---
title: "The Greatest Showman"
year: 2017
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-greatest-showman"
fi1m_id: "the-greatest-showman"
imdb_id: "tt1485796"
tmdb_id: 316029
wikidata_id: "Q27942936"
fi1m_score: 54
critics_score: 57
critics_reviews: 27
published: "2026-09-23T14:37:07.419257+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-23T14:37:07.839723+00:00"
region: "BG"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Greatest Showman (2017)

Directed by Michael Gracey · 1h 45m · Drama

## Identity

The Greatest Showman

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-greatest-showman
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-greatest-showman
- **IMDb ID:** tt1485796
- **TMDB ID:** 316029
- **Wikidata ID:** Q27942936
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1485796/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/316029, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q27942936

**Fi1m score: 54** · Critics 57 from 27 reviews

*In a sentence:* Nineteenth-century New York, twenty-first-century drum machines, and Hugh Jackman selling both at full volume

> Hugh Jackman gives P. T. Barnum everything he has, and Michael Gracey’s musical sprints from anthem to anthem without stopping to look at the man. Two songs land properly; the rest are cut to pieces before they can.

## Synopsis

New York in the nineteenth century. P. T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman), a tailor’s son, marries Charity (Michelle Williams) against her rich father’s wishes and raises two daughters with her in a tenement. When the shipping company he clerks for goes under, he borrows against its sunken fleet and buys a museum of wax figures nobody visits. His daughters tell him he needs something alive, so he goes looking: Lettie Lutz (Keala Settle), a bearded woman with a voice; Charles Stratton (Sam Humphrey), whom he puts on a horse as General Tom Thumb; the trapeze artists Anne and W. D. Wheeler (Zendaya and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). The critic James Gordon Bennett (Paul Sparks) dismisses it as a circus. Barnum paints the word on the sign and hires the playwright Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron) to bring in a better class of customer.

## Review

Michael Gracey’s first film takes P. T. Barnum, the nineteenth-century showman who made a fortune from hoaxes and human curiosities, and turns him into a poor boy who only wants to give people joy. It is a musical with original songs and no stage show behind it, which is rare. It is also a film that never stands still long enough to find out what it thinks about its subject. Hugh Jackman carries it a long way on charm. Not all the way.

Barnum, a tailor’s son, marries Charity (Michelle Williams) against her father’s wishes, loses his clerking job and buys a museum of wax figures nobody visits. His daughters tell him he needs something alive, so he collects people: Lettie Lutz (Keala Settle), a bearded woman who sings; Charles Stratton (Sam Humphrey), renamed General Tom Thumb; the trapeze artists Anne and W. D. Wheeler (Zendaya and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). The critic James Gordon Bennett (Paul Sparks) calls it a circus. Barnum paints the word on the sign.

The songs, by Pasek and Paul, are stadium pop in period fancy dress: snare hits, handclaps, choruses built to be shouted back. Two of them work. “The Other Side”, in which Barnum recruits the playwright Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron) across a bar, is a proper duet of two men out-talking each other, with shot glasses sliding down the counter on the beat. “This Is Me”, Settle’s number, is the one people remember, rightly. It moved us more than we expected, and Settle did it: she begins half-hidden in a back corridor and ends leading her company out through the front doors with her chin up. Then we counted how often the camera had left her face, and the feeling cooled. The film does not trust her to hold the shot. It should have.

That distrust runs through the whole thing. Six editors are credited, Spencer Susser, Tom Cross, Jon Poll, Joe Hutshing, Robert Duffy and Michael McCusker, and the film cuts on almost every downbeat. “Never Enough”, the ballad for the Swedish soprano Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson), is one woman on a stage under one light, and the film still cuts to Barnum’s face to tell us how to take it. Seamus McGarvey lights everything in amber and violet through smoke, so New York looks like a perfume advert with hansom cabs. Nathan Crowley’s museum is a tall brick box with a rooftop for the family to dream on, and Ellen Mirojnick’s red ringmaster’s coat is the best-made object in the film.

What the film will not do is look at Barnum. The real man put people on display for money. The film knows it, because characters keep saying so, and then Barnum gives them a stage and a song about self-acceptance and the matter is closed. Bill Condon and Jenny Bicks’s screenplay allows him one flaw, an ambition that makes him neglect his wife and troupe, and resolves it in a single number. Williams gets a hopeful smile and a rooftop and little else. Efron and Zendaya’s romance across the colour line gets “Rewrite the Stars”, a trapeze duet that is the film’s most graceful sequence and its whole treatment of the subject.

