Line #16 Film/TheGreatestShowman


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6	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tgs.png]]
7	[[caption-width-right:350:[[TagLine The Impossible Comes True.]]]]
8	->'''Phillip Carlyle:''' I can't just run off and join the circus.\
9	'''P.T. Barnum:''' Why not? You clearly have a flair for show business.
10
11	''The Greatest Showman'' is a musical drama film [[VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory loosely based on]] the story of American showman [[TheBarnum P.T. Barnum]], founder of the circus that became the famous travelling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
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13	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, Creator/GayleRankin 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'').
14
15	The ambitious Phineas Taylor Barnum (Jackman) marries his childhood sweetheart Charity (Williams). Together, they have two daughters and live a humble life. After Barnum is laid off from his job, he eventually founds Barnum's Circus, a grandiose exhibition of various "freaks" and outcasts. The show is a hit, but Barnum struggles to balance the family that built the circus with him and his desire to further his own reputation.
16
17	The film was released on December 20th, 2017.
18	----
19	!!''♫Ladies and gents, these are the tropes you've waited for:♫''
20	* AcceptableBreaksFromReality: Jenny Lind was one of the greatest operatic sopranos of her generation. The film depicts her as an alto but Loren Allred's vocal performance is so good that it doesn't matter.
21	* {{Acrofatic}}: The World's Fattest Man shows some serious Belly Fu in the brawl with protesters.
22	* ActorAllusion:
23	** Hugh Jackman stars in a period musical playing a man who went from rags to riches? [[Film/LesMiserables2012 Hmm]]. "A Million Dreams" even shows the young Phineas stealing a loaf of bread, which is what sent Valjean to prison.
24	** Jackman's no stranger to playing [[Film/ThePrestige a showman chasing ever greater fame and fortune]] either.
25	** For the third time -- after ''Film/FlorenceFosterJenkins'' and ''Film/TheGirlOnTheTrain'' -- Rebecca Ferguson plays the unlucky other woman.
26	** Shuler Hensley antagonised Hugh Jackman in ''Film/VanHelsing'' too (ironically, [[Literature/{{Frankenstein}} his character would have been considered the freak]]).
27	* ActuallyPrettyFunny: When UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria blurts that General Tom Thumb is even shorter than she'd imagined, he coarsely shoots back that she's not exactly tall either. She gapes for a moment, then laughs at the riposte.
28	* AdaptationDistillation: Some of Barnum's major attractions are either left out or only hinted at, such as the infamous "mermaid". Barnum's circus animals get very little screentime (perhaps avoiding one of the controversies of the circus' history: its mistreatment of circus animals).
29	* AdaptationDyeJob: Jenny Lind was a brunette in RealLife, not the FieryRedhead as portrayed here.
30	* AdaptationNameChange: The real-life Barnum's most famous bearded lady was named Annie Jones, not Lettie Lutz. The change is likely done to accommodate the similarly named but more prominently featured [[CanonForeigner Anne Wheeler]].
31	* AdaptedOut:
32	** James Bailey. Given how wildly the timeline varies from RealLife, it’s hard to say when Bailey should have appeared (the real Barnum was in his early 70s when partnering with Bailey), but as of the end of the film, the circus has [[spoiler:Jumbo the Elephant, who was acquired by Bailey]]. However, Bailey was married to Ruth [=McCaddon=], so a romance with Anne would have been controversial.
33	** Some of Barnum's more celebrated personalities are not present, such as Isaac W. Sprague ("The Human Skeleton").
34	** Barnum had a mother and five siblings who survived the death of his father. In the movie he's an only child and an orphan.
35	** Pauline Taylor Seeley and Frances Irena Barnum, Barnum's other daughters, are nowhere to be seen.
36	* AnAesop: The film teaches the audience to "BeYourself" and that "family comes first", whether biological or FamilyOfChoice.
37	* AgeLift:
38	** Charles Stratton (aka General Tom Thumb) made his first tour of America when he was ''five'' -- thanks to Barnum. Barnum hires him at age 22 in the film.
39	** Also, Barnum was in his 60s when he started creating what would become Barnum & Bailey's Circus. Hugh Jackman's Barnum is in the prime of his life here, though.
40	** The Bearded Lady was a BABY when she joined the circus in RealLife as opposed to the middle-aged woman she is here.
41	* TheAlcoholic:
42	** It's implied that Carlyle is well on his way to becoming a drunkard if he's not toeing the line already.
43	** Also, given how many shots are imbibed during Barnum and Carlyle's negotiation song, it's amazing they're not slurring their words by the end. And then near the end after Barnum's heel realization, the circus family is pouring up foaming mugs of beer again to celebrate Barnum's realization of what's important.
44	** Incidentally, the real Barnum was a self-described alcoholic for a while. After giving up the drink, he joined the Women's Suffrage Movement and became a DryCrusader and started inserting temperance propaganda into his show. In fact, this probably should have happened during the course of the film, but it's hard to say for sure due to the messed-up timeline.
45	* AmbiguouslyBrown: Anne Wheeler -- enough to be discriminated against in the 19th Century. Her brother W.D. is unambiguously African-American, however.[[note]]Her actress, Zendaya, is biracial, so it is likely that Anne shares the same background.[[/note]]
46	* AnalogyBackfire: This gem.
47	-->'''Phillip''': Why can't you just put more shows in New York? Why do you need to tour the country?\
48	'''Phineas''': Why did Napoleon march on Russia?\
49	'''Phillip''': Napoleon was defeated. \
50	'''Phineas''': [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Napoleon didn't have a 60 piece orchestra!]]
51	* AntiHero: On one hand, Phineas is a good guy who wants to take care of his family and is the first to take the various freaks seriously. On the other hand, it becomes clear that [[spoiler:he is using them for fame and fortune and he gets caught up in it all, abandoning them for better things before it comes crashing down around him. He still remains sympathetic and heroic due to realizing what he had done and trying to make it up to everyone.]]
52	* AntiVillain:
53	** Despite her HistoricalVillainUpgrade, Jenny Lind is a very sympathetic figure, and her motivations are understandable.
54	** Bennet, despite being a cold and mean critic does appreciate the diversity of the show and doesn't want it shut down.
55	* AppropriatedAppellation: After a caustic review disparaging his show as a “circus of humbug...” Barnum changes the name of his venue from the P.T. Barnum museum to P.T. Barnum’s Circus and writes “Prince of Humbug” on his hat.
56	* ArcWords: "Risk it all."
57	* ArmorPiercingQuestion:
58	-->'''Barnum:''' A theatre critic who can't find joy in the theatre? ''Now'' who's the fraud?
59	* ArtisticLicenseHistory:
60	** The real James Gordon Bennett Jr. wasn't a critic, but the publisher of the New York Herald.
61	** Jenny Lind was a famous soprano. In the movie she sings more in the alto range. She was also not romantically interested in Barnum--she ended her American tour early because she came to dislike how he advertised, not because of bitterness over a rejection. There was contractual provision for this and they parted fairly amicably, unlike her [[spoiler: surprise-kissing him in front of the press out of spite]] in the movie. And while she ''did'' have a RomanceOnTheSet, it was actually with her pianist, whom she married.
