The Greatest Showman, starring Hugh Jackman as said showman, is a musical. So if you don't like musicals you won't like this. There's no two ways about it - not everyone is up for people breaking into song for an otherwise run of the mill conversation.
So you're still reading because you do indeed enjoy a musical. Or perhaps you can just tolerate them? That should be enough.
The Greatest Showman is based, I gather very loosely, on the true story of P.T. Barnum's (Jackman) creation of the Barnum & Baily Circus in the late 1800s. I knew absolutely nothing of P.T. Barnum's story so for me, I had nothing to base any assessment of accuracy on - it was just a story. He started a circus of "freaks" so in this case, a bearded lady, an albino, conjoined twins etc.
Barnum's wife Charity is played by Michelle Williams and they have two adorable daughters. The three of them go from very few material possessions to having everything when the circus becomes hugely successful. But of course that alone would be a bit dull, so 'our Hugh' gets a bit distracted by another artist he discovers - a beautiful Swedish singer. No more for fear of spoilers but I guess the point is, this is total cheesy fantasy stuff. If you can roll with the cheesiness, then I reckon you'll enjoy this toe-tapper. But if cheesy camp singin' and dancin' turns you off then this one will stretch the friendship.
Zac Efron plays Barnum's business partner and you know what? I reckon he's really terrific in this. I mean, he can sure sing but he can also dance and has the face of a damn angel. Same with Hugh but I've always been a fan so it wouldn't take much to convince me on that front.
It's directed by an Aussie making his debut - Michael Gracey. He features in this video about the audition of the bearded lady role which gave me a bit of a tingle. Look out for the piano player, whose enthusiasm is quite mesmerizing.
This film is getting mixed reviews. It's nominated for Best Picture (musical/comedy) at the Golden Globes so plenty of people are digging it but then there's this scathing rant from The Daily Review. To be fair, lots of the reviews are in the 3-4 star range (eg 3 from Leigh Paatsch in the Herald Sun) and I reckon that's fair but a little low for a GG nominee. I mean, it won't win, but still it's nominated.
Trailer here. In cinemas now.