Before I tell you what I thought of this movie, I have to be upfront and tell you that this is one of my very favorite musicals of all time. Ron and I saw the Broadway production 3 different times. I am not a professional critic; I only have an opinion. So, please take my review for what it's worth - I am a fan. I woke up this morning with the soundtrack from the movie running through my head!
Having said that, I will have to say that I didn't think the movie was perfect. The director chose to shoot many of the solo scenes in extreme close ups. Ron liked it but it was distracting for me. It was like having my personal space encroached upon. There were also a couple of abrupt transitions between scenes that left us a bit perplexed, but we got over it pretty quickly.
Let's talk about the singing abilities of these mostly well-known actors. Hugh Jackman was superb as Jean Valjean. The fact that he was singing live rather than to playback made each scene more emotional and heartfelt. His transformation from the lowly, downtrodden prisoner 24601 into a respected businessman and loving father was no less than amazing. Anne Hathaway as Fantine broke my heart as she sang "I Dreamed a Dream." It's unfortunate that she didn't have more scenes.
I'm not sure why Russell Crowe has gotten a bad rap for his portrayal of Javert. He CAN sing. Truthfully, the Javert character is my least favorite in the show, but obviously necessary. Maybe his performance of Javert's final song didn't pack enough punch, but I thought he did respectably well. The real surprise for me was Eddie Redmayne as Marius. His renditions of "A Little Fall of Rain" with Eponine and "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" absolutely brought me to tears. His voice is beautiful. Samantha Barks as Eponine was wonderful and Ron was especially touched by her performance of "On My Own."
Young Cosette is played by Isabelle Allen who very sweetly sings "Castle on a Cloud." Amanda Seyfried is Cosette all grown up. Although her voice did blend well with Marius, I found her to be a little shrill at times; those are difficult songs to sing. Sascha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter were the Thenardiers. Ron was unhappy with the way Cohen didn't appear to inhabit the character in the spirit that it was written. Madame Thenardier was just fine.
There is a wonderful surprise in the beginning of the movie and lovers of the Broadway show will recognize Colm Wilkinson (who originated the role of Valjean) as the priest. His presence onscreen gave me the sense that he had given Hugh Jackman his blessing, but also demonstrated why he could not have reprised his original role for the film and why stage acting and film acting are two different art forms. Otherwise, each scene was meticulous in detail and texture.
It's an emotionally moving and sad story with beautiful memorable melodies. We loved it and haven't been able to stop talking about it since last night. If you are a fan of the musical, I think you will enjoy the movie. We just might go see it again this weekend.
