History YMMV / TheGreatestShowman

** This also isn't the first musical biography of P.T. Barnum. That would be the 1980's ''Barnum'' with a book by Mark Bramble, lyrics by Michael Stewart, and music by Cy Coleman. And while it still portrays it's title character as a LovableRogue, it also doesn't skimp on the fact that he was, first and foremost, a shameless con artist who was OnlyInItForTheMoney.

** 4 foot tall Sam Humphrey as the 3 foot tall Tom Thumb. To make him 3 foot tall, he had to perform on his knees the entire time he was filming, meaning he couldn't dance so the character either conveniently leaves or disappears altogether whenever everyone else starts dancing for most of his screentime (From Now On excluded, though even that song had a couple shots where it looked like they were trying to hide his "dancing"). It makes one wonder why they bothered casting him and didn't just cast someone closer to 3 foot tall like Creator/VerneTroyer or even Creator/WarwickDavis instead, though even they were far taller than 2'6" Charles Stratten. The difference was that Sam Humphrey looked like Stratten, and most importantly, '''[[https://lrmonline.com/news/sam-humphrey-interview/ he could sing]]'''.

* JustHereForGodzilla: Even diehard fans of the film have said that the story and characters are nothing special (especially considering the liberties it takes with it's main character) and that they mainly love it for the spectacular songs, choreography, and production design. Of course, it's a '''musical''' -- that's the '''entire point'''.

* JustHereForGodzilla: Even diehard fans of the film have said that the story and characters are nothing special (especially considering the liberties it takes with it's main character) and that they mainly love it for the spectacular songs, choreography, and production design.

** 4 foot tall Sam Humphrey as the 3 foot tall Tom Thumb. To make him 3 foot tall, he had to perform on his knees the entire time he was filming, meaning he couldn't dance so the character either conveniently leaves or disappears altogether whenever everyone else starts dancing for most of his screentime (From Now On excluded, though even that song had a couple shots where it looked like they were trying to hide his "dancing"). It makes one wonder why they bothered casting him and didn't just cast someone closer to 3 foot tall like Creator/VerneTroyer or even Creator/WarwickDavis instead. The difference was that Sam Humphrey looked like Charles Stratten, and most importantly, '''[[https://lrmonline.com/news/sam-humphrey-interview/ he could sing]]'''.

** 4 foot tall Sam Humphrey as the 3 foot tall Tom Thumb. To make him 3 foot tall, he had to perform on his knees the entire time he was filming, meaning he couldn't dance so the character either conveniently leaves or disappears altogether whenever everyone else starts dancing for most of his screentime (From Now On excluded, though even that song had a couple shots where it looked like they were trying to hide his "dancing"). It makes one wonder why they bothered casting him and didn't just cast someone closer to 3 foot tall like Creator/VerneTroyer or even Creator/WarwickDavis instead.

** Barnum's relationship with slavery obviously isn't a good feel good movie subject. While he tortured and abused a woman he illegally enslaved (he lived in the North), he ironically spent the latter half of his life tirelessly campaigning against slavery and using his showmanship skills to have it outlawed nationwide. He even played a non-insignificant role in getting the 13th Amendment ratified.

** Some of the animals, like the lions and elephants, are [[ConspicuousCG obviously CGI]]. The Horse Charles rides on in particular looks like the Tristar Horse.

* UncannyValley: To some, Tom Thumb/Charles Stratton can fall into this, considering that it's REALLY obvious the actor playing him is [[ConspicuousCG obviously walking on his knees and having his legs being replaced with CGI legs to make him look shorter]]. What also doesn't help is that the actor has a baby face yet he's been dubbed over with an [[VocalDissonance actor with a much deeper voice]], which comes off as more creepy than funny, even though the latter is probably what they were going for. It doesn't help that the [[SpecialEffectsFailure dubbing is rather obvious]], making it almost comparable to something out of an old Godzilla movie.

