The Greatest Showman

     The Greatest Showman is a musical featuring Oscar- and Tony- winning duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen); it’s inspired by the ambition and imagination of P.T. Barnum, who started from nothing but created something spectacular.

Each musical number is filled with amazing vocals and choreography. The soundtrack was released a week before the movie premiered, which allowed me to memorize every song before watching it. Others appreciated it, too: The soundtrack is now No. 1 on the Billboard album chart and the original song “This is Me” just won a Golden Globe on Sunday.
The soundtrack can stand alone, but it also supports an important message. In the 19th century, people who were considered “different” were not accepted by society and were always on the outside looking in. The point of Barnum’s show was to create a home for those people and to spread joy in the process.

As a result, there wasn’t one moment during the movie when I didn’t have chills from the performances or tears of both joy and heartache. This movie emphasizes that it’s OK to be different and to love yourself the way you are. I’ve definitely felt like I didn’t belong somewhere and that I was alone in the world, and that’s why this movie is so special to me.
In the film, Barnum tells his circus performers that “No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.” The Greatest Showman demonstrates that this is true for films as well as for the people watching them.