If this film was made in the 40’s,
50’s or even the early 60’s it no doubt would have been either the
Christmas or Easter attraction at Radio City Music Hall with a
spectacular stage show and all for a $2.00 admittance fee. Instead it
was given to us in 2017 and I will say that it wasn’t as bad as I was
expecting. It has lots of garish costumes; bright colors, frantic dance
numbers and catchy tunes written by the duo who gave us the music for La
La
Land and the Broadway hit Dear Evan
Hanson. The film is very loosely based on the life and times of P.T.
Barnum and no Hugh Jackman does not look anything like “The Mighty
Barnum” which was the title of a 1934 film version of his life that
starred Wallace Berry who was a lot closer to him in looks than Jackman.
But Jackman is a big movie star or at least what passes these days for
one, and he is handsome and can dance and sing and he whirls and twirls
all over the play with practically every cast member including a very
miscast and almost invisible Michelle Williams who plays his put upon
wife. He also does a somewhat homoerotic dance number with Zach Efron
who has ambition, push and tight pants if not much talent. The movie
follows very quickly Barnum’s early childhood and his journey to fame to
become the Mike Todd of the 19th Century. The film looks sounds and
feels like it came out of the Baz Luhrmann school of movie musicals but
without the zaniness and outrageous sights and sounds of his films. This
one kinda just lingers there which is not necessary a bad thing to do.
The cast is up and down for me, I hardly knew what to make of Rebecca
Ferguson who I never heard of who plays Jenny Lind with one foot in the
19th century and the other more firmly planted in 2017. Her looks and
singing style have nothing to do with the period and is not her fault as
no doubt the makers wanted to appeal to their audience of pre teens and
tweens. Opera what’s opera. There is also someone named Zendaya who I
also never heard of and is a pretty young thing who plays a tightrope
performer and has pink hair and is romantic for Zach which is pretty far
fetched if you ask me and not very convincing. The concoction was
directed by Michael Gracey, his first film, but not doubt he will be
doing more of this sort of thing for years to come
If this film was made in the 40’s,
50’s or even the early 60’s it no doubt would have been either the
Christmas or Easter attraction at Radio City Music Hall with a
spectacular stage show and all for a $2.00 admittance fee. Instead it
was given to us in 2017 and I will say that it wasn’t as bad as I was
expecting. It has lots of garish costumes; bright colors, frantic dance
numbers and catchy tunes written by the duo who gave us the music for La
La Land and the Broadway hit Dear Evan
Hanson. The film is very loosely based on the life and times of P.T.
Barnum and no Hugh Jackman does not look anything like “The Mighty
Barnum” which was the title of a 1934 film version of his life that
starred Wallace Berry who was a lot closer to him in looks than Jackman.
But Jackman is a big movie star or at least what passes these days for
one, and he is handsome and can dance and sing and he whirls and twirls
all over the play with practically every cast member including a very
miscast and almost invisible Michelle Williams who plays his put upon
wife. He also does a somewhat homoerotic dance number with Zach Efron
who has ambition, push and tight pants if not much talent. The movie
follows very quickly Barnum’s early childhood and his journey to fame to
become the Mike Todd of the 19th Century. The film looks sounds and
feels like it came out of the Baz Luhrmann school of movie musicals but
without the zaniness and outrageous sights and sounds of his films. This
one kinda just lingers there which is not necessary a bad thing to do.
The cast is up and down for me, I hardly knew what to make of Rebecca
Ferguson who I never heard of who plays Jenny Lind with one foot in the
19th century and the other more firmly planted in 2017. Her looks and
singing style have nothing to do with the period and is not her fault as
no doubt the makers wanted to appeal to their audience of pre teens and
tweens. Opera what’s opera. There is also someone named Zendaya who I
also never heard of and is a pretty young thing who plays a tightrope
performer and has pink hair and is romantic for Zach which is pretty far
fetched if you ask me and not very convincing. The concoction was
directed by Michael Gracey, his first film, but not doubt he will be
doing more of this sort of thing for years to come
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