The Greatest Showman

Michael Gracey's 2017 film follows P. T. Barnum entering the show business of the nineteenth century. He comes from a poor family and puts people of unusual appearance on stage. The film builds this as a story about being accepted. The narrative does not enter the question of those performers being exploited; the real Barnum's practices were far more disputed and the film softens them considerably. Hugh Jackman leads. The songs were written in a modern pop idiom and were listened to long after the film. The production is large in scale. Who it's for: those who like musicals and showy staging. Who it's not for: viewers expecting historical accuracy; the film markedly cleans up its subject.