Jackman and Zendaya entertain in musical Barnum biopic.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a little
A rich man slaps a tradesman's son for making his daughter laugh. A young man steals bread and is later smacked for doing so. Angry protesters threaten the circus performers and later set the circus on fire. The fire leads to a supporting character being severely injured, but he survives.
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Longing looks and a few passionate kisses between a married couple and another couple in love. A married man spends a lot of time with an unmarried woman; she kisses him in public, even though he doesn't reciprocate. A couple holds hands and eventually kisses and declares their love, even though they know their interracial relationship is considered taboo by others.
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Insults/threatening language: "freaks," "abominations," "stay away from my daughter," etc. A white couple tells their son not to go around "with the help" when they see he's taken a black woman on a date. The racial slur "spooks" is used once, as is the word "damn." A couple exclamations of "God!"
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Adults drink champagne at receptions and privately to toast good news; two men drink shot after shot in a pub; a man takes a swig of liquor from a personal flask. The circus performers drink beer and ask to be allowed into a reception to have champagne.
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Encourages tolerance and acceptance of race, class, physical disabilities, and differences. Diversity and uniqueness are championed within the world of the circus, even as others consider it a "freak" show. Barnum is a purveyor and defender of mass/broad entertainment, which he believes has value, even though cultural critics prefer highbrow/fine arts.
Positive Role Models
some
The circus performers bond together and help one another feel accepted and at home in their community. Barnum is a showman who needs more and more fans, particularly rich ones, to feel validated, despite having an adoring and loyal wife, children, and close friends. Barnum's wife, Charity, is steadfast, loyal, and kind. Phillip and Anne fall in love across the racial divide of the era.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Greatest Showman is a biographical musical from the songwriters of La La Land that stars Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum, who starts out as a penniless orphan but becomes the world-renowned creator of the circus. There's a bit of language ("damn," the racial slur "spooks," "oh God!," etc.) and violence (protesters burn down the circus, a man slaps a young boy), as well as some drama surrounding the movie's interracial romance, which was taboo at the time. But overall the plot and songs are easy enough for tweens to follow -- and with Zendaya and Zac Efron co-starring, the movie is likely to appeal to them. Although it's based on factual events, the movie only covers a short period in Barnum's life and glosses over certain aspects of his career. It's not garnering the same kind of acclaim as La La Land, but The Greatest Showman's charming leads and circus scenes should make it a fun pick for families who enjoy history, musical theater, and, of course, the circus. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
More scantily clad than I would prefer for my kids. Not terrible, but not exactly great. But the most disturbing thing that no one is mentioning is the emotional affair Barnum has with Jenny Lind. Sure he eventually says no to her, and there's no physical aspect to the affair... But all the longing looks he gives her, and how he tours with her to follow her around and be with her, and it all leads right up to the moment of giving in to the physical act of cheating on his WIFE. Is this what we want to tell children is ok? It's ok as long as you don't kiss etc? Really not impressed with how much of the plot this took either. It was just totally unnecessary to the rest of the movie. And, as I found out, entirely untrue (as I know most of the story is, but still... Why add it??) Terrible boundaries.
Also, VERY heavy on the drinking. No one else really mentions this either but they always have a drink in their hands. Always. And one song was literally them taking shots the whole time, also while singing "damn" multiple times, as an explative, not hidden and undiscernable. Just not what I was expecting for a kids movie.
Good movie, but please add beheading by guillotine to the voilence part. No blood and it's a trick, but it should be added as an trigger for some people. Also there's lots of body shaming. (fatphobia for example) Of course that's what the movie is about. Saying people are freaks because they aren't the norm might not be the perfect thing to tell kids.
Good movie, but please add beheading by guillotine to the voilence part. No blood and it's a trick, but it should be added as an trigger for some people.
Also there's lots of body shaming. (fatphobia for example) Of course that's what the movie is about. Saying people are freaks because they aren't the norm might not be the perfect thing to tell kids.
What's the Story?
THE GREATEST SHOWMAN is a biographical musical about young Phineas T. Barnum's life as a child, entrepreneur, museum owner, circus producer, and entertainment producer. As a young boy, Phineas "Finn" (Ellis Rubin), the son of a tailor, meets Charity (Skylar Dunn), the daughter of one of his father's wealthy clients. He makes her laugh and earns a slap from her father for it, but the spark between them lasts throughout their adolescence, even while she's away at boarding school and he's an orphan in the streets. Years later, Finn and Charity (now played by Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams) marry and have two girls. He manages to secure a loan to open up a museum of oddities, and when that starts to fail, he's inspired by a brief encounter with a little person to invite unusual-looking folks -- including bearded lady Letty Lutz (Keala Settle), Tom Thumb (Sean Humphrey), and black brother-and-sister trapeze artists W.D. Wheeler (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and Anne Wheeler (Zendaya) -- to join a show focused around them. With a little embellishment from costumes and makeup, he opens what will become the first circus. Although Barnum's show is critically panned, the masses love it. He earns a fortune, but Barnum can't stop looking for approval from the upper crust.
Exuberant performances propel this musical biopic, which isn't perfect but does occasionally delight thanks to its stellar cast, led by the inimitable Jackman. There's inherent value in watching the talented Jackman sing and dance, and he's an ideal fit for playing the titular "greatest showman" on earth. The Greatest Showman doesn't delve into some of the uglier aspects of Barnum's life (like all the hoaxes he was accused of committing), but it does manage to entertain audiences with catchy original songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the award-winning lyricists for La La Land and the Tony-winning Broadway sensation Dear Evan Hansen.
The soundtrack is in many ways more remarkable than the movie itself, with showstopping anthems like Jackman's "The Greatest Show" and "A Million Dreams" and the romantic "Rewrite the Stars" -- a lovely duet by Efron and Zendaya. The songs will stay in your head long after the credits roll, but the plot is unevenly paced. It rushes through the buildup of the Barnums' love story and sugarcoats seedy 19th-century New York to the point that it's not really recognizable as Manhattan. It's best to appreciate the film as a flashy, colorful Broadway show, where the "book" is less important than the musical numbers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about telling a fact-based biographical story as a musical. What makes this approach appealing? Who do you think the target audience is?
What do you think of the Barnum quote used in The Greatest Showman: "The noblest art is that of making others happy"? Do you think Barnum accomplished that?
How do you think Barnum treated his performers? Was it fair? Is he a role model? Why has the circus become a controversial form of entertainment in more recent decades?
How accurate do you think the movie is? Why might filmmakers change the facts in movies that are based on real events? How could you find out more about Barnum's life?
Why is Anne and Phillip's relationship controversial? How have things changed since the time the movie takes place?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Sandie Angulo Chen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
