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AIBU?

The Greatest Showman is one of the best films I've seen in ages ?

82 replies

mzmum78 · 20/06/2018 01:08

I'd seen the odd trailer when this was released and thought it looked ok so it was on my radar but was never motivated to watch it . My sister absolutely raved about it so this weekend we had a rare day all four of us home with no plans so we watched it.
Have to say we all loved it (from 6year old boy to 9 year old girl and both parents including dh who typically falls asleep). Usually i sit and Mumsnet during kids movies but we all watched this all the way. We’ve played the songs all weekend and talked about how great it was a few times!

The cinematography, dancing , singing is all beautiful but I also loved the positive message about being yourself and the “this is me” song has me listening over and over

OP posts:

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musicposy · 20/06/2018 01:20

I initially only went because DD dragged me along. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did! Watched it 3 times at the cinema including a singalong.

However, I teach piano and when you've have at least a dozen different pupils playing A Million Dreams and This is Me, every week, it does start to pale a little!

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue · 20/06/2018 01:21

Oh it’s absolutely amazing.

It was even better in the cinema! I saw it multiple times. I don’t think you can recreate the cinematic experience, tbh.

Watching it at home isn’t as good, but it’s still my favourite film in a very long time.

justinhawkinsnavalfluff · 20/06/2018 01:56

Completely agree and so do the kids!

mzmum78 · 20/06/2018 02:42

But why is it so relatively unknown ? At least here in canada no one I've mentioned it too has even heard of it so I'm like a one woman PR machine !!

I can understand the piano teaching problem it's probably true of many popular songs ha ha

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mzmum78 · 20/06/2018 02:43

I meant to say particularly as it reminded me a lot of moulin rouge in style and that was widely successful

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TheOriginalEmu · 20/06/2018 02:45

It’s a good film as long as you can ignore the slightly sickening re-writing PT Barnum as some kind of loveable rogue and not the disgusting slaver he was.
This is me is a great song though.

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue · 20/06/2018 02:46

It’s not unknown here; it was pretty huge. There’s vocal workshops up and down the country for it, and special song-a-long showings at cinemas.

mzmum78 · 20/06/2018 02:49

Wow! We're really backward here !! I feel like I've been under a rock ha ha

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Nodnol · 20/06/2018 03:40

It’s a good film as long as you can ignore the slightly sickening re-writing PT Barnum as some kind of loveable rogue and not the disgusting slaver he was.
This is me is a great song though.

Yes!

ChocolatePanda · 20/06/2018 04:47

DH and I both saw the trailer and thought it looked great. But we were both disappointed and didn't think it was that great. Kids didn't love it either. Maybe our expectations were too high?

CheerfulYank · 20/06/2018 05:16

I loved it in the theater but not as much at home. The sound track is awesome.

musicalxo · 20/06/2018 06:09

I loved the songs. PT Barnum was a horrible person but I love my Hugh Jackman haha.

hazeyjane · 20/06/2018 06:33

It is the cheesiest of cheesefests, with extra cheese on top....but very popular here.

Me shrieking, 'THIS IS THE GREATEST SHOW!' is how I get my children to do anything. ('aagh, stop singing, mum')

Dh couldn't get past Hugh Jackman playing young Barnum, looking the same as old Barnum. This upset him greatly.

LaContessaDiPlump · 20/06/2018 06:36

I have to admit that I wasn't that interested in it and stopped paying attention about halfway through also not that impressed by 'This is me' - surely it only sounds good because all the rest of the cast join in as backing vocals?

Sorry....

TokenBritPoshOfCourse · 20/06/2018 06:36

LOVE the songs. Meh about the film in general though. It’s on a pretty constant loop in this house though so maybe I’m just jaded.

ShirleyPhallus · 20/06/2018 06:36

I thought it was crap

Way too cheesy and over-romanticised

tryingtocatchthewind · 20/06/2018 06:37

After hearing all the amazing reviews from friends I thought it was very meh? Horses for courses I suppose

SadieHH · 20/06/2018 07:21

Film was crap but have to disagree about 'This is Me'. I'm not usually sentimental at all; the opposite in fact, but that song is amazing. The only part of the film worth seeing although the YouTube vid of the run through is 100x better.

Oysterbabe · 20/06/2018 07:24

I have a quiet day today with just the baby, the toddler is at nursery. I might buy it as a treat.

TheOriginalEmu · 20/06/2018 07:24

agree about the run through sadie

Strax · 20/06/2018 07:30

The songs are very catchy and the dance scenes were great but I'm uncomfortable with the whitewashing of PT Barnum too. And how come young PT and Charity were the same age but when they grow up he's 10 years older than her?
I also read an article by a disabled person complaining that not a single one of the actors in the play actually has any of the conditions they portray apart from the actor playing Charles Stratton (who, by the way, Barnum adopted when he was 4 and had him drinking and smoking cigars to entertain people when he was 5).
I was also intrigued by how they decided to change some facts and stick to others. Why not show that they had 4 children not 2?

PolkerrisBeach · 20/06/2018 07:32

DD is obsessed with it. I thought that the songs performances were great and it's bright, colourful and uplifting.

But the plot is fairly thin, you don't find out anything about any of the characters and it just all seems a bit rushed and confused.

Hugh Jackman is very good in it and I was surprised that Zack Efron was good too.

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Moonkissedlegs · 20/06/2018 07:37

The actual plot and dialogue is awful, and the re-writing of Barnum is cringe.

But the songs and visuals totally make up for it, it's fabulous!

Lollyb86 · 20/06/2018 07:40

Absolutely love it as does DD 4 and anyone else I have shown it too!
You have to completely take it as a film on its own and not a biopic of Barnham as clearly it is not at all factual

NorbertTheDragon · 20/06/2018 07:45

I wasn't really interested in seeing it but a friend had spare tickets to the cinema so I went along and absolutely loved it! I'm listening to the soundtrack constantly. My 10 yo DS loved it too and is always singing.

And surprisingly my 14 yo twin boys also liked it.

I didn't really know anything about Barnum before, except that there was another musical about him that my mum went to see when I was a kid, so I've been reading up about him with DS who is home educated, so it's brought up some good discussions.

Loved the run through videos too.

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