The Greatest Showman

[The Mystery Machine]

I will put this on the list to watch. I can listen to soundtrack on GooglePlayMusic.

 

[Wishing on a star]

After all of the buzz, we finally watched it!
So, I will jump in here and just give my take.

As a musical production, for the most part, excellent!!!!
Some the music, and big musical numbers, were amazing.
Loved loved loved the flying trapeze scenes.

But, as an actual movie, a (so called) biography, etc... I did not think it was all that good.
Maybe it was me, but it was all about the singing, and the actual characters, character development were very very lacking.
And, that is what draws me in to a movie.
I want to actually identify and feel something about the characters.
The, so very (overly) obvious, but also so very over-simplified, lacking and hollow, story line and character development left me just 'blank'.
it just did not draw me in. And I can't say it made me really care about any of the characters.

If a movie like this doesn't really make me 'feel' anything, then I can't rave about it.
Or, again, maybe it was just me, and I just wasn't getting it.

 

[Monykalyn]

Loved Greatest Showman! Love the soundtrack and listen to it at least once a week now. Saw it twice in theater, middle DD saw it 3 times.

it’s all fake, but it did have good messages if you put all that aside

I'm fine with the fact that it's not historically accurate. It's a musical. It's fictional. It's based on his life, but it's not billed as a non-fiction historical movie. I have no problem with the fact that the movie portrays PT Barnum completely differently from how he actually was. Doesn't bother me at all.

yes this! It was never billed as a documentary, yet critics ripped the film for this. We enjoyed the movie for what it was.

 

[DISNEY1975]

After all of the buzz, we finally watched it!
So, I will jump in here and just give my take.

As a musical production, for the most part, excellent!!!!
Some the music, and big musical numbers, were amazing.
Loved loved loved the flying trapeze scenes.

But, as an actual movie, a (so called) biography, etc... I did not think it was all that good.
Maybe it was me, but it was all about the singing, and the actual characters, character development were very very lacking.
And, that is what draws me in to a movie.
I want to actually identify and feel something about the characters.
The, so very (overly) obvious, but also so very over-simplified, lacking and hollow, story line and character development left me just 'blank'.
it just did not draw me in. And I can't say it made me really care about any of the characters.

If a movie like this doesn't really make me 'feel' anything, then I can't rave about it.
Or, again, maybe it was just me, and I just wasn't getting it.

I think you got it! Basically, it was one of the best musicals in a very very very long time, very very very loosely based on a true store. I can only hope this goes to Broadway

Mainly I only watch movies based on true stories. Cant wait to see Chappaquiddick. The last movie I saw before TGS was The Founder. I wanted to punch Ray Kroc n the face!

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

I think it’s quite ironic (and fitting) that critics have panned this film while audiences have overwhelmingly loved it, just like Barnum’s original show.

We grabbed the last copy at my Target last night. I really enjoyed it and thought it was a ton of fun. And now I’m obsessed with the music!

 

[cabanafrau]

Loved Greatest Showman! Love the soundtrack and listen to it at least once a week now. Saw it twice in theater, middle DD saw it 3 times.


yes this! It was never billed as a documentary, yet critics ripped the film for this. We enjoyed the movie for what it was.

There are a multitude of the old musicals that I enjoy with no expectation of things being particularly grounded in reality. I didn't need Showman to explain Barnum or his life to me with any degree of accuracy. I enjoyed what I got out of an artful telling of a story that I never expected to deliver anything near a "ripped from the headlines" plotline.

 

[cabanafrau]

I saw it 4 times in the theater and bought it when it was out on presale to download! I bought the soundtrack as we were walking out of the theater after seeing it the first time- LOVE it! I watch these two on you tube all the time- so awesome!

Since you posted the video of Keala performing in the workshop, I'm assuming you're a fan of her and the song. Check out YouTube for her performance on the Graham Norton show -- incredible balance of the emotion, great performance and tremendous audience reaction IMO.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Don’t worry about the small things you have no control over it will eat you up.

I don't worry about it, and I do have some control over it: I didn't watch the movie.

 

[cabanafrau]

I don't worry about it, and I do have some control over it: I didn't watch the movie.

In that case I'm confused how or why it bothers you?

 

[FlightlessDuck]

In that case I'm confused how or why it bothers you?

This is a discussion board. I discussed. There's lot of movies I don't like the premise behind, and therefore did not watch. For example: Avatar (Ferngully in 3D), any movie about a horse (aka "A movie to make you cry"), raunchy comedies (90 minutes of poop jokes), etc.

