Alright, it seems only fair to warn you up front of my biases. I quite like musicals, but tend to not be overly fond of those that sound too poppy. I can recommend the Addams Family one, Heathers or Groundhog Day. But schmaltz tends to give me shivers, and not in the good way. I went to see La La Land because The Girl wanted to watch it. I did not enjoy it.
This is by way of setting my review of The Greatest Showman in context. First, I'll give you the good bits. The choreography at points is very tightly done, tying in neatly to a diegetic sound at some of the better moments. These tweaks give the thumpy rhythm a real feeling of weight and effect. The percussion is absolutely spot on throughout.
These motions are married to some impressive visuals. Parts of the film are effectively picture postcards, with the background feeding in beautifully to the tone of the moment (or more frequently, song). The visuals also work brilliantly when they are scene setting, with sweeping vistas or grimy streets contrasted with the elegant polished world of the rich.
But the absolute best bits of the film are those where it's being subtle. At certain moments of the film, a slight glance informs an entire scene. The painfully accurate racism, spread across classes is given in a powerful manner, being mostly done by slight actions. It's where some of the film's most emotional moments come from.
Unfortunately, the responses to the "curiosities" are a little more on the nose, with a literal closing the door on them being one of the more unsubtle scenes. Can't say a bad word about the extended cast playing the attractions in the circus, however. Athletic and acrobatic scenes are often interwoven with some impressive spectacle.
Unfortunately, spectacle is mostly what the film has. The visuals are timed nicely to the percussion, but the songs in general are all too much in the line of "we can do it" anthems to particularly stick in the memory. It's depressingly commercial. Michelle Williams has one that drifts a little darker, but it's not terribly far. Still, Hugh Jackman not terrible at singing, which doesn't hurt.
While there are a couple of heart grabbing moments, it's very shallow. The first fifteen minutes felt a bit too much like I was watching a series of music videos, that didn't really have much of an impact on the plot. The plot was also a little more rushed than I would have liked at points. Things tended to go a bit wrong, then be fixed in the next song. There wasn't an overall conflict arc, just a series of short vignettes that got resolved by singing.
Better than La La Land, not as good as Jumanji (the new one. Also, the first one). Counts as "feel good", and doesn't require too much attention. Fluffy. Won't be watching it twice. But you might enjoy it.
Recommended.
Tagged: Film Musical Biographical Fiction Cinema