Though I saw Les Mis on Broadway back in the 90’s, I completely forgot the entire story and the scores of wonderful music. How could that be? Maybe I was just too young then to fully understand the emotions behind each song sang. I had not lived life yet. I was still naive and full of dreams. I believed in a life better. I guess 10 years later, those dreams are just shattered and Ive become a hardened person. Today, when I went to watch Les Mis in the theaters, I couldnt stop crying. If you were to pay attention to each word sang, you couldnt help but empathize. I think its because I lived enough life now to understand this misery and to be wretched. Particularly when Anne Hathaway sang “I dreamed a dreamed”, I began sobbing. Just be prepared to walk in there with a box of tissue. All I heard in the audience was sniffling and tissue crackling. Of course, Hathaway did a wonderful job as Fantine. Her acting is getting better in each production and I have to admit, I was surprised at how wonderful she sang that song. But for this song, I have to say, I miss Lea Salonga’s voice. For some reason, it was now that I fully felt the emotions of that song. This movie reminded me of my innocence and how I once was so naive. I believed in true love and all these dreams. Hugh Jackman did a fantastic job in displaying the wretched soul of Jean Valjean. Life throws us these loops and we become hardened and angry. Yet, Jean Valjean is touched by the grace of God and his heart is softened. In the end, his words, “..to love another person is to see the face of God”, my heart kick into high gear and that’s when a stream of tears just came falling. My heart has been hardened by life in general, but I am reminded that love truly is the greatest gift. There is nothing more amazing than to love another person and sacrifice everything for them. It is when you fall in love, that you see all your sins and imperfections. There is this overwhelming sadness and pain that goes with this love, yet its the most joyful moment of your life and you cant imagine losing it.
The entire movie was superb. The only fatal flaw was Russell Crowe. I just didnt see how he could be in a musical. His voice was stagnant and lacked any emotion. He was not convincing at all when it came to his singing abilities. The one surprising factor was this actor that has been a hidden gem in hollywood, Eddie Redmayne. His baritone voice brought such power to his character, Marius. He had an amazing control over his voice and the stretch of each word sang. I absolutely loved his performance. Watch out for this actor. After Les Mis, Im pretty certain we will see more of him. All in all, this movie is a must see if you feel like you need a good kick in the face and be reminded about what life is really all about.
The movie is definitely long, but its because there is so much character development in this musical. Not a single moment is felt wasted in this movie. Each scene was needed to lead you to the full story. What is more amazing is the emotion that you feel in each scene. Each actor, with the exception of Mr. Crowe, was able to draw you into their life and feel what they feel. The pain, anger, excitement, despair, innocence and shame. Once you walk into this movie, your heart will feel a range of everything. The best movies are the ones that you dont want to end and you just want to stay for more. Les Mis 2012 does exactly that for this Asian American Fob. Here I end with the “People’s Song”. Sorry it isnt from the movie, but I really like this concert version since it was performed live.
Asian American Fob gives this movie 5 thumbs up, eventho I hated Russell Crowe’s performance.
AsianAmericanFob 