62	** In the movie, events that actually took place over the course of decades instead take place in a short enough time frame that Barnum's preteen daughters don't visibly age. To cite an egregious example of this, the Jenny Lind tour and Barnum's museum burning down were separated by some thirteen years in real life, but the movie has them happening simultaneously.
63	** Barnum and Charity are seen dancing in front of the unmistakable skeleton of the Flatiron Building, despite construction on that building commencing ten years after Barnum died.
64	** The costumes are all over the place, from passably historical to things that look like something available at a modern-day mall.
65	** The real Tom Thumb was Barnum's distant cousin, and Barnum had been his legal guardian since he was 4.
66	** Phillip Carlyle was fictional but roughly takes the place of Barnum's real life partners.
67	* AwardBaitSong:
68	** The SelfEmpowermentAnthem "This Is Me" won a Golden Globe for Best Song and got nominated for Best Song at the Oscars 2018 .
69	** "Rewrite the Stars", a sweeping duet for the resident StarCrossedLovers.
70	** "Never Enough", a soaring IWantSong.
71	* BaitAndSwitch:
72	** A dramatic version: [[spoiler:Barnum thinks Charity is leaving him because she thinks he's having an affair with Jenny. She informs him she has no doubts as to his ''romantic'' faithfulness to her -- she's leaving because he's more obsessed with his career than her.]]
73	** A more conventional example in the final number when [[spoiler:Barnum's top hat is juggled from one performer to another as Phillip is seen waiting in the wings... only for the top hat to go back to Barnum. [[PassingTheTorch Because he has to pass it to Phillip himself]].]]
74	* TheBarnum: Being the TropeNamer, Barnum is at his nature a huckster with a talent for exploiting others for his own gain. Nonetheless, he is never portrayed as trying to deliberately take advantage of the stupidity of humans and more of a showman driven by a desire to rise above his station.
75	-->'''Barnum:''' People come to my show for the pleasure of being hoodwinked.
76	* BarSlide: Bar sliding is incorporated into the choreography of "The Other Side"; the bartender slides drinks, chairs, and bottles periodically to Barnum as he tries to get Phillip to join the circus.
77	* BashBrothers: Carlyle and Anne's brother, W. D. Wheeler, take on a group of racist troublemakers together. Bonus points for [[BestFriendsInLaw Carlyle being in love with Anne.]]
78	* BastardAngst: Jenny alludes to this in her conversation with Barnum -- she was born out of wedlock and had to fight her way into high society. It's why she doesn't feel at ease with the upper class.
79	* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Zigzagged overall.
80	** The majority of the circus troupe invert this; they are considered hideous by society (with the Bearded Lady saying even their own mothers were ashamed of them), but they are some of the most decent people in the movie.
81	** Jenny Lind is a beautiful singer who donates much of her earnings to orphans and widows. [[spoiler:Actually a subversion, as she ruins Barnum after he rejects her.]]
82	** Anne, W. D. Wheeler, Charity, and Phillip are characters played straight, being beautiful people with good souls.
83	** Barnum is a played-with example. He's played by the handsome Hugh Jackman, but runs the gamut of morality throughout the film.
84	* BecomingTheMask:
85	** It becomes clear as the film goes on that Barnum was telling the "freaks" what they wanted to hear about inclusion and only at best half-believing it himself, as he treats them more and more as assets than people. However, they remain loyal since regardless of Barnum's actual intentions, they did find a sense of self-worth -- and that loyalty during the DarkestHour makes Barnum ''really'' appreciate them and ''truly'' become the friend he claimed he was.
86	** Similar can be said of Phillip Carlyle, an apathetic playwright well on his way to alcoholism and an early grave who only joined Barnum for a better cut of the profits than he was enjoying at the time. After he meets Anne Wheeler, though (and a quick bit of musical soul-searching), he discovers that he enjoys his life more in the circus than he ever did in "high society."
87	* BettyAndVeronica: Charity Barnum and Jenny Lind are this for P. T., though P. T. himself only has eyes for Charity. Jenny is more than a little put out by this unspoken revelation.
88	* BigBrotherInstinct: W.D. has to be held back by ''three'' people when [[spoiler: he thinks Anne is in the burning circus building.]]
89	* BigDamnHero: [[spoiler:Phillip "tries" to be one to rescue Anne, who everyone thinks is still inside the burning museum. When we see that she had gotten out through the back exit safe and sound but Phillip isn't back, Barnum runs into the museum to save ''Phillip''.]]
90	* BigDamnKiss:
91	** Anne gives one to Phillip [[spoiler:after he wakes up from his injuries due to burns and smoke inhalation he suffered during his [[IdiotBall botched]] [[DistressedDude rescue attempt]] in the burning museum]].
92	** [[spoiler:Jenny]] stages one in front of photographers with Phineas [[spoiler:after he rejected her in her hotel room]]. Talk about DisproportionateRetribution.
93	** Charity and Phineas share a lower-key one after the latter's HeelRealization.
94	* BigShutUp: Lettie gives one to Barnum before her PatrickStewartSpeech about FamilyOfChoice[[spoiler: after Barnum has lost the museum to fire and Charity to his obsession with fame]].
95	-->'''Lettie:''' Shut up, Barnum! You just don't get it. Our own ''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.\
96	'''W.D.:''' And the circus... that was our ''home''. We want our home back.
97	* BookEnds:
98	** The movie opens and closes with the circus troupe performing different verses from the titular song "The Greatest Show."
99	** Our first shot of adult Barnum (after the opening DreamSequence number) is him walking up to Charity's mansion and talking to Charity's father, who isn't happy to see him. [[spoiler:At the end of the movie, we get a similar shot of Barnum approaching the house and meeting Charity's father who still isn't happy to see him, only this time Barnum and Charity's children come down the stairs instead of Charity who isn't there.]]
100	* BoyfriendBlockingDad: Charity's father slaps Phineas hard for speaking to her as a pre-teen. There's probably classism involved as well.
101	* BreakUpSong: The first "Rewrite the Stars" montage is about Carlyle and Anne expressing their frustration on having to deal with society maligning their relationship because of their different race and social status and then begrudgingly parting ways.
102	* BrickJoke: The first person Barnum hired is Mr. O'Malley, a pickpocket (who lifted his pocket watch). Later in the film, Barnum admonishes O'Malley as he's about to lift a patron's pocket watch.
103	* BrotherSisterTeam: The Wheelers are a brother-sister pair of trapeze artists.
104	* CanonForeigner: Most of the cast are made-up for the movie. Barnum, his wife and children, Jenny Lind, Tom Thumb, the bearded lady ([[AdaptationNameChange albeit with her name altered]]), Jumbo the Elephant, and Queen Victoria are the only {{Historical Domain Character}}s in the film.
105	* CatharticExhalation: When Jenny starts singing, Phineas gives a "whew!" exhalation -- he'd only heard of her singing ability, and had no idea if she'd live up to the hype he'd given her. (In fact, his beaming smile mid-song indicates she ''surpassed'' it.)
106	* CausticCritic: James Gordon Bennett Jr., son of the founder of the New York Herald, lambasts Barnum as a classless huckster on his paper and becomes his most public critic. Nonetheless, he eventually comes to respect him and acknowledges that while he's not fond of his circus shows, there are parts of it that he does admire.
