The Movie That Captured My Heart!

My! I just saw this movie at the cinema and it was incredible! For movie lovers who are in to the vibrant drama/romance genre, "The Greatest Showman" (2017) by Hugh Jackman is a must watch! Hugh has taken a pretty long leap from being Logan the wolverine in X-Men to singing in a circus. We shouldn't be so surprised though since he also sang a lot in the movie "Les Miserables" (2012). Starring alongside Hugh Jackman are Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Austyn Johnson, Cameron Seely, Keala Settle, Sam Humphrey, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Ellis Rubin, Skylar Dunn. The movie runs for 105 minutes and is rated PG as it includes elements of violence & strong language.

The movie was inspired by the real life story of P. T. Barnum

Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, politician, and businessman remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and for founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871-2017).

The Plot

Barnum (Hugh Jackman) is the son of a poor tailor who falls in love with Charity (Michelle Williams), the daughter of a rich member of the ton. He is completely beneath her social status but marries her against all the odds and against her father’s wishes. They were poor but lived happily with their two daughters and Charity was happy. Barnum however, was dissatisfied and longed for more. He again defied all the odds and went in pursuit of riches and grandeur. He took rather risky decisions that paid off big time and made him a very wealthy owner of a circus. With great wealth came strange characters, disdain from the ton, the need for much more, a captivating woman (Rebecca Ferguson), a handsome wealthy playwright (Zac Efron), a love triangle, a tragedy & lots of drama and intrigue. I have tried not to give you too many spoilers so you get to watch and enjoy the movie at your leisure.

A note of warning though, only guys who are in touch with their feminine side would love this movie. The action genre loving men probably wouldn't, so ladies, be selective about your choice of partners if you're watching this at the cinema else you'll get irritated or distracted by their incessant cringing. I mean, every time they broke into a new song, the ladies in the movie theater literally began to uuuuhhh & awwwnnnnn while several of the guys groaned and said stuff like "oh no, not again"! It was hilarious listening to the conflicting reactions.

The movie got conflicting reviews as well, some good;

A wholesomely enraptured musical about the life of P.T. Barnum turns out to be a crowd-pleaser in the best sense: It's a concoction that soars. OWEN GLEIBERMAN

And some bad;

The Greatest Showman is a disjointed, glossy, sugar-coated mess that just skates by on Jackman’s natural charm and charisma. CHRIS AGAR

I however, thought the movie was amazing. The visual effects were fabulous, the singing and choreography pretty exhilarating, perfect for a circus setting! The songs moved me to tears several times but no matter how much my eyes filmed over, I didn't allow a single tear drop because I wasn't ready to face the teasing of my very faithful but very mischievous friend & movie partner after the movie. The song "This is me" by Keala Settle, is an original song written for the movie and goodness! that song really packs a punch that would hit you in the guts and set your eyes to watering for sure. It is no surprise that the song turned out to be the winner of the Golden Globes 2018 Awards for Best Original Song - Motion Picture.

All images are from The Greatest Showman Google images & Vogue.com.