Jackman is the reason to watch. He is a musical performer in a film with none of a musical’s patience, and he supplies it himself, holding a look a beat longer than the edit wants and selling every lyric as if he wrote it. He plays Barnum as a man who believes his own patter, the kindest reading available and the only one the film allows. John Debney and Joseph Trapanese’s score fills the gaps between songs with strings, and there are not many gaps.

It runs 105 minutes and carries a PG, and children who like the songs will not be bored, because it has been built to make boredom impossible. Adults may find that the absence of dull moments is not the same as the presence of interesting ones. Play the songs in the car; they are better there. It opened in British cinemas on 26 December 2017, and a family sofa after Christmas dinner is where it belongs.

*Fi1m score 54, published 23 September 2026.*

## Straight answers

**Is The Greatest Showman worth watching?**

*The Greatest Showman* is worth watching for Hugh Jackman and two good songs, and we scored it 54. Children who like the music will not be bored, because Michael Gracey's film never stops moving; adults may find it never stops long enough to say anything about P. T. Barnum. Play the songs in the car afterwards, where they are better.

**How long is The Greatest Showman, and what is it rated?**

*The Greatest Showman* runs 1h 45m. It is a drama film.

**Where can I watch The Greatest Showman in Bulgaria?**

*The Greatest Showman* is streaming on HBO Max and Disney+ in Bulgaria, and it is also available to rent from Apple TV from лв 2.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How does The Greatest Showman compare to La La Land?**

*The Greatest Showman* and [*La La Land*](https://film.one/film/la-la-land) share the lyricists Pasek and Paul, and the earlier film is the better of the two. Damien Chazelle lets a number breathe, while Gracey cuts on almost every downbeat, so even Keala Settle's big song is chopped before it can land. Choose *The Greatest Showman* for a family sofa; choose *La La Land* for the dancing.

**What should I watch after The Greatest Showman?**

After *The Greatest Showman*, try [*La La Land*](https://film.one/film/la-la-land) (2016, Fi1m 81): Pasek and Paul’s lyrics, a director who lets a number breathe. Then [*Chicago*](https://film.one/film/chicago) (2002, Fi1m 73): Showbusiness as a con, and a film honest enough to say so.

