The Greatest Showman
The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman

2017Movie105 minEnglish

The story of American showman P.T. Barnum, founder of the circus that became the famous traveling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

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Insights

IMDb7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes56%
Metacritic45/100
Google Users86%
Director: Michael GraceyGenres: Musical, Drama, Biography

Plot Summary

A visionary entrepreneur, P.T. Barnum, creates a dazzling circus spectacle that aims to captivate audiences from all walks of life. Facing societal prejudice and personal doubts, Barnum and his troupe of performers must overcome challenges to achieve fame and acceptance. The film explores themes of ambition, diversity, and the pursuit of dreams against a backdrop of elaborate musical numbers.

Critical Reception

The Greatest Showman received mixed reviews from critics, with many praising its energetic musical numbers, vibrant visuals, and Hugh Jackman's performance. However, some critics found the plot to be simplistic and the historical portrayal of P.T. Barnum to be overly romanticized, overlooking the more controversial aspects of his life. Audiences, on the other hand, generally embraced the film, making it a significant box office success and a word-of-mouth phenomenon.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praised for its exuberant musical performances and visual flair.
  • Criticized for a superficial take on its historical subject matter.
  • Lauded by audiences for its uplifting themes and catchy songs.

Google audience: Audiences largely enjoyed 'The Greatest Showman,' frequently highlighting its inspirational message, spectacular song-and-dance numbers, and the charisma of its lead actors. Many viewers found it to be a feel-good movie that successfully evoked emotion and entertainment.

Awards & Accolades

Nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song ("This Is Me").

Fun Fact

The song 'This Is Me' was almost cut from the film due to concerns it was too much of an anthem, but Hugh Jackman fought to keep it in.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

6 reviews
Joseph Henderson

Joseph Henderson

Wow. The Greatest Showman is one of those movies where the music completely carries the whole experience. The story itself is pretty thin (and very “Hollywood” in how it paints P.T. Barnum), but once the songs kick in, it’s hard not to get ...
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

Like many other folks, I have a sort of allergy to hype: particularly when it is built on power ballads and an actor who just doesn't "belong" in the role. I also saw Michael Crawford doing his "Barnum" thing on stage in 1982 - so to be fai...
ahmedrezik

ahmedrezik

one of the musicals that bring you joy in life
Gimly

Gimly

I thought that this was a terrible idea way before I ever saw the movie itself, and I thought this was a terrible movie way before I ever found out what P.T. Barnham was actually like. What a toilet fire in every sense, this is one of those...
baycon792

baycon792

Pretty solid movie if you are into that kind of movies (musicals). Audio fine tuning to the songs were in fact somewhat excessive, but to my opinion the movie was meant to be viewed in theaters with loud sounds so everything "should" sound ...
Movie Queen41

Movie Queen41

The critics have been really harsh on this movie. While not a great movie, it's still good enough to be enjoyed by kids during the holiday season. There are fun musical numbers and Hugh Jackman excels in his role as Barnum. It's not meant t...