When it comes to Winter Break, there are numerous things I look forward to: sleeping in till noon, the twinkly lights that paints every hometown, the feeling of sitting snuggled up in a blanket with the warmth of a cozy fire comforting me, but also the large number of holiday blockbusters that seem to dominate the season.

For me, this holiday season I was especially looking forward to seeing "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" because I grew up watching every movie, and it is "Star Wars", how could you not be excited to see it? BUT. Do not leave me negative feedback because I say this please... I was not impressed with the film. It did not fulfill my expectations and was, in my opinion, just not "Star Wars."

So, with that being said, I began looking into other films to see over the break. There was "All The Money in The World" with Christopher Plummer's heroic performance, Jessica Chastain's power in "Molly's Game", "Darkest Hour", or the award-winning cast filled film "The Post". But, one that captured my attention, and ultimately my heart, was "The Greatest Showman".

"The Greatest Showman" tells the story of PT Barnum (Hugh Jackman), the original creator of what is known today as the circus. The film follows Barnum through the trials and successes that follow him all throughout his life. The film is composed of beautiful songs, costuming, set, an incredible cast, but most importantly, a beautiful message.

The film's overall theme circulates around being accepting of others; that each and every person is their own kind of beautiful with their unique talents; and especially to find joy in all things. When faced jobless and then finding difficulty in selling tickets to a wax figure museum that Barnum was able to buy with a loan from the bank, he was desperate to find a way to bring in revenue to take care of his family and to give them the life he believed they deserved.

He then begins to seek out unique individuals to compose his circus, a term that was coined by a critique. There was major backlash by New York society as they were in outrage that PT Barnum was glamorizing these people who were, in their eyes, defected and damaged. He adopts a business partner, Phillip (Zac Efron), who was a New York socialite but felt like he never truly belonged in that world.

Phillip loses everything material in his life by running away to the circus, but gained the world in return and especially finding love with Anne Wheeler (Zendaya) who was a member of the circus as a trapeze artist. He and everyone a part of Barnum's circus run into trial after trial after trial, including the building, where the circus was held, burning to the ground. At this point in the movie, Barnum had been following the glamorizing life and fame that came with his new talent, opera singer, Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson). There was tension between he and his family life and the circus that once meant everything to him.

So one could say that the fire was symbolic of Barnum's life crumbling down in order for him to restart and re-build from the ground up. That is when the movie flashes to a tent that everyone nowadays associates with the circus with his new and improved revolutionary show. He gives Phillip his top hat which symbolized him handing over the circus to Phillip so that he could finally take the time to be with his family after a life of distractions and focus on what truly mattered which was their bond and love for one another.

The movie was a feature that left everyone walking out of the theater smiling. It truly made each member of its audience have a happy heart. I feel as if a lot of movies that come out nowadays do not carry that characteristic. Many films, if not all, tend to carry a political agenda within their content. Even comedic movies throw some sort of political ideology or slam in their audience's faces. It seems to be the world we live in that shapes the content of entertainment. And since the world is so politically divided and there is more political activism than ever, the entertainment industry is shaping its products to be form fitting to just that.

But is entertainment not supposed to be... something that takes us away from the tensions and divides in the world? Is it not supposed to create another world that we are able to immerse ourselves into so that we do not have to think about the things that concern us the most? Are they not supposed to inspire us and make us happy, thus truly entertaining us?

Instead, it seems like many movies are just continuing to bring us deeper into topics that would get us fired up and not so much leaving us with a smile on our face. "The Greatest Showman," however, did this. It inspired everyone to seek past the surface level of people and to see what truly makes us all unique and shine. It inspired each member of its audience to live a life that would make each person around them happy. And most importantly, it set the bar for what true entertaining and meaningful films should look like.

The movie closed with a quote that I want to use as a mission statement for each of you reading to have for 2018.

"The noblest art is that of making others happy." — P.T. Barnum

I encourage and urge you all to aspire to live life in a way that each person around you will be left happy by. Find the beauty in each person. But, most importantly, find what makes each person unique and love that because that will truly leave you living your happiest life.