The Greatest Showman

This is another film that we missed when it first came out, but it was strongly recommended to us over the Christmas holiday and onto the watch list it went. And it’s utterly marvelous.

The film is highly fictionalised account of PT Barnum, played by Hugh Jackman. The film follows him from his poor, working class roots as he meets and marries the girl of his dreams and finds himself in a stable middle-class job. It’s when he loses this job that the PT Barnum of the title comes to life — sinking money into what eventually becomes the circus for which he is famous. Along the way, he enjoys tremendous success, loses sight of what is important in his life, and comes to his senses in plenty of time for the happy ending.

It’s fair to say that aren’t any surprises in this film, and when I put the DVD in the player I wasn’t expecting a lot. But as soon as the soundtrack started, I was completely carried away.

Hugh Jackman’s performance is outstanding and the supporting cast are excellent. But the main draw is the music and this is superb. Each song is different and all of them are integrated perfectly with the story, making for an uplifting and genuinely happy film about embracing difference and recognising the things that matter. I loved every minute of The Greatest Showman.

This is how all musicals should be made.