this is stuff you like and I do like the greatest showman it's just that I'm
basically a year behind everyone else I mean I'm only just up to date on the
latest series of Doctor Who this happens to me a lot it's fine
welcome to the show apparently the real PT Barnum was distinctly dodgier than
Hugh Jackman's lovable rogue but I always assumed these based on a true
story things are basically just "well that thing did happen and that person
was called that so let's cram in another musical number shall we?" basically I'm
taking the greatest showman entirely on its own merits and do not expect any
kind of overlap with things that may have actually happened
plus I mean it's a musical how true to life can you really be when people
randomly burst into song and dance routines at the drop of a hat? Even if
some of those songs are technically diegetic? the plot of the greatest
showman goeth thusly: Phineas is the son of an impoverished tailor and he wants
moooooore... sorry. he falls in love with a rich girl called Charity whose dad hates him
and they communicate via letter for years until he makes enough money to
become Hugh Jackman and then he and charity dance on a laundry filled
rooftop and have two daughters. after the company he works for goes bust he scams
his way into a loan buys a Museum of curiosities hires a bunch of curious
people, becomes a circus, becomes a success, and then tries to go legit by
taking on a junior partner who's a posh boy and then going on a nationwide tour
with a mezzo-soprano opera singer? never mind. she's in love with him and then
quits after she pours her heart out to him and he's like...eh. The circus catches
fire the bank take his house, his wife is very angry because kissing opera
singers in public among other things, and oh dear what's really important in your
life, big realization number, the junior partner becomes an equal partner because
he still has money, posh boy then takes over being ringmaster and finally gets
it together with the trapeze lady and PT Barnum watches his daughters at the
ballet with his wife and from now on these eyes will not be blinded by the
lights the end. I mean I know I barely mentioned the secondary love subplot
between the posh boy and the trapeze artist but we're getting there my
friends oh we're getting there. The greatest showman is a mostly really fun
movie and an insanely catchy soundtrack but
well I mean one nitpick is that the sound balance on several of the songs is
ridiculous you cannot hear the person at the start usually hugh jackman and then
it blows your eardrums off if you try and turn it up it's particularly bad in
the opening number but from now on also goes from inaudible to really really
LOUD! My other main problems with it for all that it's a fun watch are mostly
to do with depth. I know I know that seems like a ridiculous complaint but it
tries to sell me on a lot of things and I just don't buy all of them. I do not
buy for example that a world-famous opera singer would be a mezzo soprano
who sings pop ballads with only one actual verse. just not buying it. I like
Never Enough very very much it is a great car song and like let it go
unexpectedly difficult to sing well, but I don't know I was expecting something a
little bit more complex and higher pitched to be fair but mostly more
complex. but in musical terms largely because it's a mezzo belting kind of
song I do not buy for a single solitary second that PT Barnum is gonna run off
with her Gingerness and leave his blonde Disney soprano wife and kids behind I
don't there's just there's no tension there I just don't buy it. in the
opposite direction I also love rewrite the stars very much it is also a great
car song most of the songs are but wow that song is more plot for these
characters in three and a half minutes than we have got in the entirety of the
rest of the movie. Not that the other side isn't a great
song to establish the relationship between Phineas and Philip and also
they're literally dancing on tables in the bar why would you not love it, but
the love story it's kind of absent. "you know I want you" I mean I guess we
kind of know that but you've exchanged half-a-dozen sentences at this point I
feel like we're missing some scenes where Phillip is all, "let's be together"
and Anne is like "no you don't understand we can't be" but what we actually get
is stare, words, I'll stick up for you, stare, hand, words, song all about the
feelings which haven't really been established!
I mean we've hinted at them but they mostly just make the song do all the
heavy lifting and I think that's probably unreasonable. Give it some
support, movie, give it some support. the rest of the characters also feel flimsy
like nobody really bothered to write actual
characters for them they're just: used to be left out, now people love me, and also I
saying I guess. This is me is sung by Lettie whose name I only know because it
was on the subtitles and it's about how she's proud to be herself and screw what
other people think and that totally works. though she's obviously shaved her
underarms and not her face... this is the sort of nitpick that makes other people
go Jill you're just being ridiculous now, but if she could afford razors before
why didn't she just shave her face like all the men in the movie have done it.
but instead she becomes famous as the bearded lady and then she shaves her
underarms which I get because you don't want to shave your beard if you're a
famous bearded lady but still if she was ashamed of it before there were like
solutions. no? Eh? I'm probably overthinking this. the greatest showman is a big visual
spectacle and the songs are ridiculously catchy and I love most of them to bits
but as a movie I feel like I don't really empathize with most of the
characters because there isn't a lot there to empathize with. I don't really
know them and I would have liked to. It's the greatest show but ultimately it's
only a show because who are these people and why do I care? it's because their
songs work so hard for them that's why I care. that's why I love it. Dang it I knew
there was something. oh well. like I said I like the greatest showman it's not
deep, it tries to be more than it is but I like it anyway. that's about it for
this week thank you for watching thank you to my patrons as always for putting
up with me if you'd like to see more hit the subscribe button and also the Bell
and I hope to see you next time.