### Reviews we read (27)

- **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (84/100, inferred): The review calls it a joyfully insane spectacle and sonic boom of musical cinema that sells the magic of the movies. They single out Hugh Jackman shining in an empty but energetic spectacle worthy of Barnum’s name. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/the-greatest-showman-review-hugh-jackman-musical-1201906828/)
- **Little White Lies**, Manuela Lazic (3/4/4): The critic praises Hugh Jackman’s boundless energy and the film’s irresistibly life-affirming enthusiasm and romanticism, calling it a crowd-pleasing circus musical that deserves to become a Christmas classic. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-greatest-showman)
- **Radio Times**, Alan Jones (★★★★): The film delivers pure musical entertainment of a sumptuous vintage with visual resplendence, stylish choreography and solid gold magic; Hugh Jackman’s thrilling musicality is the dynamo that glitzes up the screen. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/the-greatest-showman-review-pure-musical-entertainment-of-a-sumptuous-vintage/)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Sheila O'Malley (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as an unabashed piece of pure entertainment with memorable songs and strong performances, especially from Hugh Jackman and Keala Settle. She singles out the inclusive spirit celebrating diversity and misfits for praise. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-greatest-showman-2017)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it a crowd-pleaser and wholesome musical that soars with energy, romantic spirit, and flashy razzmatazz. He singles out the dance-pop numbers and Hugh Jackman's effervescent performance for praise. [Read](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/the-greatest-showman-review-hugh-jackman-1202644784/)
- **Empire**, Helen O'Hara (75/100, inferred): The film is an unabashed throwback musical carried by Hugh Jackman’s commitment and catchy songs, though it occasionally stumbles into mawkishness and over-relies on CGI. It ultimately delivers old-school musical thrills with heart. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/greatest-showman-review/)
- **The Guardian** (71/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a cheerful, middle-of-the-road fantasy musical that is cheesy and sugary while loosely basing Barnum on the real showman and portraying him as a body-positive evangelist for diversity. Hugh Jackman is singled out as perfectly cast, bringing muscular heft, musical-theatre chops and approachable charm to the role. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/dec/20/the-greatest-showman-review-pt-barnum-hugh-jackman)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (3/5): It is a big, brassy, over-the-top circus musical with gusto and verve; Hugh Jackman steals the show but the story is frustratingly slight and low on nuance. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-greatest-showman)
- **The Independent**, Geoffrey Macnab (★★★☆☆): The critic finds it a strange, patchy musical biopic that mixes Dickensian elements with anachronistic song-and-dance routines. Hugh Jackman carries the film with energetic optimism and spectacle, but the songs lack memorability and the sentimentality dampens the mood. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/film-reviews-round-up-the-greatest-showman-pitch-perfect-3-jumanji-welcome-to-the-jungle-hugh-a8119191.html)
- **The AV Club**, Jesse Hassenger (C): The film is seen as having stupid yet sometimes sweet ideas about Barnum, recast as a scrappy visionary with vague dreams, and thin characters overall. They single out the production numbers for their visual ideas and the director’s sense of using the frame in musical sequences. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/hugh-jackman-follows-some-very-stupid-dreams-in-his-new-1821389321)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (50/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as a fitful hoot and upbeat con job with bright colors and hard-to-resist songs but ultimately lacking in conviction. She singles out the dispiriting lack of faith in the audience's intelligence and aesthetic hypocrisy for complaint. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-greatest-showman-review-20171220-story.html)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film an ersatz, substance-free portrait of P.T. Barnum that works too hard at its magic with overproduced generic pop songs and shallow characters. They single out the insistently prompted excitement that fails to land and the sanitized, flat entertainment. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/greatest-showman-film-1067827/)
- **The New York Times**, Jason Zinoman (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a standard-issue holiday biopic that steers clear of meaty themes and fails to deliver true joy or fun despite its ingredients. She singles out the awkward fit of the songs and synthetic style for complaint. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/movies/the-greatest-showman-review-hugh-jackman.html)
- **Screen Daily** (30/100, inferred): The strained musical is an all-out assault of sentiment, pop songs and dime-store psychology that is content to play to the cheap seats, though Hugh Jackman’s likably shameless portrayal holds it together somewhat. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-greatest-showman-review/5125091.article)
- **Slant Magazine**, Derek Smith (30/100, inferred): The film’s spectacle is overshadowed by archaic and misguided notions of American exceptionalism, mythologizing Barnum in a revisionist hagiography that ignores exploitation. They single out the Ayn Randian tribute to ingenuity and the way characters exist only to support his dream. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-greatest-showman/)
- **Evening Standard**, Matthew Norman (20/100, inferred): The reviewer calls it a phoney, manipulative and transparently sentimental film that fails to realise its ambitions despite a strong cast and cheeriness. It is dismissed as big-top baloney and reality-TV cliché that lacks the subject's genius for bamboozling the public. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-greatest-showman-review-a-load-of-big-top-baloney-a3724811.html)
- **Vulture** (20/100, inferred): The critic calls it the fakest show on earth, a disingenuous, mealy-mouthed musical full of lyrical, dramatic, and social fakery that turns Barnum into a standard-issue misfit story. They single out the generic, nondescript pop-factory songs and the empowerment metaphor as aggravating. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2017/12/the-greatest-showman-review.html)
- **HeyUGuys**, Emily Breen (4/5): The critic praises Hugh Jackman's charismatic lead performance and the sensational musical numbers as a dazzling spectacle well worth festive viewing. They single out the film's failure to acknowledge historical truths about Barnum's exploitation of performers as the main complaint. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/greatest-showman-review/)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (78/100, inferred): The critic calls it a joyous fantasia of song and dance and a rare original movie musical made for holiday crowds, praising the lively musical numbers, likable characters, and Hugh Jackman's star turn as P.T. Barnum. They single out Keala Settle's show-stopping performance of 'This Is Me' as a highlight while noting it is not as sophisticated as La La Land but fits its entertaining bill well. [Read](https://deadline.com/2017/12/greatest-showman-review-hugh-jackman-zendaya-zac-efron-p-t-barnum-1202230371/)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (B-): The critic finds the songs mediocre and the story tepid and hagiographic, though director Michael Gracey’s debut shows impressive energy and the cast elevates the material through strong performances and direction. [Read](https://collider.com/the-greatest-showman-review/)
- **Digital Spy**, Hugh Armitage (70/100, inferred): The critic describes it as an undemanding family spectacle with few surprises but plenty of visual appeal and emotional moments from the cast. It singles out the catchy original songs and strong performances from the ensemble, particularly Michelle Williams, Zac Efron and Zendaya, as highlights of an impressive debut for the director. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a845799/greatest-showman-review/)
- **The Playlist**, Will Ashton (C+): The critic sees the film as a glossy but shallow musical biopic that prioritizes spectacle over depth or honesty about Barnum's life. They single out the energetic performances and standout songs like 'This Is Me' and 'The Other Side' for praise amid the overall lack of substance. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/greatest-showman-review-20171220/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (2.5 out of 5): The critic finds the film a glossy but toothless star vehicle for Hugh Jackman that emulates modern pop without the subversive edge of its inspirations. It singles out the musical numbers for their glossy production and camera work, while noting the music often misses the mark except for standout tracks like 'This Is Me' and 'Never Enough'. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-greatest-showman-review/)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the film confused in style, neither fully embracing musical fantasy nor grounding its serious themes effectively. They single out the strong performances and Ferguson's crystalline voice for praise while noting the songs feel samey and the approach lacks the pure escapism of classic musicals. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-greatest-showman-2017-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)
- **/Film**, Karen Han (5/10): The critic views the film as a charming but problematic con that sanitizes Barnum's exploitative history into family-friendly entertainment. They single out Hugh Jackman's appealing performance and the catchy Pasek and Paul songs, especially the opening number, as the main sources of its appeal. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/555168/the-greatest-showman-review/)
- **The Ringer**, Miles Surrey (40/100, inferred): The film is not the greatest show, with unmemorable songs, weak lyrics, and only the young couple’s chemistry standing out as a highlight; it is merely adequate for filling time on a flight. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2017/12/21/movies/the-greatest-showman-deep-analysis)
- **The Wrap**, Robert Abele (39/100, inferred): The critic finds it a fidgety, shallow musical with forgettable songs, ADHD pacing, and cardboard characters that feels like an insecure, empty tent of plastic flash and ersatz positivity. They single out the overproduced anthems and missed opportunity with Hugh Jackman's charisma as major complaints in this first-time director's effort. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-greatest-showman-film-review-hugh-jackman-pt-barnum-zendaya/)

