook you, the end will thrill you, and the stuff in between is enough to leave you smiling from ear to ear. The story moves at a pretty quick pace and yet you're still able to appreciate the performances between the musical numbers. For a wholesome, uplifting, inspiring, and fun night out, The Greatest Showman holds all of that and more. I highly recommend checking this one out.