107	* TheChanteuse: While her venues are different from the norm for this trope, Jenny Lind fits in all other aspects.
108	* CharacterDevelopment: Phillip Carlyle. Initially introduced as a RichBastard who doubts Barnum due to him being lower class and knows that he’ll be one if he accepts Barnum’s offer. Though from further convincing from Barnum, he accepts the offer. The development kicks in when he meets Anne Wheeler, an African-American trapeze artist, and becomes smitten (though he hides this). When Barnum begins neglecting his talents in favor of touring with Jenny Lind, Phillip tries to spend more time with her and eventually throws away his upper-class status in favor of being part of Barnum’s circus when his parents mock her. By the end of the film, he’s embraced his part of the circus, becomes an OfficialCouple with Anne, and eventually becomes the ringmaster.
109	* ChekhovsGun:
110	** The pamphlet describing the company's ships. Barnum eventually uses it as collateral for his loan!
111	** The house that young Barnum and Charity play in, just a stone's throw from her original home, is the same one they end up owning later in life.
112	* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Charity and Barnum meet as children and waste no time in planning out their lives together.
113	* CompositeCharacter:
114	** 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.
115	** Nancy Fish was Barnum's second wife, and was alive when Barnum first opened the museum. Here, since Charity is [[SparedByTheAdaptation alive in this version]], most of Nancy's role is given to Charity.
116	* ConsummateLiar: Barnum is a ConMan but a goodhearted one.
117	* TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes: Phineas is the son of a tailor but dresses in rags when accompanying his father to visit wealthy clients. In fact while Phineas does have shoes, they are falling apart and have huge holes.
118	* ConjoinedTwins: Chang and Eng Bunker, the ''original'' Siamese twins.
119	* CoverVersion: Music/{{Kesha}} did an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwDTzD75fT4 official cover]] of "This Is Me."
120	* TheCynic: Whenever Tom Thumb speaks, he mostly says something cynical. For instance, when Barnum ditches them for the first time, he isn't the least bit surprised and says that he's just another person who doesn't care about them.
121	* DareToBeBadass: "The Other Side", as Barnum is convincing Carlyle to be a partner.
122	-->So trade that typical for something colorful\
123	And if it's crazy, live a little crazy\
124	You can play it sensible, a king of conventional\
125	Or you can risk it all and see...
126	* DarkReprise:
127	** Throughout "Rewrite The Stars," Anne is vehement that even if she does love Phillip, society won't let them be together. [[spoiler: After he suffers smoke inhalation by running back into the burning museum on the assumption she was still inside, she sings the refrain to his comatose body in a barely audible whisper, affirming her wish to stay with him.]]
128	** InUniverse, Jenny Lind's second performance of "Never Enough," as she cries during it [[spoiler:after Phineas has rejected her advances.]]
129	* DeadpanSnarker: Tom Thumb has his moments.
130	--> The Queen: You're even smaller than I imagined!
131	--> Tom Thumb: Well you're not exactly reaching the top shelf yourself, sweetheart.
132	* DefrostingIceQueen:
133	** Anne Wheeler is this to Phillip Carlyle. When she asks him what his act is, and he says he doesn't have one, she says "everyone's got an act." Later scenes show them much closer, in particular one where Phillip was afflicted by smoke inhalation and in a hospital bed after [[spoiler: he rushed into the burning museum to save her when he thought she was still inside]].
134	** Jenny Lind is this to P.T. Barnum as well. She's rather cynical and frosty when he first meets her at Queen Victoria's function, but softens as she finds they are not so different. [[spoiler:''That'' relationship ends badly.]]
135	* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Barnum lived during the 19th century, when women were still expected to be silent and you were shit out of luck if you weren't a [[WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant WASP]], so to advertise and feature people of different skin colors, nationalities, and backgrounds was anathema to the general public of the time, even though today it's commonplace and even expected. Played with, however -- in real life the "freaks" were actually respected. For example, Charles Stratton was a beloved celebrity, as were Chang and Eng (the Siamese Twins) and Frank Lentini (the Three-Legged Man.) Annie Jones (whom Lettie Lutz is based on) was respected, and considered a feminine, dignified woman, despite her facial hair. In the film, most of the bile and discrimination are aimed at them being "freaks", which is more of a modern perspective.
136	** The use of 'wild' animals (like elephants, bears and lions) in circuses today is frowned upon due to modern circus goers having a better understanding of animal welfare, but it was standard practice (and maybe even expected) in earlier days. Reflecting this changing attitude, the film doesn't use actual animals and instead replaces them with CGI.
137	* DemotedToExtra: Most of the circus performers are barely given any attention in favor of Barnum's story even though many were famous in their own right.
138	** Among those briefly seen include Chang and Eng, the famed Siamese Twins. It requires a FreezeFrameBonus to spot Frank Lentini (the three-legged man) and James O'Connell (the Tattooed Irishman) in the circus scenes. Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy and Edouard Beaupré are only briefly introduced.
139	** Charles Stratton is only given a few brief scenes and is only shown as a warm-up act. In real life, he was a genuine star and critically acclaimed for his talents on stage as well as for his quick wit. In fact, Stratton's abilities were instrumental in helping the general public come to regard Barnum's circus as legitimate performance art rather than a mere sideshow.
140	* {{Determinator}}: Try telling Barnum what he ''can't'' do; he'll go out of his way to prove you wrong. [[spoiler: This becomes his undoing in the third act until the members of the circus help bring about a HeelRealization.]]
141	* TheDividual: To an extent the circus performers. While Lettie, Tom, Anne, and W.D. do get their own individual introductions, they, along with the rest of the circus troupe, are usually never seen apart from each other after their introduction scene and rarely do any of them get a chance to display any personality traits unique from each other. All of their personalities are basically just "shy, unconfident minorities/disabled people who learn to have self confidence" and they don't have much of a personality outside of that. The only possible exception is Anne, who does get a romantic subplot with Carlyle and therefore gets to be in multiple scenes away from the rest of the troupe, but even then her character is still hardly fleshed out beyond oppressed minority.
142	* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: Not only does Mr Hallet miss the point of Charity leaving with Barnum ''when he still had nothing'', but sadly so does Barnum.
143	* DreamingOfThingsToCome: Young Barnum [[ImagineSpot daydreams about a show]] complete with acrobats, circus animals and freaks, which eventually comes true.
144	* DrowningMySorrows: Phillip's introduction. Bennett and Barnum share a flask [[spoiler:after Barnum's circus is burned down.]] Barnum also drinks conspicuously alone [[spoiler:after Charity has left him, citing his being MarriedToTheJob, and the museum fire]].
145	* EasilyForgiven: Despite being the most heroic version of the ManipulativeBastard throughout much of the movie, this is what the circus troupe does for [[spoiler: Barnum]] near the end of the film. [[spoiler: Given the lack of more convenient modes of travel, Barnum's trip to his in-laws to beg for Charity's forgiveness can be justified here. His kids, naturally, also play this straight.]]
