A co-worker recommended The Greatest Showman, so I borrowed a copy and watched it over my winter break. I had already listened to the soundtrack, and when I watched last year's Oscars, I saw the cast perform the Oscar winning song "This Is Me." I don't remember much of my reaction at the time, but within the context of the film, the song is a heartfelt, powerful reminder that people need to accept others for who they are:
With such an essential message in this song, I expected the film to focus on this message. And yes, that's part of the story. But the real story in the film is about P.T. Barnum (played by Hugh Jackman, who, as always, is enjoyable to watch), who comes across at times as a savior for the "freaks" he finds. Not thinking much about the film, that could be one interpretation. But take a moment and think about it: a regular guy must be the one to save these people who are just being themselves. They are persecuted because of their size, shape, color of their skin, and other physical qualities. Watching the film, I began hoping that the focus would move away from Barnum and be more about the stars of the show; after all, they are the ones people came to see. Barnum brought them together, but it's their talent and their uniqueness that drew people in. But even that is troubling for me because I had to wonder why the audience was there. Were they really interested in seeing talent? Or were they merely curious about what is deemed odd or freakish? I suppose the initial draw was the second reason and later it became about the talent. I don't really know.
As for the film, the story is predictable, so it makes for a good folding laundry film for me. I could look away from the screen and still follow the story. I didn't mind the predictability that much because the ending is happy, and sometimes I need a happy ending. Considering I had recently watched BlacKkKlansman, a predictable and happy ending film was the right fit for me. But I'm not telling people to see The Greatest Showman. It's fine, sure, and if you want something predictable, go for it. But you would probably be just as satisfied if you pulled up your favorite comfort food film and watched that, possibly even more so.
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