or The Count of Monte Cristo + Romeo + Juliet + Marie Antoinette
Cast: Anne Hathaway is heartbreaking. Hugh Jackman is stately. Russell Crowe is imposing. Amanda Seyfried is chirpy. Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter are sleazy. Eddie Redmayne and Samantha Barks are new to me but fit the bill with their singing. In short, everyone is good doing what they are asked to. Hathaway has the biggest showcase of anyone and nailed it and I'm excited to see Barks more often.
Plot: I don't think they tried as hard to make this fit as a movie versus a play. The movie is under 3 hours and feels like it. The acts are all pretty distinct and the ending has a bit of a feeling of "finally". There's a lot of characters being served and they get a fair amount of focus. This is a big movie and it is true to the epic story.
Elephant in the Room: What about this "live singing" stuff? It takes some getting used to because it is really a departure from how musicals normally are done. The shortcomings of it are that people like Russell Crowe sound pretty bad at times since he's not the most gifted signer and the songs, at times, are a little clunky. The upside is that when it works, it does so better than a normal musical. I can't imagine "I Dreamed a Dream" packing more of a punch done any other way. Maybe that's just me.
To Sum Things Up:
The overall production is pretty impressive. The actors clearly poured their hearts into this and it shows. Even though my tone so far is slanted toward what didn't work, it really is pretty good. By the end, I was thoroughly exhausted in the good way. It may not be the best movie of the but when it's contemporaries this year includes Rock of Ages, it's hard to look bad.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
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