## Details

- **Director:** Michael Gracey
- **Director:** Michael Gracey
- **Screenplay:** Jenny Bicks, Bill Condon
- **Story:** Jenny Bicks
- **Cinematography:** Seamus McGarvey
- **Editor:** Joe Hutshing, Robert Duffy, Michael McCusker, Spencer Susser, Jon Poll, Tom Cross
- **Music:** Joseph Trapanese, John Debney
- **Production design:** Nathan Crowley
- **Costume design:** Ellen Mirojnick
- **Producer:** Peter Chernin, Laurence Mark, Jenno Topping
- **Cast:** Hugh Jackman as P. T. Barnum; Zac Efron as Phillip Carlyle; Michelle Williams as Charity Barnum; Rebecca Ferguson as Jenny Lind; Zendaya as Anne Wheeler; Keala Settle as Lettie Lutz; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as W. D. Wheeler; Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Deng Yan
- **Runtime:** 1h 45m
- **Release (Bulgaria):** 29 December 2017
- **Genres:** Drama
- **Also in:** [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Nominee, 2017)
- **Budget:** $84 million
- **Box office:** $459 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTNtpYQPlhE

## Where to watch in Bulgaria

- HBO Max: streaming
- Disney+: streaming, uhd
- Apple TV: rent лв 2.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy лв 8.99, sd

*Checked 2026-09-23.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IL, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2018: Best Original Song (nominated)
- BAFTA Film Awards 2018: BAFTA's Children & Young People Award - Feature Film (nominated)
- Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie 2018: Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *La La Land* (2016), Fi1m 81: Pasek and Paul’s lyrics, a director who lets a number breathe — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/la-la-land.md)
- *Chicago* (2002), Fi1m 73: Showbusiness as a con, and a film honest enough to say so — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/chicago.md)
- *Freaks* (1932): The sideshow performers as people, made when the sideshow was still open
- *The Umbrellas of Cherbourg* (1964): Every line sung, colours louder than Barnum’s, and it still breaks your heart
- *Sing Street* (2016): Original songs, no budget, a boy inventing himself in Dublin

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-greatest-showman