Les Miserables

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So, I hadn't actually ever gotten into the mood to sit down and watch this movie but I felt compelled simply because of the legit effort put into the making of this film. This is a remake of a 19th century novel turned Broadway hit turned movie. It did it's job and has made $437 million worldwide to date, far surpassing it's meager $61 million budget. Oh, and it won three of the eight Oscars it was nominated for (supporting actress, makeup, and sound). I should preface my review with the admission that I have neither read the book, seen the play, nor viewed any of the previous movies.

Here's a list of the star-studded cast in this film: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen. I'm sure I'm forgetting some people, but it's late and I'm tired. The movie is set in 19th century France during a period of political turmoil. It spans many years and follows the lives of several different characters with intertwined lives. Basically, it starts with Anne Hathaway's character, mother-turned-whore-to-support-her-daughter. Then it follows the daughter and her guardian, Jackman and Seyfried, while they're hunted by Russell Crowe. Then Eddie Redmayne comes along and jumps into the mix while trying to fight for the revolutionaries. There you have it, the worst Les Mis synopsis on paper.

I had quite literally no idea what the plot of the movie was other than it involved someone stealing a loaf of bread at some point. There's really not much I can say about the plot since it's just a huge and successful play. Without a doubt, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter's characters were my favorites.

The effort that went into making this film deserves legitimate respect. I was blown away with the amount of work they put into recording the soundtrack live! Yes, live! They also spared no expense with their sets, wardrobe, makeup, etc. They made this really look like 19th centure France. I really did feel as though I needed a shower after seeing all these dirty characters on my television screen for so long. That being said, I did lose interest in the musical numbers, with one exception. I'm a fan of melody and tune, and this was more of the actors singing their lines. There was maybe one or two numbers that felt like musical numbers. My favorite musical is Singin' in the Rain, so I was underwhelmed with the unsynronised/unchoreographed numbers.

This is my humble opinion: The ten hours I spent watching this movie (slight exaggeration) were
worth it to see Anne Hathaway's two minute song she did after she became a 'lady of the night'. Wow. Crazy. Raw. And, that was her 4th take. The amount of raw emotion in that scene is almost unparalleled, and she was singing. Cohen and Carter were ridiculously entertaining with their comic relief. Jackman literally transformed his body for his role as a famished slave, and he gave an extraordinary performance with crazy amounts of raw emotion as well. I'm a big Redmayne fan, and i thought he was superb, and dreamy. Seyfried and Crowe were also top notch.

I have huge amounts of respect for this film and the actors in it. Did I enjoy it?  Meh. In all honesty, I was a little bored. Perhaps, if I was a fan of the previous incarnations, I would have enjoyed it more. This just wasn't my style of musical movie, and it was a bit lengthy, and a little hard to follow (*this could be attributed to my sleep deprivation). I am a better person for having seen it and will never forget Hathaway's performance. I'd probably recommend this to fans of the broadway versions or people who enjoy lengthy, gritty, period dramas with lots of characters. "I had a dream my life would be so different from this hell I'm living". Les Miserables.