146	* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
147	** It comes a little bit into the movie, but we see a large part of Barnum's character in the scene with his daughters. He spins a great tale of lost technology created by a famous person to set up the shadow lamp he brought her to entertain her. It's all fake, but it makes for a great story and she and her sister are clearly riveted by it, even though they know he's lying, [[IKnowYouKnowIKnow and he knows they know he's lying.]]
148	** Charity's father slaps a preteen lower class Barnum for making his daughter laugh and tells him never to talk to her again in his first scene. Sets up his characterization for the rest of the movie nicely.
149	* EurekaMoment: [[spoiler:When the Museum is burned down, Barnum realizes that he doesn't ''need'' a building -- just a tent.]]
150	* EveryoneHasStandards: Carlyle is clearly disturbed when Barnum says that the freaks should be put in the standing room area of Lind's performance instead of his box because they'd be too visible. It's a big red flag for him (and the audience) that Barnum is just using them for money and doesn't really buy the self empowerment advice he's been giving them. It would have been quite reasonable for Barnum to point out that there isn't room for ''everyone'' in the box and that it wouldn't be fair to play favorites, so the phrasing he actually chose to use is pretty damning.
151	* EverythingHasRhythm: Shot glasses, bottles, chairs, and even a broom all become part of the elaborately choreographed dance routine between Barnum, Philip and the silent bartender during "The Other Side".
152	* FamilyOfChoice: During Barnum's DarkestHour, Lettie (the Bearded Woman) tells him that before he hired them, they had no one, and since then, the "freaks" had become a fire-forged family.
153	* FakeIrish: Invoked. When introduced to an extremely tall Slavic man, Barnum christens him "The Irish Giant".
154	* {{Fanfare}}: All the triumphal group songs, i.e. "Come Alive", "This Is Me", and especially "The Greatest Show" feature and are the more awesome for it.
155	* TheFashionista: Anne. In addition to the pink wig and purple leotard she performs in, her formal dresses and day-to-day clothes are very colorful and intricately-patterned.
156	* FireForgedFriends: Quite literally. Barnum becomes true friends with Carlyle and his performers [[spoiler:after his museum burns down.]]
157	* FirstGirlWins: Charity and Phineas are of the ChildhoodFriendRomance variety. [[spoiler: Jenny Lind thinks because Phineas and herself are not so different that she can be a better lover than Charity. Phineas finds himself falling for her, resulting in a NearKiss. He recovers his senses in time to avoid making an irreversible mistake.]]
158	* FlatCharacter: No one in the circus troupe, besides maybe Anne and [[BigBrotherInstinct her brother]], really has any personality outside of "outcasts from society who learn to accept themselves".
159	* {{Foil}}: The high society in America is far less accepting than that of the United Kingdom. While the elite snub the "freaks" at Jenny's post-performance soiree, British aristocracy, though probably taking their cues from Queen Victoria, embrace them as performers at the ''very'' least.
160	* ForbiddenFruit: [[spoiler: Jenny Lind shamelessly hits on a HappilyMarried Barnum throughout the film. She becomes a WomanScorned when it's made clear he's ''never'' gonna reciprocate her feelings.]]
161	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
162	** Young Phineas looks at his eventual ringmaster costume in a clothes shop, imagining himself wearing it.
163	** A subtle one, but when young Phineas drops a bunch of fabric rolls, they lay themselves out in a perfect arc, the same way they'll be placed at his circus.
164	** When young Phineas was hungry, a mysterious woman gave him an apple. This woman had a deformed face, which fueled Barnum's empathy and fascination for the "unique" people later in life.
165	** At the beginning of the movie, when an adult Barnum comes to take Charity away from her father's house to get married, her father says she will get tired of the life he offers and come back home to her old wealthy lifestyle. [[spoiler:Near the end, she does go back to her father's house, but not because Barnum wasn't rich enough, but rather because he had become too focused on fame and fortune and neglected her and their daughters in the process. She was never unhappy about being poor, and when he comes seeking forgiveness, she readily takes him back.]]
166	** A somewhat subtle one is during the scene where Barnum is trying to hire Tom Thumb for his show. When Tom says that people will just laugh at him, Barnum says "They're laughing anyway, might as well get paid" before changing tactics when Tom shuts the door on him, saying that they'll come to respect him. It shows that Barnum is quick on his feet to tell people what they want to hear to get them on board, but it also shows [[spoiler:that he is doing it mostly for the money and attention, not for the sake of the people he's hiring.]]
167	** The soundtrack itself is full of them, including Barnum's FatalFlaw in "Never Enough" among other things.
168	** During "The Other Side", Barnum scoffs "why not just go ahead and ask for nickels on the dime?" when Carlyle demands 18% of the box office take. [[spoiler:Carlyle does end up getting 50% when he saves the circus after the Museum burns down.]] Carlyle also says if he works with Barnum he'll be disgraced and disowned. [[spoiler:His parents don't disown him for simply working with the circus, though they disapprove. They DO disown him for his relationship with Anne however.]]
169	** Phillip claims he has no act, while Anne replies ''everyone'' has an act. [[spoiler:Phillip's act at the end of the film is ringmaster.]]
170	* TheFreakshow: The performers in Barnum’s show include a bearded woman, a 22 year-old dwarf, a VERY tall man, a dancer with tattoos all over his body, the ''original'' Siamese twins, a three-legged man, a dog-faced boy, a 500+ pound man, a strongman, and two African-American acrobats, among others.
171	* FreezeFrameBonus: During the number "The Other Side" both the bartender and Barnum can be seen giving Carlyle more alcohol in his shots, presumably to make him more amicable to dealing with Barnum.
172	* FreudianExcuse: Phineas's obsession with fame and fortune. He grew up in utter poverty, his father died when he was still a child, and he was homeless for a stretch of time, forced to steal food to survive. As an adult, he says that he just wants to make sure his children never go through what he did, but it becomes clear that it is all just him trying to distance himself as far as possible from his destitute beginnings.
173	* GainingConfidenceSong: "This is Me" starts out slowly as Lettie and the other performers walk through a party of people who think they're embarrassing at best, as she tries to claim she's not bothered by it. Then the others join in, and the song starts to pick up speed and power as the performers are all singing about being proud of who they are, with it sounding far more honest than in the early verses.
174	* GildedCage: Carlyle sees his life this way. Barnum agrees, and tries to convince him to break free.
175	* GirlsWithMoustaches: Keala Settle plays Lettie Lutz, the Bearded Woman, and despite the full beard, she still manages to be a BigBeautifulWoman (with a fantastic singing voice).
176	* HateSink:
177	** The men who start a brawl in the circus and end up [[spoiler: burning it down.]] These men are quite clearly not meant to be liked.
178	** Jenny Lind by way of her HistoricalVillainUpgrade and causing Phineas to neglect his circus.
179	* HeelFaceTurn: Bennet, the CausticCritic who maligned Barnum's circus, later admits his respect for Phineas after the museum burns down, and when the circus is relaunched, we see him in the audience enjoying the show.
180	* HeelRealization:
181	** [[spoiler: After losing his museum in a fire, and his wife to his obsession with fame,]] Barnum has one when his circus performers tell him that despite his idiotic risks and not being able to see the forest for the trees, he taught them in his roundabout way to be proud of who they were and helped make them a family, singing "From Now On."
