“The Greatest Showman” has all the elements to one day become a classic. With an outstanding cast, a feel good story, and music that makes you dance in your seat, this will be a movie that will be loved for a long time. Released on Dec. 8, 2017, and with 194.7 million USD in box office sales, the movie is doing very well.
The movie takes on the life of a young boy, P.T. Barnum, brought up in a penniless home. His mind is filled with imagination and many unique ideas, all of which drive him to chase his dreams of being a successful, and well-liked man. After marrying a girl from his childhood and starting a family, Barnum (Hugh Jackman) buys a wax museum, but shortly after buying the museum, he decides to shift the focus to be a show made up of freaky people with awesome talents.
Barnum shines the spotlight on the outcasts and impacts both the characters in the movie and the audience. Those who are a part of the show learn to love and accept themselves for who they are. They realize what makes them different is what makes them great. Whereas, the audience gets to watch the characters grow, and discover themselves, which is both emotional and empowering. It also teaches you many important things, like you need to take risks in life in order to do the things you want to do. It also teaches you that the world is a harsh place, and you will face criticism, so you need to learn how to take it, and you are the only thing stopping yourself from being happy.
Being a musical, you expect quality music, but no one was anticipating music of this caliber. The music gets stuck in your head, and every song has a moving message in it. All of the songs are relevant to today and it makes people feel like they aren’t alone. The cast does a great job of bringing the music to life, and a prime example would be Zac Efron and Zendaya’s characters. Efron plays Phillip, a man who was born into money and is convinced by Barnum to join him in his adventure. Zendaya plays Anne Wheeler, who is an African-American trapezist who is a part of Barnum’s show. In their performance of “Rewrite the Stars” we learn that the two of them are in love, but because they’re different races and in different classes, they are unable to be together: “you know I want you, it’s not a secret I try to hide, but I can’t have you, we are bound to break and my hands are tied” as sung by Zendaya. Another example would be the song, “This is Me.” This is when the characters that are part of the circus learn to accept themselves and not care what other people think about them.
Watching Barnum achieve his dreams is empowering and it brings a sense of realism into the movie that could potentially motivate the public, and I foresee this movie being watched, and these songs being sung for generations to come.
Olivia Berg, Social Media Editor
