The Greatest Showman (2017)

Celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.

Director:

Michael Gracey

Writers:

Jenny Bicks (screenplay by), Bill Condon (screenplay by)

Stars:

Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 29 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Jackman	...	P.T. Barnum
Michelle Williams	...	Charity Barnum
Zac Efron	...	Phillip Carlyle
Zendaya	...	Anne Wheeler
Rebecca Ferguson	...	Jenny Lind
Austyn Johnson	...	Caroline Barnum
Cameron Seely	...	Helen Barnum
Keala Settle	...	Lettie Lutz
Sam Humphrey	...	Tom Thumb
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II	...	W.D. Wheeler
Eric Anderson	...	Mr. O'Malley
Ellis Rubin	...	Young Barnum
Skylar Dunn	...	Young Charity
Daniel Everidge	...	Lord of Leeds
Radu Spinghel	...	O'Clancy

Storyline

Orphaned, penniless but ambitious and with a mind crammed with imagination and fresh ideas, the American Phineas Taylor Barnum will always be remembered as the man with the gift to effortlessly blur the line between reality and fiction. Thirsty for innovation and hungry for success, the son of a tailor will manage to open a wax museum but will soon shift focus to the unique and peculiar, introducing extraordinary, never-seen-before live acts on the circus stage. Some will call Barnum's wide collection of oddities, a freak show; however, when the obsessed showman gambles everything on the opera singer Jenny Lind to appeal to a high-brow audience, he will somehow lose sight of the most important aspect of his life: his family. Will Barnum risk it all to be accepted?

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Plot Keywords:

singing | circus | bearded lady | social outcast | social prejudice | 

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Taglines:

Experience the award-winning music!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements including a brawl

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Instagram

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 December 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Greatest Showman

Filming Locations:

1 E 78th St, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$84,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,805,843, 24 December 2017, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$174,340,174

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$434,950,846

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chernin Entertainment, TSG Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rebecca Ferguson, the actress who played Jenny Lind, and the actual Jenny Lind were both born in Stockholm, Sweden.

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Goofs

At the beginning of "The Other Side", Barnum has the shot glass in his right hand, the next shot shows it in his left hand and then again back to his right hand.

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Quotes

P.T. Barnum: [singing] Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for/Been searching in the dark, your sweat soakin' through the floor/And buried in your bones there's an ache that you can't ignore/Taking your breath, stealing your mind/And all that was real is left behind...

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Crazy Credits

The rolling credits are displayed over hand-painted artwork summarizing visual highlights in the film from beginning to end.

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Connections

Referenced in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: The Grinchy Dumbo (2018)

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Soundtracks

From Now On (Reprise)
Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul
Performed by Hugh Jackman & Michelle Williams
Produced by Greg Wells, Justin Paul, Alex Lacamoire
Mixed by Greg Wells
Zendaya appears courtesy of Hollywood Records and Republic Records

User Reviews

A Wonderful Holiday Present

As is evidenced on this site, critical reviews of "The Greatest Showman" have been lackluster - at best. Sadly, it seems that unless a film features mind-numbing special effects, anguished characters and/or "a real thinker" of an ending, the critical community doesn't feel the film is worth your time. This time, they got it wrong...

"The Greatest Showman" is an uplifting, joyous experience that we all need, now more than ever. The musical numbers are glorious and the plot, while not historically accurate (if you want a history lesson, rent "Dunkirk",) is heartfelt and engrossing. It is a film that families can enjoy together, devoid of the sappiness and goofy grownups that infest most family fare. And, the greatest present of all: you feel wonderful at the end!

Within the film, an entertainment critic who describes Mr. Barnum's offerings as "a circus of humbug" asks whether it bothers him that all he offers is fake. Barnum, referring to his customers, replies, "Do their smiles look fake?" No, they don't - nor do the ones in the theater. And those smiles are reaffirmed through the round of applause that many audiences bestow upon the film at its conclusion.

Gather the family, enjoy the music and leave the theater feeling better than when you came in. Happy Holidays.