The Greatest Showman: a Show Worth Seeing, a Story Worth Telling
February 04, 2018 |
| Photo via 20th Century Fox |
A day after I saw The Greatest Showman in theaters, someone asked me how the film was because I shared a clip of the This Is Me scene on Facebook. I only gave him one answer: 11/10. Two days later, he goes to see the film himself and understood why I gave it that rating.
As a big fan of movie musicals, the trailer for The Greatest Showman easily caught my attention. With its all-star lead cast, led by Hugh Jackman (one of my favorite actors!), I told myself that I'm definitely going to watch this when it comes out in theaters. The Greatest Showman tells the inspired true story of P.T. Barnum, the man who invented the idea of show business and his struggles in creating a show filled with different and unique individuals and turning it into an art form. It's a very touching story with a soundtrack worth listening on repeat.
I loved the movie primarily because I watched it when I was vulnerable about my own career and what I should do with it. I was so down before watching it but after coming out of the theater, I was filled with inspiration from Barnum's story. For this review, I won't be talking about the film's technicalities; instead I'll list the most important lessons everyone can learn from the greatest showman and his success story.
Everyone can have a dream
No matter how financially difficult your situation is in life, your most important asset is your dream. It's a theme that has been used time and time again in countless films but surprisingly, the audience never gets tired of it. Why? It allows them to dream. It gives them hope.
As a young person just at the brink of starting her career, I felt that so much. At this point, I feel really lost and unsure of what I want to do in the future. Nevertheless, all I need to have is a dream, whatever that may be. Barnum's dream was to give the perfect world to his family, and nothing else. From the very beginning until the end of the film, that was all he wanted, and he stopped at nothing to get such dream. The song "A Million Dreams" means just that. "A million dreams is all it's gonna take." He had no money to give the perfect world to his wife and two daughters; all he had was just them and his dream.
Stop at nothing to get there
And be creative, if you have to. The movie was set in the 1800s, a very glum period in America. Who would have even thought of opening a wax museum first, then a live circus act later on, as their business? The beginning was difficult for the Barnum family; they had difficulty giving out tickets and barely earned enough to pay for the family's expenses, including the loan Barnum borrowed for his business.
But one night, Barnum's daughters tell him that the wax museum was not a hit, and that he needed something sensational. Barnum then thinks of bringing together a group of different people to put up a live show. Yes, there were critics. They called the show fake. They protested that the show was demonic with a bunch of freaks performing in it. It even all ends up in a fire. Barnum literally felt like he lost everything - even his family, the main reason why he began this journey in the first place.
The thing about getting discouragement is if you let it get to you, even just a little, it will consume you entirely until you can no longer get yourself back up. Easier said than done, right? Even for me. But as cliche as it is, we should really never stop at nothing and let disappointments and criticisms distract us from our end goal. We can take a little stopover, some detours, but the important thing is we get to the destination.
Don't let yourself get lost in distractions
One of the unique things about the story of P.T. Barnum and the whole never giving up on your dreams plot is that in this film, it actually shows the audience the reality of what happens when you let success get into your head. I personally loved this plot because it actually happens. A lot of successful people today forget where they've started. What's worse is when these same people, who started from the bottom, belittle those who they feel are not on their same level. In Filipino, we call this utang na loob - wherein you owe your success not just to yourself but to those who have helped you along the way.
P.T. Barnum lost his way at one point in the film, as his was blinded by the success opera singer Jenny Lind brought him as compared to the protests he received from his "freakshow". Sadly for him, it cost him his family and his business altogether, until these same freaks whom he turned down, were the same people who brought him back to his senses. The number "From Now On" was inspiring in this sense, as Barnum realized what he just lost - his family - and runs, literally, to get them back.
"No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else"
Aside from chasing your dreams, the central theme of the film actually is about diversity and acceptance. In a world where racism and homophobia are as intense as ever, this could not have been a more perfect film to watch. The film was set in the 1800s, but why does it fit in so perfectly in today's society?
I won't go into detail on how the film portrays this because it's self-explanatory. Instead, I'd just like to point out on how inspiring this was for many who belong to the minority. As I was reading the comments on the video clip of "This Is Me" that the official The Greatest Showman Facebook page uploaded, [/TW/] the top comment was that of a transgender and he was about to commit suicide until he heard the song. It was one of the most moving comments I've ever read on social media. Again, in a sensitive topic such as this, I won't divulge much into explaining - I leave that up to you.
The lyrics of "This is Me" is so inspiring, even for someone who feels so down and has been battered by hurtful words by people who don't understand nor care. It honestly helped me get through one of the toughest weeks I've had so far. "When the sharpest words wanna cut me down, I'm gonna send the flood, gonna drown 'em out. I am brave, I am bruised, I am who I'm meant to be, this is me." I've never heard more motivating lyrics such as this. So my tip to you is, when you feel like utter crap, give this song a listen (until you reach the point when you've already put it on repeat) and I guarantee you will feel incredibly better, stronger.
The Greatest Showman may not have new themes, but these are still ever so relevant themes which one can pull inspiration from. The story is moving, perfect for all ages and people from all walks of life. A lot of the film is inspired by the real P.T. Barnum's story, and that's what makes it even more great. Put it together with an incredible soundtrack, which is already motivating on its own, you have a show worth seeing and a story worth telling. If you haven't seen it yet, give it a try and you're sure to come out of the theaters with a different perspective in life.
♥, Murgaloo
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