Tom Hooper's ambitious adaptation of the acclaimed musical was rightly labelled as "Oscar bait" prior to its release, but at least it's well-acted, majestic Oscar bait that lives up to its lofty expectations. Arguably the most distinguishable feature about this musical is that, unlike most, Hooper decided to record the singing live on-set, rather than rely on actors miming over pre-recorded tracks. The result is that though the singing voices sound a little rougher, we're more immersed in what we're watching: we can hear every puff and pant in Hugh Jackman's voice as he tugs a rope while singing, and it really works. If Russell Crowe is the film's weak link, Anne Hathaway is easily the runaway favourite: her moving single-take rendition of I Dreamed A Dream rightly earned her the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award, and most of the other actors, from Eddie Redmayne, to Samantha Barks, to Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen, all gave fine performances. It's unapologetically bombastic and probably a little too long, but it's hard to argue with the craft involved.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
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