I went to see Les Miserables last night with the hubby, so today I will give you my review. Imo, EVERYONE should see it! How's that for a full endorsement.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I should tell you that I'm a bit of a Les Mis junkie. I've see the traveling production five times, the movie (with Liam Neeson) twice and read the book (only once, and it took me about 12 months). I also own the full Broadway soundtrack and listen to it at least a couple times a year, from start to finish, and bits and pieces of it many other times. To me, it is one of the best stories EVER written.
All that aside, or perhaps all that taken into consideration, this new movie version is excellent. Much better than the Liam Neeson version in that you get the music from the play. The singing is, for the most part, exceptional.
Let's just take a minute and talk about Hugh Jackman, shall we? Holy cats, that man can sing! Who knew?! Now, I've never seen the X-Men, but I know he's in there...and not singing. So apparently, this man can play an action figure and sing on Broadway. My hubby declared Hugh Jackman to now be his favorite actor - and one of those people who makes most other men feel inferior. Personally, I think he deserves an Oscar for his performance. It was superb!
Anne Hathaway was amazing as well. Beautiful singing and superb acting.
Colm Wilkinson (one of the original actors who played Jean Valjean on Broadway) was the Bishop in the movie. Great singer and actor, just a small part in the movie,
Those who played Eponine and Marius were also great! Really, the only weak link, I thought, was Russell Crowe (whom I happen to like as an actor). His singing, while adequate, was far below the others, and his acting appeared rather flat. He was fine, just not spectacular, which was a disappointment considering the large role he played in the movie.
The long and short of it is you should get yourself out to a movie theater and see the movie, if you haven't already. While I'm sure it will be wonderful on your home TV, this is a movie that benefits from the large screen and surround-sound of a theater.
What about the children in your home? Did they see it? We listen to the soundtrack all the time, but we skip a few songs. It occurred to me just before the movie opened that those songs would be in there as well!
ReplyDeleteYes, Jen, a few of the songs are problematic (and add to that the visuals). Nina, Molly, Aidan & Emily will be allowed to see it, but I'll probably wait for the DVD with the younger kids, then I can skip past the few scenes that are not appropriate for them. It is such a worthwhile story, that I really want my kids to see it.
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