It’s not a documentary, it’s not a historical retelling, it is a musical. I normally get incredibly bored with musicals, I almost fell asleep in La La Land, but I really enjoyed this one and Les Mis.

The reasons I enjoyed them were 1- really well done music that I could listen to many times afterwards without getting bored. 2- it brought back the magic of the circus for me and my kids absolutely loved it. 3- even if not entirely true the metaphor of Barnums life as told in the show was one that I took to heart. It’s not all about money, or fame, but remembering that it’s about family and love and friendship. Those are the keys to having a happy, fulfilling life.

Yes, I’m sure by 2018 standards PT Barnum exploited his employees to make millions. But this was the 1800’s EVERY EMPLOYER exploited their workers to get rich. What other job could people like that have and make the kind of money they did? He exploited them for sure, but they also got to see the world, make money and hear applause every night.

I loved the circus as a kid. It literally felt like magic, I thought the Greatest Showman did a fantastic job bringing that magic back. And it was a family friendly show that I could watch again with my kids and they would enjoy every time.