Review Summary: Big top musical is flawed, but relentlessly colorful and entertaining.
I remember visiting Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus as a child. The sights. The colors. The sounds. The tricks. Everything that you could not truly find anywhere else. It was a spectacle for the imagination, the ears, and the eyes. I could understand why people wanted to run away and join it. It was a place of escape from the pressures and bad news of the world.
In several ways, newcomer director Michael Gracey captures that feel in this movie. The scenes where the circus comes to life are full of vigor and color. Especially the trippy opening sequence where old-fashioned moviemaking meets with a modern-day musical (the old Fox logo and the old-fashioned title cards help too).
The overall production itself is extravagant and colorful. Old-fashioned costumes and set design take center stage, with very little to no use of CGI effects. The musical numbers are nicely-shot, with some very impressive choreography (Gracey had directed music videos before tackling this).
As Barnum, Hugh Jackman gives his all. He's already proven as a singer (thanks to Les Miserables), and proves to be an exceptional entertainer. But he's also given a few sincere moments as a father to his character's two adorable daughters. Michelle Williams portrays his wife, and also does a rock solid job acting and singing her role. Zac Efron returns to musicals for the first time in nearly a decade, and shows lots of spring in his step. In addition, his voice reminded me of a young Phil Collins. On the downside, despite being a strong singer and acrobat, I didn't think Zendaya was given nearly enough to do in the film acting-wise to really give us an idea of her character. I honestly thought she was given more to do in Spider-Man: Homecoming earlier this year.
As for the songs, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote nine original songs, and the overall soundtrack is pretty good. Some songs flat-out soar, while a few are too poppy. The standout song of the movie goes to Jenny Lind's song "Never Enough" (acted by an unrecognizable Rebecca Ferguson, but sung by The Voice season 3 contestant Loren Allred). The showstopper carries a refreshingly old-fashioned Broadway feel along with soaring vocals. Other highlights on the soundtrack include Williams' very good solo "Tightrope", Efron and Jackman's business duet "The Other Side", and the Efron/Zendaya duet "Rewrite the Stars". In a few places, however, some of the songs are so overly-pop that the percussion almost overwhelms the vocal performances.
It becomes clear through watching Showman that the story is not necessarily the best-developed you've seen. It's paced well, but this is clearly a style-over-substance show. The only character that's given sufficient background and development is Barnum. In that case, the beginning of the movie wisely shows his younger years, and we get an understanding of his motivation for being successful. On the downside, however, his very appealing circus cast is only given one line worth of backstory ("our parents were ashamed of us"). With that in mind, we don't really get a chance to truly get to know them. They might provide a few humorous and heartfelt moments, but I was left not caring about them nearly as much as the movie probably wants us to.
That being said, the film does end very nicely. Barnum's redemptive story arc comes a bit more into focus as a family-over-fame message is more fully realized. The other positive message about not judging or treating others differently based on appearances, on the other hand, is a little heavy-handed. Now, I'm not doubting that it's a good message, and the attitudes and perspectives do reflect the time period. However, in the middle of the film, this message nearly takes precedence over advancing the story.
Watching The Greatest Showman reminded me of a stage show coming to life, in a way that Barnum himself would appreciate. Just that kind of experience makes the movie fun and charming. It might not measure up to the best musicals or the year's best movies. But, for its lack of plot depth and sometimes incoherent and anachronistic musical styles, the film makes up for some of it in terms of sheer entertainment and spectacle, as well as some spirited performances. And, might I add, its' also refreshing to see a mainstream musical that is (mostly) safe for families to see together.
Score: 8.0/10
Content Concerns for Family Viewing: The Greatest Showman is rated PG for "thematic elements including a brawl". Overall, this is a fairly solid choice for families to see together (particularly for ages 7 or 8 and up). There are a few moments where protesters do somewhat violent acts. Two scenes show a couple of fistfights (very few injuries are noticed). One of the protesters sets the theater on fire, and a few characters are in peril during this time (one is dragged out with bloody gashes).
Efron and Zendaya's number has a few somewhat sensual dance moves. Some outfits are low-cut. A couple of bar scenes involve drinking alcohol (and alcohol is seen at parties too). One song includes three uses of "d---". Other brief uses of language includes three uses of "oh g--" and one of "pr--k". Characters lie and mislead a few times.
