The Greatest Showman (2017)
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Zendaya, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams
Director: Michael Gracey
Release Date: 20 December 2017
Rating: PG
Run Time: 1:45
Movie Type: Biography, Drama, Musical

Orphaned, penniless but ambitious and with a mind crammed with imagination and fresh ideas, the American Phineas Taylor Barnum will always be remembered as the man with the gift to effortlessly blur the line between reality and fiction. Thirsty for innovation and hungry for success, the son of a tailor will manage to open a wax museum but will soon shift focus to the unique and peculiar, introducing extraordinary, never-seen-before live acts on the circus stage. Some will call Barnum’s wide collection of oddities, a freak show; however, when the obsessed showman gambles everything on the opera singer Jenny Lind to appeal to a high-brow audience, he will somehow lose sight of the most important aspect of his life: his family. Will Barnum risk it all to be accepted?

I grew up watching musicals so I love a good musical. Old Elvis Presley movies? Love them. Sound of Music? Love it. I will watch the heck out of musicals because I come from a musical family (as in we all love music, not that we’re musically talented) but with that said, when this movie was being promoted, I had no interest in watching it. Mostly because I have no interest in the circus. I’m not a fan of clowns and even though this circus doesn’t have any clowns, I still didn’t want to see it.

But then I saw a video on Facebook, the lyrics video for This is Me. This video in particular:

I watched this video and cried and just like that, my mind changed. I had to see this movie at the first opportunity so that weekend, I dragged Brenna, Kenna and our family friend Nao to the movie theater to see this.

So this movie is the story of Phineas Taylor Barnum and how he built his life as a circus owner. You see him as a poor child with a dream and a crush on the rich girl. You see him grow up and work hard to build a life for him, that girl he had a crush on as a child that would become his wife and the family they created between the two of them. You see him strive to be successful, at the expense of a whole lot of things.

Aside from the life of P.T. Barnum, we get some side stories that made this movie all the more lovely. The side romance between Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron) and Anne Wheeler (Zendaya) was sweet and made me cry, the individual stories and struggles of the people in the circus were great as well.

This movie took me by surprise because while I expected to enjoy the movie, I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. The music was fantastic and I loved each and every single song. Michelle William has a lovely singing voice as does the rest of the cast. The entire production was just out of this world great and this movie is one of my favorites that I’ve seen this year so far.

This movie came out months ago and I’m still listening to the soundtrack, that’s how much I love the music. If you’re a fan of musicals and am in the mood for a fabulous movie, look no further. This one shouldn’t be missed. So good!

Movie Trailer

My Rating

5 out of 5