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| The Greatest Showman |
Upon being asked whether or not he's fine presenting a show that's fake, circus pioneer P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman) states "Are the smiles fake?" It is a statement about the lavish production that he's putting on in the film, but it may as well be the motive behind director Michael Gracey's new musical The Greatest Showman. The story of Barnum is itself falsified to the point that his band of "runaways running the night" do elaborate dance numbers to melodies not popularized until over half a century after Barnum's death. The film, in every sense of a reverential and honest Barnum musical, is fake. However, it returns to the question Barnum asks: are the smiles fake? Depending on your mileage for old school-style musicals with lavish production numbers full of blissful awe, the smiles will be very real.
The film opens with a booming opening number where Barnum dances center stage with elephants and a ground of singing back-up singers to the eponymous song. It's a film that's as retro as the circus itself. It's an extravagant ode to a style of films that aren't made often these days. Much like lyricist Justin Paul's previous film La La Land, it services both as a throwback and an update to the MGM musicals of yesteryear, replacing logic and complex stories with raw emotion and earnest singing. In the place of Busby Berkeley are numbers in which Zac Efron and Zendaya sing "Rewrite the Stars" while spinning from a suspended rope. It's majestic, capturing its own take on the circus. In between montages ("A Million Dreams") and moments that forward plot ("The Other Side"), the film embraces just how silly and at times goofy a musical production could be. In some ways by not taking its story seriously it opens up an optimism long forgotten to the more cynical and jaded modern musical.
In spite of its retro mentality, The Greatest Showman feels ironically rooted in a 21st century mentality. In a year that has seen immigrants and various classes of people getting marginalized, it seems ironic that a self-starting businessman from New York would present a chance to follow dreams for freaks who range from a bearded woman to conjoined twins who manage to do flips. It's the core of the American dream, and Barnum's rag-to-riches story feels just as much aspiring in 2017 as it did a century ago. It may not fit the narrative entirely, as the runaways are largely secondary to Barnum's personal life, but it does present a feel-good image of unity where empowering songs like "This is Me" are presented as anthems of acceptance. With a backdrop of a society who hates differences, it manages to fill its story with a relevant subtext for family audiences needing some encouragement during a dour period.
Jackman and Efron give their all in performances where they sing to the back row while spinning on tables in whimsical numbers. For what the songs lack in authenticity, they make up for in numbers that capture the enthusiasm and fun of a movie musical. It's one of the few big budget films of recent years that is shameless in its theatricality. Every emotion is big, and the set pieces are even bigger. It's the type of work that escapism does best and Gracey has a promising future in directing musicals. He presents a story that overcomes inaccuracies on a narrative and music sensibility, but makes up for it with an energy that could be embarrassing in the wrong hands. Instead, it's a circus musical that is all about the show and the feeling that everyone can join in. It's a hokey idea, but it works so well.
In 2018, the idea of a movie musical has changed from even 20 years ago. La La Land presented a joyous celebration underlined by disappointment. Jackman's last musical, Les Miserables, was even bleaker, dealing with themes of misery and death. While there have been more celebratory musicals, few have embraced the ingenuity of what the form could be. It's why in spite of its many flaws and cornball heart, The Greatest Showman triumphs as a piece of entertainment. It isn't meant to provoke deep thought about the circus' recent controversy that lead to its end. In fact, it's more of a love story to the American spirit; a unity of forces coming together to sing no matter how they look. It may be a message that is a bit on the nose, but that's the point. Musicals are supposed to entertain, much like Barnum himself.
To return to the question as to whether the smiles are real, The Greatest Showman lets the audience answer it for themselves. It is by no means the greatest musical of the modern era, but it's one of the few that actually feels in love with the idea of being one. The music is big and sentimental, blaring from every speaker in a grand production that works much like the circus did many decades ago. It's a thing to gawk at, wondering how the performers made such defying stunts look effortless. Like Barnum, Jackman has sold a film that may be full of fakery, but do we care? It's a comment about a lot of things, including musicals themselves. In that way, the film is smarter than it thinks, but its defining feature is still an earnestness to perform in the face of ridicule. It's the exact message that's needed right now, no matter how hokey its presentation is.
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