This thread is about The Greatest Showman. I expressed my opinion about PT Barnun being made to look like a hero. I was looking for a discussion to see if I was in the minority regarding that opinion. I appreciated the idea that this movie is doing exactly was Barnun did:

I felt the same, but then realized the irony. What this movie was selling, was just the same as what the real PT Barnum would sell.....an escape from reality. Using (some would say abusing) "curiousities" to draw a crowd. This movie had an all star cast, which is most likely what drew people in to begin with. Everyone was curious to see Hugh Jackman. And Zack Efron in a musical as a grown up? I want to see! The critics, for the most part, disliked the movie, but the audiences loved it...... For a movie so far fetched from the truth, the similarities are uncanny.

I thought that was very clever insight on the nature of both Barnun and the movie.

I never expected the movie to be true to life. You could tell by the preview what it was going to be. But to me, it's like making a musical where Joseph "The Yellow Kid" Weil is the good guy. Or the Fox sisters. Or Bernie Madoff. Or Don Lapre.

 

[cabanafrau]

This is a discussion board. I discussed. There's lot of movies I don't like the premise behind, and therefore did not watch. For example: Avatar (Ferngully in 3D), any movie about a horse (aka "A movie to make you cry"), raunchy comedies (90 minutes of poop jokes), etc.

This thread is about The Greatest Showman. I expressed my opinion about PT Barnun being made to look like a hero. I was looking for a discussion to see if I was in the minority regarding that opinion. I appreciated the idea that this movie is doing exactly was Barnun did:



I thought that was very clever insight on the nature of both Barnun and the movie.

I never expected the movie to be true to life. You could tell by the preview what it was going to be. But to me, it's like making a musical where Joseph "The Yellow Kid" Weil is the good guy. Or the Fox sisters. Or Bernie Madoff. Or Don Lapre.

Discuss away. I simply don't understand your confusion about people reacting to you expressing your feelings as bothered.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Discuss away. I simply don't understand your confusion about people reacting to you expressing your feelings as bothered.

I don't get how you equate "Oh, I dunno about this movie" with chemical attacks in Syria. A person can have opinions about both. Otherwise, the Community board would never have a thread about weddings and showers and shopping carts and whatever the new outrage is about Millenials. Because none of those things are as important as mass shootings, either.

 

[cabanafrau]

I don't get how you equate "Oh, I dunno about this movie" with chemical attacks in Syria. A person can have opinions about both. Otherwise, the Community board would never have a thread about weddings and showers and shopping carts and whatever the new outrage is about Millenials. Because none of those things are as important as mass shootings, either.

Color me officially confused. I have mentioned precisely none of those things and I have no idea who made the statement "Oh, I dunno about this movie", but it wasn't either me nor you in this thread.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Color me officially confused. I have mentioned precisely none of those things and I have no idea who made the statement "Oh, I dunno about this movie", but it wasn't either me nor you in this thread.

Because I got you confused with the start of the conversation, which was another user:

dclpluto said this:

Why would you let something like this bother you? Lot more important things to worry about family,friends, pets health issues. School shootings, terroists, work issues. Don’t worry about the small things you have no control over it will eat you up.

I replied.

You replied to my reply.

Then I lost track of who said what.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

I've learned to never listen to the critics. EVER. I make up my own mind. There has been way too many times that they come in with bad reviews and I absolutely loved it. It's all about our tastes and everyone is different.

 

[DISNEY1975]

I've learned to never listen to the critics. EVER. I make up my own mind. There has been way too many times that they come in with bad reviews and I absolutely loved it. It's all about our tastes and everyone is different.

This cracks me up on the restaurant forum! So many people asking "What is the best restaurant?"

 

[jiminyC_fan]

This cracks me up on the restaurant forum! So many people asking "What is the best restaurant?"

Exactly. Food is extremely subjective.

 

[Bren's Mom]

My 12 yo and I watched it in the theatre, and LOVED it. We bought the BluRay on Saturday, and watched it again. He spent his hard earned money to buy the soundtrack on iTunes. We listen in the car constantly. (Almost as much as we listen to the Hamilton score!) It was a phenomenal musical. Yes, not historically accurate as to PT Barnum (and I'm from CT, so his story is very familiar to me, I've been to the museum and everything) but this was not a historically accurate biographical movie, it was a loosely based musical and a GREAT one at that! I felt 'all the feels' and though that came from the music and not necessarily the character development, it was ok by me!

 

[cabanafrau]

This cracks me up on the restaurant forum! So many people asking "What is the best restaurant?"

Exactly. Food is extremely subjective.

I agree, but sometimes I find enough consensus in multiple descriptions to give me a feel whether or not something sounds enjoyable or not. It's not foolproof, but I find it somewhat of a rule of thumb in unfamiliar areas.

 

[FergieTCat]

I didn't watch it, but I did watch "This is Me" on Youtube, and think that song deserved the Oscar. (Yes, I know it went to "Remember Me" and this is the wrong place to show anti-Disney bias, but it is what it is!!)

Hugh Jackman is very talented but I am past my saturation point with him. Not a fan of Zac Efron. And that's why I never saw the movie.