The Greatest Showman has been in theaters for over two months now and is about to be released on DVD. Not surprisingly, it has earned over 295 million dollars in the box office. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it!
It had a strong cast, including Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Zendaya, and Michelle Williams. Hugh Jackman plays a young P.T. Barnum, the man behind Barnum and Bailey Circus, as he begins recruiting performers for his original show. His wife, Charity Barnum, is played by the very talented Michelle Williams.
Zac Efron and Zendaya play Phillip Carlyle and Anne Wheeler, an upperclass white playwright and a lower-class African-American trapeze artist who fall in love. But they feel forced to hide their blossoming relationship in the shadows, fearing society's perceptions of them as a couple. This sort of relationship is not seen often enough in media.
Interracial couples and homosexual couples are able to identify closely with the frustration of being looked down upon by society. The film even incorporates the parental disapproval by both Charity's parents and Phillip's parents. Charity's parents get upset when she decides to abandon her upper class lifestyle to marry P.T. Barnum, who has spent the entirety of his life in the lower class. Phillip faces a similar problem years later, when his parents give rude remarks to Anne for being in the lower class and being seen with their son.
However, by the end of the film, both couples end up together, despite their parents' disapproval.
These two couples' success, despite society's view of them at the time, are very encouraging to young audience members in similarly frustrating positions. It proves that any relationship can last if they truly love each other and are confident enough to push through rejection.
Another relevant theme in this movie is that everyone has their own special talents and they shouldn't be afraid to share them.
Keala Settle, who plays Lettie Lutz the bearded woman, is a profound example of this theme. Everyone who she has encountered in her life has told her to hide away so that others don't have to look at her. What these judgmental people failed to realize is that Lettie has a beautiful voice!
When P.T. Barnum recruits her to join his show, she gets the confidence boost she so desperately needed. Barnum didn't give her her beautiful voice, she was born with it. What he did give her was a way to show it to the world. In doing so, he also showed the world not to judge a book by its cover.
Every member of Barnum's circus is unique in their own way and every member has something brilliant to show the world. This film is a great reminder to adolescents that no matter what others may think of them, they are a wonderfully unique human being and should embrace their individuality. Nobody deserves to hide in the shadows.