Not often a musical film inspires me like what the Greatest Showman did. The film is cheesy and cliché, but I don't mind. Rows of songs and the energy of the performer are more than enough to cover the lack of a plot. It's nice to see spectacular and touching musical sequences presented one by one in front of your eyes. This film is proof that the quality of a musical depends on the songs in it.
I don't know much about musicals. Either where, plot or song first. But I'm pretty sure that The Greatest Showman's plot was built on the song. The story is conditioned to fit the song that was made before by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, who won Oscar last year through La La Land. The plot is just an excuse for the film to present musical numbers. So when it says that this film is based on a true story, we shrug our shoulders. We know that director Michael Gracey only used the premise and created their own story. Is he loyal to the original story? I'm sorry, but I don't care.
The Greatest Showman should be a biography of P.T. Barnum, a 19th-century showman who could be considered the creator of the first circus. However, the film is so wild and excited that it may be synonymous with the circus itself. The film looks like a stage musical theater which is packed into a Hollywood film. Barnum had stated that the audience did not mind being cheated because they were having fun. Presumably this also applies to the film. He doesn't care about logic or character as long as the audience stomps to the beat.
To make sure we got entangled from the start, the film immediately opened the track "The Greatest Showman", where Hugh Jackman, in a mayorian costume, danced and sang with a circus troupe accompanied by a beat of beat music that promised something grandiose but successfully accomplished. "This is everything you want, everything you need".
He is P.T. Barnum. Although born from a poor family, Barnum had big dreams and maybe also a taste that was commensurate, because from a young age he had a crush on a rich girl named Charity. Barnum was determined to give him a decent life. Through a musical number, they suddenly became adults and became Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams who already had two children.
Barnum office work. But not for a long time because the company suddenly went bankrupt. No longer afraid of losing anything, Barnum risked everything to open the museum. When this effort also failed, he again bet by turning his museum into a show for "strange people", ranging from dwarf men (Sam Humphrey), bearded women who have melodious voices (Keala Settle), heaviest humans, tallest humans, hairy humans, tattooed humans, to acrobats and animal shows. Exaggerating facts doesn't matter, because that's how Barnum sells.
In order to be more successful, Barnum recruited Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron), a theater producer who had an elite association circle which later introduced him to the opera singer, Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson). Barnum's meeting with Phillip took place in a bar which was presented in a musical scene involving beer thrown here and there with precise choreography and timing. While Jenny fascinates Barnum through the melancholy song "Never Enough".
Jenny opened the way for Barnum to enter the upper class environment while winning the hearts of critics. But on the other hand, he began to ignore his wife, child and circus. Will Barnum's circus be destroyed? Hmm, you know better. There are some slightly dark elements waiting ahead, but The Greatest Showman chooses not to linger so that it can provide a safe spectacle for all family members. The film makes Barnum a noble person, though a little capitalist. For him the circus is not just entertainment, but also a place to reach dreams.
Jackman plays his character with a passionate spirit and a face that is almost always happy. Understandably, this is indeed the passion project. His singing ability need not be debated anymore, because he once played (and he played and sang well) in Les Miserables. In fact, Jackman began his career in the musical world. He even got a Tony Award trophy, a special award for theater.
The film is about 105 minutes long, while the total song is 11 songs. If reduced by credit, it can be concluded that almost every 10 minutes we will be presented with a musical number. And this is good. Films give us enough pauses to breathe and prepare ourselves to make goose bumps again. The most striking song is "This Is Me" which was blown away by the circus members when they were ostracized. But my favorite is "Rewrite the Stars", where Efron dances with Zendaya through the trapeze in an empty circus tent. This brief moment sweetly illustrates the romance between the two.
This film did not arouse me because of the drama. I was touched precisely because of the songs. The film is composed of splendid singing, dancing and energy, where there isn't much else in the middle. In one scene, theater critics told Barnum that what he did was not art. The Greatest Showman is not an art film. He is not the highest class of cinema. But rest assured that he will give pleasure to the audience. This is the most appropriate form of criticism resistance. Barnum certainly agreed.