182	** Carlyle has a nonverbal one during the number "Never Enough" [[spoiler: after dropping Anne's hand when his parents see the action during Ms. Lind's first performance.]] After Anne gives him a good DeathGlare while singing "This Is Me" with the rest of the troupe, he resolves to be better.
183	* HaveYouComeToGloat: Barnum says this in a sort-of veiled threat to Mr. Bennett [[spoiler: after the museum has burnt down]].
184	--> '''Barnum:''' If you've come to gloat, I wouldn't.
185	* HeldGaze: A long one happens between Anne and Philip Carlyle when they first meet and again with Barnum and Jenny Lind but Barnum realises what he's getting into and turns his gaze away.
186	* TheHero: The clean-cut, aristocratic Phillip Carlyle is the proper hero of the story, truly looking out for and caring for the people of the circus he works with and [[spoiler:walking away from his upper class wealth and status to be with Anne]]. Meanwhile, Jackman's Barnum is more of a JerkWithAHeartOfGold obsessed with chasing fame and fortune, much like the real-life Barnum. In the end [[spoiler:Barnum passes the role of ring leader to Carlyle]].
187	* HeroicFireRescue: [[spoiler:Unaware that she is safe, Philip attempts to rescue Anne and ends up being rescued by Barnum.]]
188	* HiddenDepths: Bennett. Despite hating lowbrow entertainment, which he sees Barnum's circus as, [[spoiler:he admires that it portrays people of all walks of life as equals, a celebration of humanity as he puts it.]]
189	* HistoricalBeautyUpgrade:
190	** While not ugly by any sense of the word, Barnum has nothing close to Jackman's chiseled features. Barnum was also partially bald, while Jackman's full coif is untouched.[[note]]While Barnum was in his 60's, Jackman was 49 in RealLife at time of filming, so it's not his fault he's [[OlderThanTheyLook older than he looks]]![[/note]]
191	** Combined with AgeLift, Queen Victoria is young and pretty in the film. She was ''not'' at that period in her life.
192	* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Jenny Lind was far from the WomanScorned [[spoiler: who kissed Barnum to stir up controversy and then quit altogether]] shown in here; [[ArtisticLicenseHistory She actually parted on amicable terms with Mr. Barnum]] after finding his intense advertising of her performances distasteful. She even continued to perform in America for a significant time after said break-up.
193	* HollywoodCostuming: This movie is set in the mid-19th century, and there are no hoop skirts in sight, while many of the men wear dress shirts with collars out of the Edwardian Era or even later. The filmmakers readily admit that they were going for a modern take on Victorian fashion, so the costumes are all over the place in terms of period.
194	* IAmSong: The appropriately-titled "This Is Me", about underdogs being unashamed of themselves.
195	-->''I'm not scared to be seen''\
196	''I make no apologies, this is me!''
197	* IWantSong: "A Million Dreams". Young Phineas sings about his desire to make the world as magical as it is in his dreams. It also becomes Charity's IWantSong.
198	-->''However big, however small''\
199	''Let me be part of it all''
200	** When Phineas's daughters sing the reprise for "A Million Dreams", singing of their own desire to see the world as magical, Phineas is reminded of his dreams and thus inspired to create his museum.
201	** "Never Enough" is a subversion, more of a "I Want What I Can't Have" song [[spoiler:which conveniently foreshadows her eventual fate.]]
202	* IgnoredAesop: Barnum tells all his circus actors and his partner Phillip Carlyle that they shouldn't be afraid to be themselves and not conform to society's expectations of them, but he refuses to take his own advice for most of the movie.
203	* InformedAttribute: When she's introduced Lettie is stated to be ashamed of her beard... but apparently not enough to have bothered to try to ''shave'' it anytime recently, since she's sporting a beard most ''men'' couldn't achieve in a month.
204	* InspirationallyDisadvantaged: Most of the circus troupe members have no real role in the movie other than to be inspired by Barnum to be themselves.
205	* InsultBackfire: When Bennett prints a review of Barnum's show, calling it a "Circus of Humbug", Barnum decides to rename his show the P. T. Barnum Circus, offers half-price tickets for anyone who shows a copy of the review and wears a gilt-paper crown over his top hat reading "Prince of Humbug".
206	* InterclassRomance: Two cases with penniless Barnum and upper-class Charity in the ChildhoodFriendRomance variation, and later trapeze artist Anne and aristocrat Phillip Carlyle. In both cases the wealthier half of the couple has to walk away from their family to be with the person "below" them.
207	* InvisibleBackupBand: Again, being a musical, this is part and parcel of the experience. Averted at the circus (where a five man band can be seen playing) and at Lind's concerts, which feature full orchestras.
208	* IronicEcho:
209	** What the troupe realizes when they hear Barnum use the same line on Jenny that he used to rope them in.
210	---> '''Barnum:''' America doesn't know it yet, but they are gonna love you.
211	** At the very end of the movie, after Barnum steps back from the spotlight to devote more time to his family, he and Charity attend their daughter's ballet recital. He whispers to himself the lines from the opening song "The Greatest Show", only this time he's describing his family;
212	--->"It's everything you ever want,\
213	It's everything you ever need,\
214	And it's there right in front of you...
215	* ItsAllAboutMe: Barnum's FatalFlaw. Part of his CharacterDevelopment is letting others have the spotlight.
216	* ItsTheJourneyThatCounts: The "freaks" believe this. Even with [[spoiler:the Museum burned down and them potentially being jobless]], they're still no longer the {{Shrinking Violet}}s they once were, and no longer ashamed of their disabilities. Even if Barnum wasn't totally sincere, he was sincere enough that they believed in him -- and in turn, themselves.
217	* ItWillNeverCatchOn:
218	** When he worked in the trading company, Barnum tries to pitch the idea of using [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Lilienthal Otto Lilienthal]]'s invention, the glider, for ''air transport'', revolutionizing the trading industry - but his boss clearly doesn't give a care. Maybe if they waited a little longer for the Wright brothers to use Lilienthal's ideas and then invent powered flight...
219	** Rather drolly referenced in the closing moments of the film, when P.T. sagely muses that real estate in Manhattan is a terrible investment. Justified considering what [[Film/GangsOfNewYork the Five Points]] were like.
220	* JerkAss: There are quite a few including the CausticCritic Mr. Bennett, Charity's father, and the hate mob of extras perpetually picketing outside the circus. [[spoiler: Also, Barnum himself is this until the last twenty minutes.]]
221	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Barnum. He may be selfish, obsessed with fame and fortune, and a bit of a ManipulativeBastard, but his plight is very sympathetic and understandable. And ultimately, he is a good man at heart, and a loving husband to Charity and a loving father to his children.
222	* JerkassHasAPoint: Bennett hates Barnum's circus because he thinks Phineas is a SnakeOilSalesman and exploiting the "freaks". [[spoiler:He's right. He actually cares about Phineas exploiting people's deformities for profit, and later admits that they were at least being accepted by audiences: a "celebration of humanity".]]
223	-->'''Barnum:''' ''({{beat}})'' I like that.
224	* JobTitle: Barnum's desire to be [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the best in his field]] is the driving force of the film.
