As a HUGE Les Miserables fan, I am almost ashamed to admit
that I just today watched the recent movie with Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and
Anne Hathaway. Now, I have seen this
show twice on stage—once on Broadway in NYC in 2007 and again at the Fox Theater
in Atlanta last year. It was truly
amazing both times. I have seen the 10th
Anniversary concert and have the 25th Anniversary concert on
DVD. I love the story, love the music—I just
love it. And I am a purist—I love it
just as it was written. The music is
simple yet moving, and the story is brimming with lessons in forgiveness,
redemption, and love.
I was not expecting to be a fan of the movie, but boy was I
wrong. The movie did not
disappoint. It was beautifully done and
absolutely brilliant. It filled in some
of the small gaps that are present in the stage performance and captured the emotion
of the characters much better than I expected.
Hugh Jackman was captivating; Anne Hathaway was stunning. I audibly gasped when the unmistakable Colm
Wilkinson appeared on screen as the Bishop.
Samantha Barks and Eddie Redmayne were fabulous as Eponine and
Marius. One of my favorite scenes in the
movie was them together singing “A Little Fall of Rain.” And typically “Empty Chairs and Empty Tables”
is one of my least favorite songs in the show, but Redmayne nailed it!! Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter
were hilarious and quite fitting as the Thenardiers. The kids in the movie were adorable,
heart-warming and super talented.
Sadly, I found Russell Crowe to be a bit lukewarm. He was fine and obviously talented enough to
be a part of the cast, but he just paled in comparison to the rest. Javert (as least in my unprofessional
opinion) is cocky, arrogant, and without one notch of humility or
compassion. I just didn’t get any of
that from Crowe’s portrayal—he just came across as angry.
The final scenes of the movie moved me to tears—which is
something that has never happened in the many, many times that I have seen Les
Mis. Jackman left me speechless, and
Amanda Seyfried’s emotion was spot on. I
found the presence of the Bishop as the third voice as opposed to Eponine to be
sheer genius. Not to mentioned the fact
that I actually sobbed when I saw Wilkinson’s sweet face again on screen (which
made me really glad I had not watched it in the theater—holy embarrassment, Bat
Man). And the whole thing was wrapped in
a bow with the final song “Do You Hear the People Sing” being sung by all those
who had died. I really cannot say enough
good things about this movie. Well done,
Tom Hooper. Well done.
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