As an ardent fan of musical theater with a particular fondness for Les Mis?(c)rables, I have to admit that I had incredibly high expectations for this movie. I was mainly hoping that a movie version wouldn't screw it up, and that I would walk out of the movie theater with the same feeling I've gotten from both being in the show and watching the 25th anniversary performance.

The plot of Les Mis?(c)rables covers quite a bit of time and a lot of different storylines. The movie begins with Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) breaking his parole after spending 19 years in prison as penance for stealing a loaf of bread for his starving family. Valjean escapes and becomes an honest man and, eight years later, has risen to become the mayor of a small town. In this town lives Fantine (Anne Hathaway), a young woman who gets fired from a factory owned by Valjean. Fantine turns to prostitution and, before dying, Valjean finds her and vows to take care of her young daughter, Cosette (Amanda Seyfried), who lives with the thieving Th?(c)nardier family (Mr. and Mrs. played by Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter, respectively). As Cosette grows up with Valjean in Paris, she falls in love with Marius (Eddie Redmayne), who is involved in a student revolution against the French government. All the while, Valjean spends the film being chased by the police officer Javert (Russell Crowe) who can only see Valjean as a criminal.

As a whole, I was incredibly impressed with and thoroughly enjoyed watching Les Mis?(c)rables. I was most impressed with Hathaway, whose performance as Fantine was absolutely stellar. Hathaway completely knocked the incredibly emotional ballad "I Dreamed a Dream" out of the park, and I was on the verge of tears as she acted and sang her way to an Oscar nomination (and probably win) for Best Supporting Actress. Hathaway has never been better, and despite her short screen time, she does not fail to captivate in her role.

Also very good in the film is Redmayne as the revolutionary Marius. I didn't always love his singing voice, but his rendition of "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" was extremely moving. That particular song is sometimes thrown away by the actor playing Marius, but it was brilliantly done by Redmayne in the film, whose acting throughout was also sensational.
Samantha Barks was very good as ?aponine, the Thenardier's daughter who is in love with Marius. The part is small, but her solo song "On My Own" was incredible. Every time she was on screen, Barks truly nailed her role. I was also truly impressed by was Aaron Tveit, who in the film played the powerful revolutionary leader Enjolras. Though his role is small, he has some of the best songs, including "Do You Hear the People Sing." I love Tveit's strong voice and he fit the character of Enjolras perfectly.

As for the direction of the film, I thought Tom Hooper did an excellent job. Hooper used close-ups on the actors as they sang, which gave me the opportunity to see the raw emotion and great acting the performers brought to the roles. I also think this was a result of the live singing that the performers did, as it gave them the opportunity to sing as they would on a stage, preserving the magic of the stage version on the screen.
Now for the things I didn't like as much about the film. First is Hugh Jackman's singing, particularly on the song "Bring Him Home." It's a gorgeous song that is significantly more affecting when sung softly and in the male falsetto. Instead, Jackman chooses to belt it, and I really think that it loses its impact because of it. Despite this flaw, I think Jackman acted the hell out of Jean Valjean, and I feel that his Oscar nomination is justified.

Next is Russell Crowe. I felt that he acted the part very well, and I believed that he was intimidating and that he absolutely needed to catch Valjean. However, it is clear that his voice was not nearly up to the same level as the other performers, and may have been miscast because of it. I don't think he was a train wreck by any stretch of the imagination, but he wasn't the best fit for the role either.

Finally, I found Baron Cohen and Bonham Carter, who played the Th?(c)nardiers, to be unnecessary in the context of the movie. Not that these actors were bad, but they simply weren't needed. In the show version, the comic relief is necessary to keep the audience involved and entertained; however, in movie form, the relief is not needed. The characters' scenes feel forced and the movie would not suffer without them.

These criticisms are quite nitpicky, and I feel they only exist because I know the show so well. Despite them, I would highly recommend this movie to anyone I know, including those who know the musical as well as I do. Watching the revolutionaries build the show's famous barricade was an amazing scene, and the ending never fails to affect me. I walked out of the theater extremely pleased, and the film experience as a whole was satisfying and a great way to spend two and a half hours at the movies. I would give it 3.5 out of 4 stars overall.
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