Les Miserables

We have a tradition now of going to see movies on Christmas Day, and this year we went to the very first showing of Les Miserables,which opened that day.  So this is my review of the movie, but bear in mind that I have seen the musical and know the music, so my perspective is definitely different from someone who was not already familiar with the material.

The movie was some good, some not so good, so let's start with the worst and move forward to the best.

Worst:  I called this "movie malpractice" on the way home from the theater.  Many, many, way too many of the camera shots are extreme close-ups of the actors as they sing, leaving us to ponder their nostrils, facial stubble, teeth, skin imperfections, etc.  That is not exaggeration -- I noticed all of those things and more during the movie.  This works early in the film with Ann Hathaway; although I was already tired of it by the time she arrived, she redeemed the technique temporarily. As this goes on and on throughout the movie, it seems like a terrible choice.  Perhaps being in the third row of a large theater didn't help.

Second worst:  The lighthearted scenes are poorly done.  When the prostitutes sing "Lovely Ladies," it's a comic moment during the stage production.  In the movie, the prostitutes looked like ghouls, making the song mostly horrifying.  Worse than that are the Thenardiers and especially "Master of the House," which is one of the most entertaining numbers in the musical.  Sacha Baron Cohen doesn't do much with the song, and the number is just unfunny as depicted onscreen.  For example, the Thenardiers are shown as pickpockets, but among the things they steal is a glass eye, out of the wearer's socket.  When he sings "Charge 'em for the lice, extra for the mice," Cohen is shown actually adding the charges to someone's bill.  When Helena Bonham Carter as Mme. Thenardier sings "Thinks he's quite a lover, but there's not much there," the camera centers on Cohen's crotch, with him looking down and women pointing to him.  Subtle.  Actually, it's not subtle; it's way too over-the-top, and it looks like an attempt at humor from someone who doesn't know what is funny.

Third worst:  Russell Crowe can sing, but his voice is high and quiet, and he just doesn't come off very menacingly as Inspector Javert.  Still, he isn't terrible by any stretch.

Fourth best:  You may have heard, the actors actually sang their parts as they acted them.  In most movies, they record songs in a studio, then lip-sync them during the filming, but the director decided to change that.  The result is that the music is not as clean as you would see in a stage production, but the acting really shines through in some parts, so it creates an interesting version of the musical.

Third best:  Cosette is fine.  Eponine and Marius are really good.

Second best:  Hugh Jackman is good as Valjean.  You need a good Jean Valjean to carry this show, and Jackman is up to the task, both as actor and as singer.  At first, it seemed that he was going to "act" his way through some of the songs, but he demonstrates his singing abilities as the movie wears on and he has to deal with more challenging numbers.

Best:  Nearly every review of this movie seems to praise Ann Hathaway as Fantine, so I'm just piling on.  However, I think she earned the praise.  Her version of "I Dreamed a Dream" is heartbreaking, and she can sing and act and do both at the same time, even while the camera appears to be inches from her face.

Overall, I think there is enough to the movie to make it a worthwhile take on Les Miz.  The movie provides more emotion to the material than a stage version likely could; however, if you just love the music, stick with the stage production soundtrack.