Beautiful.
Heart-wrenching.
Those are the words I would use to describe Les Miserables. I went into the movie knowing hardly anything about the play/book/movie. Truth be told I bought the book a month ago, read 5 pages, wasn't intrigued and haven't picked it up since. BUT, I knew I wanted to see the movie because I love musicals, France and Anne Hathaway.
Les Miserables tells the story of Jean Valjean in 19th century France. He is on the run from policeman, Javert after he breaks parole for stealing a loaf of bread. Jean Valjean meets one of his ex-factory workers turned prostitute Fantine and promises her he will take care of her daughter Cosette. This decision changes both of their lives forever.
Les Miserables has an all-star cast! It was full of amazing actors with even better voices than expected. I'm sure most of you have heard that this movie was shot with the actors singing LIVE. Unlike most musicals where the actors record the songs months ahead, these actors were singing live!!! I could not get over it. It was amazing.
Hugh Jackman played Jean Valjean and was so brilliant and enduring. I am 100% sure he will be nominated for an Oscar for his role. Every scene he was in, he absolutely captivated the screen. He is such a stellar performer.
Anne Hathaway played Fantine and her scene singing "I Dreamed a Dream" was probably my favorite scene of the movie. Her passion during the song brought tears to my eyes. I could go on and on about her performance! If you aren't a musical person, watching her will turn you into a musical lover! She was so dedicated to her role, she cut her hair super short and lost 25 pounds. The scene where her hair is being cut was also live and obviously they had to do it in ONE TAKE and make sure she brought out all of the emotion- and boy did she!!!
Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Boham Carter played Thenardier and Madame Thenardier and they were definitely their for comic relief. I am a big HBC fan and was so happy to see she was in this movie. I think she is brilliant in period films.
Amanda Seyfried played Cosette and her performance was good as well. I knew she could sing from seeing "Mamma Mia", and she definitely delievered as well!
I went with my mother-in-law to see this and we could not stop gushing about how much we enjoyed it! I definitely recommend it for a fun girls day out!