* WereStillRelevantDammit: To Barnum & Bailey's Circus. The [[VocalDisonnance Incongrous 2010's pop songs]] in an 1800s setting and the forced in messages about [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped how people shouldn't judge others for being different and how its bad to be racist]] without [[BrokenAesop bothering to develop either sub-plot]] really make it seem like it's trying to come off as hip and progressive just to sell movie tickets for a P.T. Barnum movie rather than because it actually WANTS to talk about these things or use this style. As the podcast Twin Picks said, [[https://player.fm/series/twin-picks/ep-04-freaks-the-greatest-showman it's really interested in making a story about following your dreams but pretends to be interested in being a story about how you need to love and accept yourself]].

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: The real Barnum called himself "only ever a showman" and knew from the get-go that he was peddling hoaxes and sideshow attractions, complete with mistreatment of animals, for entertainment's sake. The trailers paint his creation of the world-famous circus as gathering a RagtagBunchOfMisfits to give them a place where they can be themselves while showing the public at large that they are just as worthy of respect as anyone "normal." The actual movie still has Barnum as a shyster whose quick wit and ability to read people for all intents and purposes hoodwinks the circus performers into joining them rather than stay in their shadowed and ignored stations. The performers must take it upon themselves to shuck society's opinion of them after Barnum shuts them out of Jenny Lind's first-performance after-party. Barnum's HeelRealization conveniently comes when the people he's shunned and scammed are the only ones who'll have anything to do with him anymore.
* WereStillRelevantDammit: To Barnum & Bailey's Circus. The [[VocalDisonnance Incongrous 2010's pop songs]] in an 1800s setting and the forced in messages about [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped how people shouldn't judge others for being different and how its bad to be racist]] without [[BrokenAesop bothering to develop either sub-plot]] really make it seem like it's trying to come off as hip and progressive just to sell movie tickets for a P.T. Barnum movie rather than because it actually WANTS to talk about these things or use this style. As the podcast Twin Picks said, [[https://player.fm/series/twin-picks/ep-04-freaks-the-greatest-showman it's really interested in making a story about following your dreams but pretends to be interested in being a story about how you need to love and accept yourself]].

* TastesLikeDiabetes: People who thought Barnum's real life story would have made a far more interesting story (or even thought a movie about the circus troupe would have made for a more interesting plot) find the movie way too sugary, cutesy, and sentimental. Lines like "I wanna marry Santa Clause" don't exactly help.

** Did you know that the Siamese twins, who appear in non-speaking parts in this movie, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang_%26_Eng actually headlined a musical of their own?]]

* EarWorm:
** "The Greatest Show"
--->It's everything you ever want\\
It's everything you ever need\\
And it's here right in front of you\\
This is where you wanna be
** "Come Alive"
--->Come alive, come alive\\
Go and ride your light\\
Let it burn so bright\\
Reaching up to the sky\\
And it's open wide -- you're electrified!
** "This Is Me"
--->Look out 'cause here I come\\
And I'm marching on to the beat I drum\\
I'm not scared to be seen\\
I make no apologies\\
This is me
** "The Other Side"
---> Right here, right now\\
I put the offer out\\
I don't want to chase you down\\
I know you see it\\
You run with me\\
And I can cut you free
** "From Now On"
---> From! Now! On!\\
These eyes will not be blinded by the lights!\\
From! Now! On!\\
What's waited 'til tomorrow starts tonight!\\
It starts tonight\\
Let the promise in me start\\
Like an anthem in my heart!\\
From now on!
** "Tightrope"
---> Hand in my hand\\
And we promised to never let go\\
We're walking a tightrope\\
High in the sky\\
We can see the whole world down below\\
We're walking a tightrope

