The Greatest Showman

Golden Globe nominee Hugh Jackman turns in a fine performance as legendary huckster P.T. Barnum. Born in 1810, Phineas Taylor Barnum’s story begins with a glimpse of his poverty-riddled childhood and the courtship of his beloved Charity (Michelle Williams). When Barnum arrived in New York in 1834, he already had a family to support. After his bookkeeping job went bust, he used money he didn’t have to buy a decrepit museum filled with stuffed oddities, such as the Feejee Mermaid, a monkey carcass stitched to a fishtail. When that novelty wore off, one of his daughters urged him to show "something alive." So Barnum hired 25-inch-tall Charles Stratton, who suffered from a pituitary deficiency, christening him General Tom Thumb, and bearded lady Josephine Clofullia (Keala Settle), along with Chang and Eng, the original Siamese twins. When his menagerie became famous, they were invited to meet England’s Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace. While in Europe, Barnum grew smitten with elegant soprano Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson), aka "the Swedish nightingale." After his museum burned, irrepressible Barnum partnered with a wealthy New Yorker (Zac Efron), who embarked on a scandalous romance with a trapeze artist (Zendaya). Barnum eventually joined James A. Bailey to found the Barnum & Bailey Circus under the big tent, which featured legendary elephant star Jumbo. Working from a superficial, loosely structured, simplistic screenplay interspersed with songs (including the Oscar-nominated "This Is Me"), director Michael Gracey’s bio-pic is showy and splashy but feels synthetic. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Michael Gracey, production segments on “The Songs” (70 min.), “The Spectacle” (32 min.), and “The Family Behind The Greatest Showman” (14 min.), concept art and storyboard galleries, and a sing-along option. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)