If you’re a kid like me you may not know that PT. Barnum as a real person until you read the credits at the end of this movie, “The Greatest Showman.”
Yes, P.T. Barnum stretched the truth and some of the things that he did could not be done now. He lived in another time before the internet, phones, or television. He was different from most people but created something that still goes on today, that something is the excitement around live shows. When I go to a concert and see smoke, pyrotechnics, and confetti which I always try to catch at the end of a concert… it’s because of P.T. Barnum. That something special he created is called being a showman, or getting people to become excited about the show, event, or concert they’re going to see.
“The Greatest Showman” stars Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, and Zac Efron. It runs 1 hour and 45 minutes and is rated PG.
This movie deserves 4 popcorn boxes out of 4 because it brought a true-life story to people my age.
The choreography is spectacular!
This is a great musical with a phenomenal soundtrack composed by John Debney and Joseph Trapanese that will make you sing the songs and dance after the movie ends!
The music also tells you things about the characters.
The acrobats did very unique stunts, that no one could achieve without practice.
I almost got dizzy just watching them!
P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman) was poor as a boy and eventually grows up to become the man who created showmanship through a world of imagination and illusion. His journey starts because he wants to bring happiness to people but he doesn’t know how to do it without any money in his pocket.
As he grows up he marries his childhood sweetheart (Michelle Williams) and has two girls.
After P.T. loses his job as a book keeper (if you’re a kid like me do what I did and ask your parents or a grown-up what a book keeper is) and with a wife and two kids to take care of … he tricks a bank into giving him a loan. Barnum uses the money to build his dream, a magnificent museum of oddities.
After the museum fails, it’s his children who suggest that P.T. use real people who are unique for the museum.
Barnum finds people who are unique like himself or look different than everyone else.
He learns that these people are not treated well, and are made fun of because of their differences; which I think is sad.
P.T. offers these unique people a job performing on stage at his special museum.
When P.T. gathers all these unique and different people for his show; they form a special kind of family, and when they go on stage they receive applause, and are loved for their differences, and the result is what we call today a circus.
The setting of the story is the 1800s and the clothes and way people go from place to place are completely different than how we dress and travel today. There were no electronics and you would have to take a horse and carriage instead of a car.
Also, the way the movie shows how people (who are unique or look differently are treated) during that time is fortunately not the way we treat people today who are unique or who look different in some way.
For ” The Greatest Showman” show times, or to check out any of the movies featured in Rodeo’s column visit www.amctheaters.com, www.movietickets.com, and www.fandango.com.
Rodeo would like to thank David Counter for his technical expertise in helping her channel her inner show person.
Kid Movie Reviewer Rodeo Marie Hanson, 11, Fleetwood, has been rubbing elbows with celebrities on the red carpet since she was age 4.