* UnfortunateImplications: The movie tries to frame itself as a movie about how [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped people shouldn't]] [[BeYourself judge others for how they look]]. But, because the circus troupe is in a business that is well known for exploiting for people for their looks in real life, which is shown as a good thing in-universe, and because the movie doesn't bother to characterize the troupe outside of how they look, one could argue the movie says it's okay to only define people by their looks, not their personalities, as long as they aren't "mean" about it and doing stuff like protesting their very existence or shutting them out of high class parties. But doing stuff like, say, paying to gawk at them is a-okay[[note]]What makes it weirder is that the [[https://www.scriptslug.com/assets/uploads/scripts/the-greatest-showman-2017.pdf original shooting script]] had a throwaway line where the protestors call the circus a "freak show" as an insult, implying that this circus is supposed to be more progressive than your usual "freak show"[[/note]]. P.T. Barnum being the protagonist of the movie, even if he isn't always shown in the right, doesn't exactly help. It also doesn't help that [[WordOfGod the filmmakers themselves]] have said that the movie is framed as the type of hagiography P.T. Barnum would make to "make his life look more fantastical than it really was". See that opinion [[https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-greatest-showman-fails-disabled-audiences-by-masking-pt-barnums-monstrous-past here]].

* UnfortunateImplications: The movie tries to frame itself as a movie about how [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped people shouldn't]] [[BeYourself judge others for how they look]]. But, because the circus troupe is in a business that is well known for exploiting for people for their looks in real life, which is shown as a good thing in-universe, and because the movie doesn't bother to characterize the troupe outside of how they look, one could argue the movie says it's okay to only define people by their looks, not their personalities, as long as they aren't "mean" about it and doing stuff like protesting their very existence or shutting them out of high class parties. But doing stuff like, say, paying to gawk at them is a-okay[[note]]What makes it weirder is that the [[https://www.scriptslug.com/assets/uploads/scripts/the-greatest-showman-2017.pdf original shooting script]] had a throwaway line explaining why their business was NOT a freak show in the scene where they fought the protestors[[/note]]. P.T. Barnum being the protagonist of the movie, even if he isn't always shown in the right, doesn't exactly help. It also doesn't help that [[WordOfGod the filmmakers themselves]] have said that the movie is framed as the type of hagiography P.T. Barnum would make to "make his life look more fantastical than it really was". See that opinion [[https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-greatest-showman-fails-disabled-audiences-by-masking-pt-barnums-monstrous-past here]].

* UnfortunateImplications: The movie tries to frame itself as a movie about how [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped people shouldn't]] [[BeYourself judge others for how they look]]. But, because the circus troupe is in a business that is well known for exploiting for people for their looks in real life, which is shown as a good thing in-universe, and because the movie doesn't bother to characterize the troupe outside of how they look, one could argue the movie says it's okay to only define people by their looks, not their personalities, as long as they aren't "mean" about it and doing stuff like protesting their very existence or shutting them out of high class parties. But doing stuff like, say, paying to gawk at them is a-okay[[note]What makes it weirder is that the [[https://www.scriptslug.com/assets/uploads/scripts/the-greatest-showman-2017.pdf original shooting script]] had a throwaway line explaining why their business was NOT a freak show in the scene where they fought the protestors[[/note]]. P.T. Barnum being the protagonist of the movie, even if he isn't always shown in the right, doesn't exactly help. It also doesn't help that [[WordOfGod the filmmakers themselves]] have said that the movie is framed as the type of hagiography P.T. Barnum would make to "make his life look more fantastical than it really was". See that opinion [[https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-greatest-showman-fails-disabled-audiences-by-masking-pt-barnums-monstrous-past here]].

* UnfortunateImplications: The movie tries to frame itself as a movie about how [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped people shouldn't]] [[BeYourself judge others for how they look]]. But, because the circus troupe is in a business that is well known for exploiting for people for their looks in real life, which is shown as a good thing in-universe, and because the movie doesn't bother to characterize the troupe outside of how they look, one could argue the movie says it's okay to only define people by their looks, not their personalities, as long as they aren't "mean" about it and doing stuff like protesting their very existence or shutting them out of high class parties. But doing stuff like, say, paying to gawk at them is a-okay [[note]What makes it weirder is that the [[https://www.scriptslug.com/assets/uploads/scripts/the-greatest-showman-2017.pdf original shooting script]] had a throwaway line explaining why their business was NOT a freak show in the scene where they fought the protestors[[/note]]. P.T. Barnum being the protagonist of the movie, even if he isn't always shown in the right, doesn't exactly help. It also doesn't help that [[WordOfGod the filmmakers themselves]] have said that the movie is framed as the type of hagiography P.T. Barnum would make to "make his life look more fantastical than it really was". See that opinion [[https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-greatest-showman-fails-disabled-audiences-by-masking-pt-barnums-monstrous-past here]].

