The Greatest Showman

"First things first: this musical should not be looked to as any kind of remotely realistic biopic of legendary circus impresario P.T. Barnum, portrayed in the film by Hugh Jackman, for whom this was apparently a passion project."

"By the end, I found myself exhausted by the idea of wonder, not to mention the film's notion that critics - those evil, fun-hating critics - are immune to it."

""The Greatest Showman" wants to give you a splashy good time, and does, and it's got something that takes you by surprise: a genuine romantic spirit."

"An old-fashioned musical with a none-more-zeitgeisty songsheet, it may not be a flawless piece of storytelling, but it's a pretty decent show."

"An amusement park version of P.T. Barnum is fine, as far as that goes, but if you are going to aim for family-friendly fun, you need to get the fun part right."

"Amazingly, a virtuoso Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum, spare-no-expense production values and a score by Oscar (La La Land) and Tony (Dear Evan Hansen) winners Ben Pasek and Justin Paul add up to a shrill blast of nothing."

""The Greatest Showman," for all its celebratory razzle-dazzle, in the end feels curiously lacking in conviction."

"The sawdust and sequins are laid on thick, the period flashbulbs pop and the champagne flows in The Greatest Showman, yet this ersatz portrait of American big-top tent impresario P.T. Barnum is all smoke and mirrors, no substance."