225	* JuxtaposedReflectionPoster: [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thegreatestshowman.jpg One of the posters]] has Barnum stand in an empty area with his arms outstretched. The bottom half reflects this pose in puddles on the ground, but shows him dressed as a ringmaster and surrounded by a lively circus performance, showing that he'll eventually found the well-known circus of his dreams.
226	* KarmaHoudini: A minor example: Barnum committed fraud in passing off his ex-company's ships (at the bottom of the China Sea) as his own, very above-water fleet, using them as collateral for his loan to start the museum / circus. You'd think this deceit would come to light during his DarkestHour, but no -- it never comes up again.
227	* KnifeThrowingAct: A brief but spectacular knife-throwing act is seen during the opening "The Greatest Show" number.
228	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: "The Greatest Show" is addressed to the film audience, essentially telling them to brace themselves for what's to come:
229	-->Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for...
230	* LipLockSunBlock: Phillip and Anne near the end. It's a bright circus light, not actually the sun, but the effect is still there.
231	* LonelyAtTheTop: Jenny Lind. She's considered the greatest singer in the world, but she's very much isolated and alone despite the accolades and parties.
232	* LoveAtFirstSight:
233	** Played straight to the point of parody with Phillip and Anne: when they lock eyes -- in slo-mo no less! -- while she's swinging toward him on the trapeze, you can practically see the cartoon hearts over their heads.
234	** There's an argument to be made for Phineas and Charity in their ChildhoodFriendRomance. Phineas was, from what we see, the only person Charity talks with who's not telling her how to act, how to hold her teacup, how to comport herself, etc. And Charity is the one person in high society who doesn't treat him like something she stepped in.
235	* MagicRealism: The entire film evokes feelings of a FairyTale. For example, in the office, all of the clerks are using their counting machines completely in sync. [[MickeyMousing Barnum and his girls hammer nails for show advertisements in complete sync with the drum beats of the song "Come Alive]]."
236	* MalignedMixedMarriage: Anne and Phillip are both very aware of the discrimination their relationship will entail them, though it's a pre-marriage romance.
237	* ManipulativeBastard: Barnum can talk anyone into doing anything he wants. It's not til after the third act he removes the "bastard" from the trope.
238	* MarriedToTheJob: Barnum is this full-stop. He says he does it out of a desire to give the absolute best life for his kids, but he actually wants his [[WellDoneSonGuy father-in-law]] to see him as worthy of Charity.
239	* {{Medley}}: An officially sponsored [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0qVT_PMhnY medley]], performed by Todrick Hall.
240	* MickeyMousing:
241	** Barnum and his daughters nail posters to the beat of "Come Alive".
242	** During the bar scene, Barnum, Carlyle, and the bar staff move, serve, and drink in time with the beat of "The Other Side".
243	* AMinorKidroduction: Phineas and Charity are introduced as pre-teens.
244	* MoodWhiplash: [[spoiler: We go from a goofy fight inside the circus to the circus burning down.]]
245	* MotorMouth: Downplayed, but Barnum does ''a lot'' of fast-talking.
246	* MySisterIsOffLimits: It's only shown twice, but W.D. is noticeably protective of Anne, being visibly angry when Carlyle shows initial interest in her, and later when Lettie has to calm him down when she tells Carlyle he's going to be late for his date with Anne at the opera. [[spoiler:They become BashBrothers, so he obviously approves of their romance in the end.]]
247	* TheNapoleon: Literally with Charles considering he dresses up like Napoleon. From what little (no pun intended) we see of his personality, though, he is a bit like this, considering his first line is "What are you looking at, flopdoodle?" in a rather threatening tone of his voice. He [[DefrostingIceQueen calms down as the movie goes on though]].
248	* NeverTrustATrailer:
249	** [[spoiler:Barnum]] is set up as the defender of the "Other" in the trailers, that together they will show the world they are just as worthy of respect as anyone, but they are left to keep the shows going with little to no thanks about halfway through the movie [[spoiler: while Barnum and the more socially acceptable Lind go on a countrywide tour.]]
250	** Probably the best example is in the extended second trailer, Tom Thumb says "They'll laugh at us", and Barnum says "They'll laugh at us anyway." In the movie proper, he says "They'll laugh at you anyway."
251	** In the same trailer, Barnum's wife asks him when it'll be enough for him. Barnum says it isn't about him. In the trailer, that line makes it sound like he's talking about standing up for the freaks in his show. In the movie proper, he's talking about his daughters, and [[spoiler:it's clear that he is in denial because it really is about him seeking fame and fortune.]]
252	** In the first trailer, a quick shot of Barnum alone at a pub after the shot of him being fired implies he will drown his sorrows before starting the job hunt again. In the movie proper, that pub shot is in the last twenty minutes of the movie during Barnum's DarkestHour.
253	* NiceToTheWaiter: Several examples:
254	** Charity's father slaps young Phineas in his EstablishingCharacterMoment and barely accepts him even decades later.
255	** The Carlyles' treatment of Anne causes Phillip to have a HeelRealization of sorts and reject them.
256	** Queen Victoria treats the "freaks" with the utmost respect, which visibly shocks several of them.
257	* NoAnimalsWereHarmed: All of the circus animals are completely CGI, which is a bit [[{{Irony}} ironic]] considering the historical abuse of them in RealLife.
258	* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Lettie Lutz to Annie Jones, one of the most famous of Barnum's real-life bearded ladies.
259	* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: [[invoked]]Barnum believes in bad publicity driving sales, and it's the reason he shrugs off the protests.
260	-->'''Barnum''': Nothing draws a crowd like a crowd.
261	** Again later on:
262	-->'''Barnum''': If you've heard of me all the way over here I must be doing something right.
263	-->'''Jenny Lind''': That or something very wrong.
264	-->'''Barnum''': Well, in the world of publicity there's hardly a difference.
265	* NouveauRiche: The circus makes the Barnums wealthy, but New York's aristocracy continues to look down on them because of how they made their money.
266	* OlderThanTheyLook: Being a dwarf and having a baby face, Charles looks like he could pass for a child despite being in his early 20's (not helped that the character WAS a child [[VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory in real life]]). The movie even implies that Barnum mistook Charles for a child when they first met by showing him holding his Mother's hand.
267	* TheOner: CGI or not, the final number where Barnum's top hat is passed to every one of his performers and then back to Barnum looks impressive.
268	* PassingTheTorch: [[spoiler:Barnum gives Carlyle the job of ringmaster, so he can spend more time with his family.]]
269	* PenPals: While Charity is at school and Phineas is away working on the railroads, they keep their ChildhoodFriendRomance alive by writing letters to each other.
270	* PlayingATree: In the closing scene, Barnum's youngest daughter Helen appears playing a tree during her elder sister Caroline's ballet recital. She even waves to her parents in the audience.
