The story is very
evident (and quite involved), but Jean Valjean, played by Hugh Jackman, is
finishing up his time in prison for breaking into a house and stealing a loaf
of bread. He thinks he is free, but because of being on a strict parole from
Inspector Javert, played by Russell Crowe, he cannot get a job after his parole
is over. Valjean says he will get another chance, thanks to Colm Wilkinson
saving him, and when we see him years later, he is living under another name as
the mayor of a small town.
Valjean pays his good
money when he helps factory worker-turned-beggar Fantine, played by Anne
Hathaway. After Fantine dies, he gains custody of her young daughter Cosette (Isabelle
Allen) out of an abusive boarding house under the command of Thénardier and his
wife (Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter).
Cosette does grow up
(now played by Amanda Seyfried) and she falls in love with French Revolutionary
Marius (Eddie Redmayne). However, can Valjean learn to let go of his adopted
daughter, especially when they are always being followed by lawman Javert?
The main problem here
is that Hooper in the end did a very poor job of directing. Hughes noted, “The
film is shot in a staggering series of close-ups with little purpose – an odd
choice, given the amount of the film budget that likely went to costumes and
sets. The close-ups drastically shrink the potentially large scope of the film.
It’s as if Hooper went to see The Expendables and took notes on how to make it
look like someone left the TV on the “zoom” setting.”
Sadly, Hooper’s
mistakes don’t end there. Hughes noted, “There are many clichéd shots of people
singing off balconies à la Evita. There is even one shot that goes to the
heavy-handed lengths of Javert singing off a rooftop next to a giant stone
eagle.” Get the symbolism?
The sets and costumes
are also really inconsistent, running the extent from highly stylized to “gritty”
and realistic. If you see the sets of historical French landmarks like Notre
Dame look like the real places and large portion of the main actors look really
genuinely dressed. Hughes noted, “However, the prostitutes and the Thénardiers
look like they stepped out of a Tim Burton movie, the poor people are so
hideous that they look like zombies on The Walking Dead, and some of the
village sets look like they were taken off the stage of the Broadway show in
that they are extremely artificial-looking.” Because of the roughness, the look
and feel of the film never quite mesh, especially when Hooper depends to his
constant use of an obvious screen.
As you can tell, Hooper’s
constant mistakes cannot obscure the amazing music that is played in the film,
and most of the actors do an exceptional job at performing, both in action and
in song. Jackman and Crowe are fine as the enemies Valjean and Javert and, at
one part, they bring it in The Confrontation. Many jokes have
been made on Crowe’s singing voice not being well, but he is actually very
believable since he really acts in all of his songs and his voice never sounds
forced or inauthentic. Hughes said, “Even though he’s been on Broadway in real
life, Jackman could take a few pointers from Crowe – he warbles a bit too much
and butchers classics like “Bring Him Home.”” I actually thought Jackman did a
good job in that song.
With a few exceptions,
the rest of the cast also delivers. Hathaway is a standout as Fantine and gives
so much emotive power from her short time on screen. Hughes noted, “Seyfried
and Redmayne work quite well as the vanilla young lovers Cosette and Marius,
and their singing voices are more-than Broadway caliber.” However, the real
starts are Samantha Barks (Eponine), Aaron Tveit (Enjolras) and Daniel
Huttlestone (Gavroche). Barks and Huttlestone had previously starred in a
London production of “Les Miséerables,” and Tveit starred in a Broadway
production of “Catch Me If You Can.” Hughes mentioned, “Their French
Revolutionaries breathe much-needed life into the film’s third act, and their
voices capture an impassioned take on the material.”
Hughes noted, “On the
other end of the spectrum, Sacha Baron Cohen is the only actor in the film who
made the odd choice to intermittently alternate between the
Thénardier-traditional cockney and a French accent.” Hooper probably should
have leashed that one in.
“Les Misérables” is
hands down a great musical, but it would have been interesting to see what a
different director would have done with the material. At about two and a half
hours, the film feels even longer, even though a lot of the songs were not
included and the plot would likely be difficult for people not completely
familiar with the book or the stage musical. There was a lot of expectation
behind the release of this film, and it’s possible that many people will still
like it and a lot of theater tickets must have been bought when it played in
theaters, but it mainly is seen as a big missed opportunity to be something
great.
Wait until next week
when I wrap up “Russell Crowe Month” with a certain type of film that I have
reviewed before.
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