Les Miserables

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Let me get this out of the way right now: I don't watch musicals. At all. What did I think of West Side Story? I dunno. Singin' In The Rain? You tell me, because I don't have a damn clue. Hairspray? It sucked hard. (Yeah, that one I did see) This represented the first time I ever went to see a musical in the theatre that wasn't animated. (Except Hairspray, but I was dragged to that against my will) But there I was, again sitting in a theatre in which I was the youngest. None of my friends go to musicals either but I wanted to see this, so this one was a solo mission. I sat down and I gotta say: this movie rocks.

I've never seen any production of the play, seen the Liam Neeson movie or read the Victor Hugo book. I knew nothing of the story or where would go, and I'm glad of that. I got really sucked into the story for this one. I will say I think Les Miserables takes too long to get going. I think the beginning really drags in the first little bit and the scene where Hugh Jackman steals from the church was so obvious and forced to me that I was eyeing the exit sign for the theatre. Thankfully, the movie recovers really quickly. Once Jackman (Okay, Jean Valjean) begins his new life, I got hooked. You feel for this guy and you want him to get through this. He's a good man, he really is. Too bad he doesn't seem to believe that. I gotta say, I gained a lot of respect for Hugh Jackman as a performer. He was Jean Valjean, he totally embodied this guy. And the man can sing. Good God, can he ever. A number of his lines are sung, and I totally bought them. I liked how the story takes place over many time periods. You grow with Valjean and see his development all the way through. But there is something else that made this movie a win, and I think it's biggest win at that, the single biggest strength of the movie. I can sum it up in two words: Anne Hathaway. Dear Lord, she was incredible in this movie, and is the thing I remember most. Which is interesting because she's not in it much. She has maybe half an hour of screen time, but she's unforgettable when she is there. As I said before, I know nothing of Les Mis, but I do "I Dreamed a Dream" is a iconic song from the play, and I think that Hathaway turned it into what was easily the best part of the film. There are no dance numbers in it, no weird camera moves (Dutch angles aside) and no cutaways. Director Tom Hooper parks the camera in front of Hathaway for four minutes and lets her sell it. And it's those four minutes alone that are Oscar worthy, and that's not even looking at the rest of her performance. There's been a misconception that Anne Hathaway is not a serious actress, that's just another Disney protege who can't really act. I knew from Rachel Getting Married that she can act, and I hoped The Dark Knight Rises would change that misconception. It did for the most part, but I think this movie will be the final proof of how good she is. I also loved Amanda Seyfried in this, but I'm going to keep her role a secret. Let me say this: the final resolution with her and Valjean did get me a bit teary eyed. There, I said it. The scenery in this is just gorgeous. The cinematography and set pieces make this seem like an epic, and that suited me just fine. I also loved the emotional roller coasters. It knew just how to play to our emotions without ever getting sappy. It's a crowd pleaser for sure: there was a huge applause at the end.  Are there any flaws? Well.... Russell Crowe. Dude, you're a great actor, but please for the love of God: never sing again. It doesn't help that all of his lines are sung: I think he spoke maybe one or two lines. Watch this clip if you don't believe me:

And yes, there is some bad exposition there. Like I said the beginning is weak. Someone other should have been Javert for this movie. That and the movie is maybe a little long, but that's mostly because of the weak beginning. The music is really good too, and the actors all sing well, except for Crowe. Did it sway me on musicals? Well I wouldn't go that far, but it did provide amazing entertainment that easily stands as one of the best movie of the year.