271	* PoliticallyCorrectHistory: Zig-Zagged. The film leaves out many controversial aspects of the real P.T. Barnum's life, such as his support of minstrel shows and the fact that he began his career as a showman by exploiting a partially paralyzed, blind, elderly slave woman by trying to pass her off as George Washington's former nurse. (To be fair, the film doesn't cover his abolitionism or supporting universal suffrage either.) The movie also downplays nineteenth century racism, with Philip and Anne receiving far less backlash for their interracial relationship than they realistically should have. Conversely, the film actually exaggerates the general population's hostility toward "freaks." For example, some accounts say that people of the time viewed Annie Jones, the real-life bearded lady, merely as a curiosity rather than an appellation, and even said that it didn't compromise her femininity. Charles Stratton was world-famous and well-respected as General Tom Thumb, and his marriage to another little person was front page news.
272	* PrecisionFStrike: Of the late 19th Century sort.
273	-->'''Charles:''' ''(to P.T.)'' What are ''you'' looking at, ''flopdoodle''?[[note]]Flopdoodle meant "moron".[[/note]]
274	* RaceForYourLove: Though there isn't any time limit involved, the scene of [[spoiler:Barnum running through town to catch a train to apologize to Charity at the end of the movie]] has this vibe, also being set against the penultimate number.
275	* RaceLift: Annie Jones was white, while her {{Expy}} Lettie Lutz is Polynesian. The other bearded women employed over time by Barnum were also white.
276	* RagsToRiches:
277	** What P.T. Barnum's story is, growing from a jobless father to a famous showman.
278	** Jenny Lind suffered being born out of wedlock and had to fight her way into high society as well.
279	* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Barnum's "freaks" are the most literal example of the trope.
280	* RedOniBlueOni: Jackman's Barnum is idealistic and full of energy; Efron's character is more grounded and down to earth. Late in the film, when Barnum becomes reluctant to take a risk, Anne snarkily asks why is he acting responsible ''now''?
281	* ReformedCriminal: O'Malley, caught trying to steal from Barnum, ends up working for him as the closest thing to a NumberTwo before Carlyle.
282	* RefugeInAudacity: Barnum's main hat. He doesn't believe in bad publicity, just publicity.
283	* RelatedInTheAdaptation: Inverted. Barnum and Charles Stratton, who were distant relatives in real life, didn't know each other until the movie.
284	* {{Retraux}}: The film opens with the original 20th Century Fox bumper and old-style title cards, evoking the feel of classic musicals.
285	* RichBoredom: Rich aristocratic playwright Carlyle clearly feels trapped in his station and joins the circus so he can express himself artistically.
286	* RichJerk: Charity's classist father.
287	* SatelliteCharacter: The circus performers are this to P.T., Phillip, and Annie, mostly serving to be in the background prepping for the circus, talking to either of the three about how oppressed they are by other people, or joining P.T. in upbeat musical numbers. The only times they really get to [[ADayInTheLimelight be the focus]] are during the This is Me scene and when they fight the protestors before the circus burns down.
288	* ScrewDestiny: ''Rewrite the Stars'' is essentially a musical debate over whether or not it's possible to do so.
289	* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Jenny Lind refuses pay; she requires her share be given to her charities. This was true in RealLife.
290	* SecretTestOfCharacter: [[spoiler:After the museum burns down, Phillip and the performers test Barnum's commitment to them, knowing that Phillip can restart the circus with or without Barnum, having stored away a rainy day nest egg. Barnum realizing how special and loyal they are to them, and vowing to rebuild at any cost passes their test, and Phillip reveals the nest egg.]]
291	* SenselessSacrifice: [[spoiler:What Phillip's attempted rescue of Anne nearly became -- he went into a burning building to rescue her, when she'd already escaped. He would have died had Barnum not rescued ''him''.]]
292	* SingingVoiceDissonance: When he's talking, Charles/Tom has a deep [[VocalDissonance New York accent]]. However, in his one lyric in ''This is Me'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjxugyZCfuw he drops the accent and his voice is suddenly higher pitched.]]
293	* SingleTargetSexuality: Barnum only has eyes for his wife, Charity. He immediately falls in love with her as children, and pines for her throughout their separated adolescence before they come of age and marry. He can't even entertain the idea of [[spoiler:being unfaithful to Charity when Jenny makes advances toward him]].
294	* ShipperOnDeck: Lettie can be seen stopping WD with a tap and a "don't even think about it" glare when Phillip heads out on his make-or-break date with Anne.
295	* ShipTease: It's strongly implied that Jenny is as much a match for Barnum as Charity -- [[spoiler:but unfortunately for her, Barnum is already HappilyMarried and with children.]]
296	* ShoutOut:
297	** In an early scene, a young Barnum steals a loaf of bread. The last movie musical Hugh Jackman (adult Barnum) was in, ''Film/LesMiserables2012'', had Jackman's character receive 19 years in prison for doing the same thing. For bonus points, Valjean (played by Jackman) breaks up a fight in ''Theatre/LesMiserables'', stating that "this is a factory, not a circus". If it's not intentional, it's certainly amusing.
298	** The first few notes of "This Is Me" bear at least a passing resemblance to the line "There's a place where we don't have to feel unknown," from the song "You Will Be Found" of ''Theatre/DearEvanHansen''.
299	* TheShowMustGoOn: Barnum says this word for word to Phillip at the end, [[spoiler: when he hands him the reins of the circus.]]
300	* ShrinkingViolet:
301	** Lettie when Phineas first meets her. Understandable, since she owns a full bushy beard. However, being a part of Barnum's circus gives her enough confidence that when Phineas keeps her from Jenny's post-concert soiree, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjxugyZCfuw she bursts into the soiree]] with the rest of the "freaks", singing "This Is Me."
302	** The same can be said for the rest of the circus performers, because they all know what they look like and how the public feels about them, but Lettie is far and away the poster girl for it in this film.
303	* ShutUpHannibal: Phillip gives a brief one of these to his parents when they voice their disapproval of his courting Anne, publicly humiliating her in front of him at the opera.
304	* SmallStartBigFinish: IAmSong "This Is Me". At first Lettie is singing by herself to a piano melody. Then the rest of the "freaks" join in and it becomes an upbeat anthem with bombastic accompaniment. The other characters then carry the melody as Lettie does some power belts.
305	* SnakeOilSalesman: Barnum being Barnum, he's accused of this. His retort that while a lot of what he shows off are fake, the smiles he gets from people ''aren't''.
306	* SocialClimber: Despite his circus doing well, Barnum never quite gets over the discrimination he faced for being poor in his youth and bristles at [[NouveauRiche how they are still seen by the wealthy]]. He approaches Philip and Jenny to improve his reputation and neglects his troupe once he thinks he's got the upper class's approval. He even acknowledges this in "From Now On".
307	--> ''I drank champagne with kings and queens''\
308	''The politicians praised my name''\
309	''But those are someone else's dreams''\
310	''The pitfalls of the man I became''
311	* SparedByTheAdaptation: Charity Barnum died long before Barnum started trying to create his famed circus, but here, she is alive and well.
312	* SpontaneousChoreography: It's a musical, so of course this trope abounds.
313	* StarCrossedLovers: Anne and Phillip. As spelled out to the audience in their song, "Rewrite the Stars", as an interracial couple from different social classes, they are kept apart by social norms.
314	* StatuesqueStunner: Anne is played by the 5'10" Zendaya and stands taller than the 5'8" Zac Efron.
