Released December 25, 2012
Rated PG-13
Directed by Tom Hooper
Starring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe
Won 3 Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
Nominated for 8 Academy Awards
I want to preface this review by saying that I am a massive theater geek and have been so for my entire life, and Les Miserables is my FAVORITE. So when I heard that Tom Hooper was making a movie version of the stage musical I was equal parts chihuahua-quivering excited and nervous. I was worried that this movie wouldn't live up to my expectations. This worry was further expanded when the cast was announced (you can watch my reaction
here).
Well, after seeing the film I will freely admit that I was terribly wrong.
First, for those of you who are unfamiliar with Les Miserables, let me give you a quick overview of the plot and characters. Jump down to the review section if you don't want spoilers.
PLOT
The main character is a man named Jean Valjean (which I always found kind of odd, like naming your kid William Carlos Williams) who is played by Hugh Jackman. At the start Valjean has been in prison for 20 years for thievery and attempted escape. We meet Inspector Javert, played by Russell Crowe, who tells Valjean he's being released on parole but has to carry papers identifying him as a criminal for the rest of his life. While looking for work Valjean meets an unusually generous Bishop (played by Colm Wilkinson, the OG Valjean!) and experiences a life changing epiphany, causing Valjean to tear up his papers and take on a new identity, vowing to change his life and be a better man.
Fast forward a few years and Valjean is living as a very successful business man who owns a factory where a woman named Fantine (Anne Hathaway) is working. It's revealed that Fantine has an illegitimate child, Cosette, who lives with an innkeeper in another town. Fantine is fired for her moral impropriety and is forced to work as a prostitute in order to support her child. Valjean finds out about this and takes Fantine to the hospital and tells her he's going to get Cossette. However before he can leave Javert, who doesn't recognize him as the escaped convict, tells him that he's arrested a man who has been mistakenly identified as Valjean. Unable to live with another man going to prison in his place, Valjean reveals himself to Javert and escapes to find Cossette. Cossette has been living with the Thenardiers (Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham-Carter) and their daughter Eponine (Samantha Barks), a rather unsavory family that runs an inn and steals from their patrons. Valjean is having none of that and takes Cossette, narrowly evading Javert and escaping into a convent in Paris.
Fast forward a few more years, and Cossette has grown into beautiful young woman (played by Amanda Seyfried) and Paris is once again in turmoil. Note, this is not the French Revolution, which ended about 30 years prior, but the much smaller June Rebellion brought on by the monarchy that was set up after the revolution (and it was just as inefficient as the first one). One of the revolutionists, a student named Marius (played by Eddie Redmayne), meets Cossette on the street and the two fall instantly in love. They plan to run away together but before they can the revolution begins and riots break out in the street.
Javert tries to infiltrate the barricades but he is identified and taken prisoner. Valjean, realizing that Cossette is in love with Marius, goes to the barricade to protect him and is given the option to execute Javert but chooses to let him go. The students were hoping that all of Paris would rise up to fight like in the previous revolutions, but no such luck. They are mowed down but Valjean escapes with a wounded Marius into the sewers. Javert discovers them but chooses to let Valjean go, and has a bit of a mid-life crisis.
Valjean reveals himself to Marius but asks him not to tell Cossette because having a convict for a father would ruin her reputation. He tells her he's going on a trip and goes into hiding. At their wedding Marius realizes (through a botched attempt at blackmail from the Thierdiners) that it was Valjean who rescued him from the barricades and he and Cossette hurry to Valjean's death bed. Valjean gives Cossette a letter telling her about Fantine and his true identity, then peacefully passes on with Fantine and Eponine/the bishop (depending on if you're watching the stage musical or the movie).
The whole thing ends with a rousing rendition of "Do You Hear the People Sing" and it's all very heart warming and emotional. Expect to cry a lot.
Review
OK you've either skipped down or made it to the review! HOLLA! I'm going to be reviewing the movie only, and I won't be talking about the plot, so for those who don't want spoilers, you're good. Also note, this is a movie musical, so there will be singing! (you won't believe how many people I've heard complaining that there was too much singing! Are you serious!?)
First thing first. I have to admit that I was sososososo wrong about Anne Hathaway. She was AMAZING as Fantine. I Dreamed a Dream is probably the most famous song from the musical and I think a lot of people expected a Susan Boyle rendition. What we got was so much more. I loved how they put I Dreamed a Dream after Lovely Ladies. That adds so much despair to the song. I always imagined that Fantine was pissed off because she had just gotten fired, but after Lovely Ladies that song becomes completely discouraged and hopeless. Bottom line: She was great and homegirl better win the oscar or immabe MAD.
The other actor that deserves all the praise is Hugh Jackman. He was AMAZING. I already knew he could sing thanks to a DVD of Oklahoma, but he knocked this one out of the part. In particular I want to highlight his performance during the soliloquy. That had me BAWLING. But not only that scene is notable, because he carried this musical. I heard in one interview that he did the belted "begin" at the end of the soliloquy 24 times in one day. 24!!! Now that's what I call devotion.
The rest of the cast I thought was strong with the exception of two actors (well more like 1.5). I wasn't a huge fan of Amanda Seyfried, largely due to my opinion that her voice sounded unsupported and often out of range. However I thought she looked the part and I thought her acting was really good, so I can let a weaker voice slide.
The one actor that I really didn't like (and I'm not alone in this opinion) is Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert. Good lord that was a bad choice (Mandy Patinkin anyone? Am I alone in this wish?). Everything about Russell Crowe was bland at best. And am I the only one who thought the ledge walking during Stars was just weird and uncomfortable? What was up with that? Poor Javert, he's such an interesting and compelling character and he really got the shaft, not just in terms of actor but story telling in general. I thought a lot of his character was just glossed over.
Aside from the sadness that is Russell Crowe, the rest of the movie was great. I loved the costumes and makeup, as well as the sets. I especially loved the book additions that would be difficult to replicate onstage, such as the galley prison in Toulon, climbing the walls to get into Paris, and The
Elephant of the Bastille statue during the funeral parade. There were some times when parts of the musical were rearranged or cut down, but overall I thought it was tactfully done, with a lot of effort made to keep the movie as genuine to the source material as possible.
I also wanted to mention the directorial choice to sing live during filming as opposed to pre-recording. I thought that was a brilliant choice and gave the actors the opportunity to really get into character and gave them some stylistic freedom that a recording doesn't allow.
Overall I thought Les Miserables was a fantastic and faithful adaptation of my favorite musical. This was an adaptation that was created with a lot of care and respect for an iconic piece of literature and Broadway classic.
