Movie Review: Les Misérables

Les Misérables is my ultimate theatrical passion. I saw it first in 1989. My cousin copied her cassette tape of the entire soundtrack, and I literally wore it out. (My dad fixed it with repair tape three times.) She copied her cassette of the French version for me, as well, and I memorized it phonetically. My family (thank goodness my mom loves it ;-)) was subjected to me singing Les Mis almost every.single.time we got in the car for YEARS. (I am not kidding: about four solid years, interrupted only by interludes of Miss Saigon.) My little brother also knows almost every word, and it's not by his choice. ;-) (Ah, the days before you could ignore your fam with ear buds & iPhone! :-D) I've seen Les Mis twice on Broadway, and I can't quite remember how many touring productions I've seen. "On My Own" was my signature song I performed in almost every talent show I entered & won in middle & high school, including a talent show in my hometown in 10th grade where I went up with now-famous Seth Avett of The Avett Brothers. :-) (Hometown represent! Their talent is undeniable, and their fame is so exciting!) My life's dream before meeting my husband was to play Éponine on Broadway...and yes, I absolutely could have made it. No doubt! :-D Even though God changed my heart and recalibrated my life's dream, [which I am now living, BTW ;-)] my zeal for Éponine and the glorious stage version of Les Misérables still runs so deeply; when I found out the movie was being released on Christmas Day, I knew exactly where my best friend, Wendy, & I would need to be for three hours.

With all that said, take my review with a HYPERCRITICAL grain of salt. :-D Overall: j'adore!!! I *did* enjoy it, and the further I get from my viewing, the more I like it. I was impressed that Russell Crowe could hit Javert's low notes, Amanda Seyfried irritated me less than any other Cosette I've ever seen (Cosette is so wishy washy! :-P), and Helena Bonham Carter & Sacha Baron Cohen as the Thénardiers were perfection beyond words! I especially appreciated the actors with connections to the stage show: Gavroche had played the role in the West End, Colm Wilkinson - the original Jean Valjean on Broadway & the West End - plays the Bishop of Digne, and Frances Ruffelle - the original Éponine in the West End & on Broadway - plays a prostitute. It's just beautiful that they're in there. :-)

My few critiques: the stage show transitions the leaps through time so seamlessly - the scrim falls and a new date & location are displayed. Done. I felt like the movie tried too hard to explain these time skips. Maybe it's just b/c I know the story inside & out, but it seemed like they were just working too hard for those transitions to make "more" sense. Also, since I know every word, I was disappointed that they rearranged & shortened quite a few songs - most notably (for me) "A Little Fall of Rain". [Come on! It's my dying moment! ;-)] I totally get that the movie runs over 2.5 hours, and they needed to cut where they could; but I can't imagine that true fans would have minded to get the complete show. :-D Hugh Jackman was solid, but there were a couple moments ("Bring Him Home") where I felt like he was pushing painfully hard, and then more times I wanted him to push more, (although I respect his artistic choices. I can't imagine how hard it must be to make a role your own that is so renowned!) At the barricade: I *loved* that they found a way to preserve Enjolras' dying pose - it seems like a small thing, but it's so iconic! However, I did not like that Gavroche didn't clearly toss the ammunition up to the revolutionaries before succumbing; it made his death look like it was somewhat in vain. I wish Éponine's ghost would have joined with Fantine's to take Valjean to Heaven, (that is my favorite girl harmony in the entire show!!!) but I get that it might have looked weird in the movie, since Valjean & Éponine had no onscreen connection, and the other fallen revolutionaries weren't behind them onstage. My final critique: they added a new song. *le sigh* It's called "Suddenly". And it's fine...but it's not from the original show, and that bothers me.

I am a fan, though, and what I REALLY can't wait for is a sing-along showing, where I can belt my head off with every scene!!! :-D