315	* SuperiorSuccessor: [[spoiler: Carlyle is much more of AFatherToHisMen than P.T. ever was. He got the performers in to see Queen Victoria, he stuck with them while P.T. was mooching off with high society and [[AcquiredSituationalNarcissism shunning them]], he ''gave up his place'' with said society for the performers and then ''his own family'' when he fell in love with Anne, he got into a physical fight with rioters in order to defend their honor, rushed into a burning building and [[IdiotBall nearly died]] in a desperate attempt to save Anne, and kept the nest egg that saves the crew by the end. P.T. [[PassingTheTorch passing off his cane]] to him at the film's end is ''very much'' deserved. However, he learned RefugeInAudacity from Barnum, something essential for the circus.]]
316	* SuspiciouslyAproposMusic: Jenny Lind's in-universe performance of "Never Enough" in the context of the film hits on multiple threads. For one, Barnum bonds with the song, because it explains his motivations perfectly as an IWantSong. For Phillip and Anne, it expresses Anne's frustration at Phillip's half-measure romance, holding her hand (after Jenny sings about holding hands) and not keeping in there (after Jenny sings it's never enough), and for Jenny herself, who despite her fame is really lonely.
317	* TakeThatCritics:
318	** InUniverse. After Bennett disparages his museum, calling it a "circus of humbug", Barnum changes the name to P.T. Barnum's circus and wears a hat bearing "Prince of Humbug" during the show.
319	** Barnum's dialogue with Bennett preemptively does this for issues raised by critics.
320	--->'''Barnum:''' A theatre critic who can't find joy in the theatre. Now who's the fraud?
321	* TensionCuttingLaughter: When Barnum and his circus meet Queen Victoria, the queen marvels that Tom Thumb appears even shorter in person. Tom Thumb answers, "Well, you're not exactly reaching the top shelf yourself, sweetheart." After a few seconds strained silence, Queen Victoria laughs delightedly, much to everyone else's relief.
322	* ThisIsGonnaSuck: A very quick one. After Phillip runs into the burning circus to try and save Anne, and Anne is revealed to be out safely already, Phineas shares a quick look with Charity and she can tell he's going to run inside to save him.
323	* TimeSkip: Occurs throughout the movie. Barnum and Charity are shown as pre-teens and then skip to HappilyMarried grown-ups. Minor ones continuously crop up after this. Barnum even mentions how big his daughters got while he was away on business.
324	* TimeShiftedActor: Ellis Rubin as young Barnum and Skylar Dunn as young Charity.
325	* TokenMinority:
326	** On the one hand, the Wheelers are the only performers with a legit skill to their name, but relegated to be among the "freaks" just because they're black.
327	** Keen-eyed viewers will notice some Asians among the circus folk as well - the Siamese twins of course, and some Chinese acrobats.
328	* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Anne is the girly girl to Lettie's tomboy.
329	* TradeYourPassionForGlory: This is more-or-less the plot of the second half of the film. After noticing that his daughter is being bullied by her peers in ballet class, he becomes obsessed with being taken seriously by high society, when before he was openly mocking them. [[spoiler: He ends up driving away almost everyone close to him until the last second.]]
330	--->'''Barnum:''' ''For years and years''
331	---> ''I chased their cheers''
332	---> ''The crazy speed of always needing more''
333	---> ''But when I stop''
334	---> ''And see you here''
335	---> ''I remember who all this was for''
336	---> ''And from now on''
337	---> ''These eyes will not be blinded by the lights''
338	* UngratefulBastard: Charity’s father shows nothing but utter contempt for Phineas, caring more about class than character.
339	* UnreliableNarrator: Considering the movie itself is supposed to be the sort of story Barnum would tell about himself, it is questionable that the whole movie are actually events Barnum altered himself to fit his favor.
340	* UptownGirl:
341	** The Barnums. Charity is the daughter of a wealthy man, while Phineas came from nothing. Charity's father openly loathes Phineas and insists that she'll tire of poverty and leave him. Charity proceeds to live and raise two children in a tenement without a word of complaint, and their marriage only hits trouble when Phineas becomes obsessed with gaining wealth and social status.
342	** Anne and Phillip, with a dose of [[MalignedMixedMarriage 19th-century racism]]. He's a moneyed aristocrat, she's a circus performer. Their sheer difference in social class is the reason Anne rejects him at first.
343	* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: Except for a very basic outline of events and inclusion of some of Barnum's more popular acts, almost none of the story is strictly historically accurate.
344	** Combined with AgeLift, the movie appears to be concerned with showing Barnum creating his and Bailey's famed circus, but Barnum himself didn't get into the circus business proper until he was sixty years old. In addition, he was not an orphan after his father's death, and his wife Charity didn't live to see the circus formed.
345	** Barnum's partnership with the [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal shy Swedish soprano]] Jenny Lind has at least some prominence, even though said partnership was much earlier in his life while he was making a name for himself as a proprietor of "oddities" and hoaxes. Lind was only Barnum's partner for a few years before deciding she could promote herself on her own dime and returning to her native Sweden, and long before the circus was established. Additionally, they didn't have an affair.
346	** James Bailey himself has been replaced by the fictional character Phillip Carlyle. Anne and her brother did not exist, and any performer backgrounds have been changed.
347	* VocalDissonance: The tiny Charles has a ''very'' deep voice.
348	** The songs could be this for some, as the modern sounding songs, especially when autotune is used, can look out of place with the 1800's setting.
349	* WasItAllALie: The "freaks" wonder this of Barnum, and later tell him that even if it was, it didn't matter, because they still found their own dignity working for him anyway.
350	* WeirdMoon: The moon during "A Million Dreams" fills the ''entire horizon''.
351	* WellDoneSonGuy: Of the father-in-law variety. While Charity's mother begins to warm to her granddaughters for the first time, Phineas picks the ''worst'' time to remind his father-in-law of his predictions of failure, driving a wedge between the three generations unnecessarily.
352	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: O'Malley disappears from the plot [[spoiler:just before the big building fire.]]
353	* WhatTheHellHero:
354	** Barnum's "freaks" become upset when he starts forsaking them to please high society.
355	** Charity also asks Barnum when enough will be enough [[spoiler: while he packs for a countrywide tour with Jenny Lind.]]
356	** Anne's none too pleased the first few times Phillip bows to societal pressure over openly acknowledging his feelings for her.
357	* WhenYouComingHomeDad: Downplayed, since while Phineas misses his daughter's ballet recital, his daughters never feel abandoned. (His wife, however...)
358	* WhipPan: All over the place in "The Other Side".
359	* WomanScorned: [[spoiler: How does Jenny Lind deal with someone rejecting her? By ruining that person's reputation.]]
360	* WrestlerInAllOfUs: "Dog Boy" performs a tilt-a-Whirl Headscissors on one of the protesters during their invasion of Barnum's circus.
361	* ZebrasAreJustStripedHorses: Barnum and his family are shown riding in a coach driven by a pair of zebras when he takes them to their new mansion. If you look closely you realize that these literally are painted horses - Barnum fakes these just like so much else in the pursuit of showmanship.
362	----
363	->''♫ We light it up, we won't come down\
364	And the sun can't stop us now\
365	Watching it come true, it's taking over you\
366	This is the greatest show! ♫''

Context Film / TheGreatestShowman