History Film / TheGreatestShowman

* BrokenAesop: The film tries to have the moral of don't judge people who are different that's basically made moot when you realize the circus troupe basically work in a job that relies on them being exploited and mocked for their deformities and, in real life, WAS a job where they were exploited for their looks.
** There is an entire scene where Tom Thumb mopes about people laughing about him for his height and it's clear the audience is supposed to sympathize with him. Later on, when The Queen and the rest of the court laugh at him, it's clear we're supposed to feel sorry for him there too but the movie itself makes him the butt of short jokes a few times during the movie (e.g. when Barnum picks him up and puts him on the horse, when he walks on the bar and sits on Barnum's hat, and when he rides the baby elephant at the end, all of which are played for laughs).
** Speaking of Tom, in RealLife, he was the one to give Barnum the money to re-build the circus as opposed to Carlyle. Considering this movie is supposed to have a self-acceptance message about accepting people, even those who look different, it's weird that the movie gave something a physically disabled man did and give his part to someone who is definitely not physically disabled, therefore taking their story away from them. In other words, for a movie about how people who look different should be accepted, it literally wouldn't accept that a physically disabled man was able to save the day and gave something he did to help the main character to an able bodied man who never even ''existed''.

[[caption-width-right:350:''♫ 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 film was directed by visual effects supervisor and first time director Michael Gracey, and stars Creator/HughJackman, Creator/ZacEfron, Creator/MichelleWilliams, Creator/RebeccaFerguson, Creator/{{Zendaya}}, Creator/KealaSettle, and Creator/YahyaAbdulMateenII. It was written by Jenny Bicks and Creator/BillCondon, with music by [[Music/PasekAndPaul Benj Pasek and Justin Paul]] (''Film/LaLaLand'', ''Theatre/DearEvanHansen'').

* OverprotectiveDad:
** Charity's father slaps Phineas hard for speaking to her as a pre-teen. There's probably classism involved as well.
** Barnum is this for his girls, especially the one who wants to practice ballet but is looked down on because of how her father gained his fortune.

* BadassBaritone: Though we never see Barnum throw a punch, we all know he's this, and he never fails to remind us while he's belting notes to the stratosphere in a voice to rival Lettie and Jenny. Ziv Zaifman is a pre-teen with a voice deeper than most child singers ever have.

* SingingVoiceDissonance: When he's talking, Charles/Tom has a deep [[VocalDissonance New York accent]]. However, in his one lyric in ''This is Me'', he drops the accent and his voice is suddenly higher pitched.

* SingingVoiceDissonance: When he's talking, Charles/Tom has a deep [[VocalDissonance New York accent]]. However, in his one lyric in ''This is Me'', he drops the accent and his voice is suddenly higher pitched [[Note]]This is probably Sam Humphrey's real voice as his voice is obviously dubbed throughout the rest of the movie. They did say he was cast because he could sing[[/Note.]]

* SingingVoiceDissonance: When he's talking, Charles/Tom has a deep [[VocalDissonance New York accent]]. However, in his one lyric in ''This is Me'', he drops the accent and his voice is suddenly higher pitched [[Note]]This is probably Sam Humphrey's real voice as his voice is obviously dubbed throughout the rest of the movie. They did say he was cast because he could sing[[/Note]].

* RefugeInAudacity: Barnum's main hat. He doesn't believe in bad publicity, just publicity. See Up To Eleven for examples.

* UpToEleven: InUniverse -- Barnum exaggerates the already extreme, like putting stilts on a giant man, or padding the stomach of a 500 pound man and claiming he's 750.

* CompositeCharacter: Phillip Carlyle replaces many of Barnum's real life partners like James E. Cooper and James Anthony Bailey. He could also be considered as one for Irving Feld, Israel Feld, and Roy Mark Hofheinz, as he (like those three people) is handed the circus after Barnum is put out of business (albeit, in this version, Barnum retired, whereas in real life, they were given the circus after Barnum died). He is entirely fictional, though.

* CompositeCharacter: Phillip Carlyle replaces many of Barnum's real life partners like James E. Cooper and James Anthony Bailey. He could also be considered as one for the whole Feld family, as he is handed the circus after Barnum is put out of business (albeit, in this version, Barnum retired, whereas in real life, they were given the circus after Barnum died). He is entirely fictional, though.

-->'''Lettie:''' Shut up, Barnum! You just don't get it. Our other ''mothers'' were ashamed of us. Hid us our whole lives. Then you pull us out of the shadows. Now you're giving up on us too. Maybe you are a fraud. Maybe it was about making a buck. But you gave us a real family.\\

* CompositeCharacter: Phillip Carlyle replaces many of Barnum's real life partners like James E. Cooper and James Anthony Bailey. He is entirely fictional, though.

The film was directed by visual effects supervisor and first time director Michael Gracey, and stars Creator/HughJackman, Creator/ZacEfron, Creator/MichelleWilliams, Creator/RebeccaFerguson, Creator/{{Zendaya}} and Creator/YahyaAbdulMateenII. It was written by Jenny Bicks and Creator/BillCondon, with music by [[Music/PasekAndPaul Benj Pasek and Justin Paul]] (''Film/LaLaLand'', ''Theatre/DearEvanHansen'').