* UnfortunateImplications: The movie tries to frame itself as a movie about how [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped people shouldn't]] [[BeYourself judge others for how they look]]. But, because the circus troupe is in a business that is well known for exploiting for people for their looks in real life, which is shown as a good thing in-universe, and because the movie doesn't bother to characterize the troupe outside of how they look, one could argue the movie says it's okay to only define people by their looks, not their personalities, as long as they aren't "mean" about it and doing stuff like protesting their very existence or shutting them out of high class parties. But doing stuff like, say, paying to gawk at them is a-okay. P.T. Barnum being the protagonist of the movie, even if he isn't always shown in the right, doesn't exactly help. It also doesn't help that [[WordOfGod the filmmakers themselves]] have said that the movie is framed as the type of hagiography P.T. Barnum would make to "make his life look more fantastical than it really was". See that opinion [[https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-greatest-showman-fails-disabled-audiences-by-masking-pt-barnums-monstrous-past here]].

* UnfortunateImplications: The movie tries to frame itself as a movie about how [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped people shouldn't]] [[BeYourself judge others for how they look]]. But, because the circus troupe is in a business that is well known for exploiting for people for their looks in real life, which is shown as a good thing in-universe, and because the movie doesn't bother to characterize the troupe outside of how they look, one could argue the movie says it's okay to only define people by their looks, not their personalities, as long as they aren't mean about it and doing stuff like protesting their very existence or shutting them out of high class parties. But doing stuff like, say, paying to gawk at them is a-okay. P.T. Barnum being the protagonist of the movie, even if he isn't always shown in the right, doesn't exactly help. See that opinion [[https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-greatest-showman-fails-disabled-audiences-by-masking-pt-barnums-monstrous-past here]].

* UnfortunateImplications: The movie tries to frame itself as a movie about how [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped people shouldn't]][[BeYourself judge others for how they look]]. But, because the circus troupe is in a business that is well known for exploiting for people for their looks in real life, which is shown as a good thing in-universe, and because the movie doesn't bother to characterize the troupe outside of how they look, one could argue the movie says it's okay to only define people by their looks, not their personalities, as long as they aren't mean about it and doing stuff like protesting their very existence or shutting them out of high class parties. But doing stuff like, say, paying to gawk at them is a-okay. P.T. Barnum being the protagonist of the movie, even if he isn't always shown in the right, doesn't exactly help. See that opinion [[https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-greatest-showman-fails-disabled-audiences-by-masking-pt-barnums-monstrous-past here]].

* UnfortunateImplications: Because of the movie's painting of P.T. Barnum as a white savior, as well as the movie's failure to really portray the physically disabled circus troupes as characters in their own right, one could argue that the movie implies that it is okay for people to gape at physically disabled people and stare and treat them differently for their disabilities. Not only that but one could argue it also implies disabled people cannot fend for themselves but need able bodied people to save them all the time. See that opinion [[https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-greatest-showman-fails-disabled-audiences-by-masking-pt-barnums-monstrous-past here]].

* TookTheBadFilmSeriously: Pretty much everyone in the cast and crew (except for maybe the screenwriters) but ESPECIALLY Hugh Jackman, whose passion for the project not only shows on-screen but off-screen as well, as he spent 8 years trying to get the movie made. There's just so much energy, though, that can save a movie with such a problematic premise that does a terrible job at justifying itself...

* JustHereForGodzilla: Even diehard fans of the film have said that the story is nothing special (especially considering the liberties it takes with it's main character) and that they mainly love it for the spectacular songs and production design.