Can't wait to see this movie. We are also big fans of the show.

I saw both the play and the movie. I thought the acting and singing transferred to moviedom was excellent. the scenarie was very detailed. I thought the way it was filmed was horrible. Too many extreme close ups. I was disappointed because of it. Had the director allowed for the scenary and details to be part of the movie rather than simply the "extras" of the movie it would have been better

Les Mis is one of my favorite musicals. And I truly wanted to like the movie, which we saw last week. Eddy Redmayne as Marius was a delightful surprise with a very fine voice, as was Amanda Seyfried as Cossette. The acting was very good. However, it must remembered that it is a musical with no dialog. Hugh Jackman was adequate musically as Valjean, but his voice often strained and sounded too nasal. Russell Crowe as Javert was positively abysmal (and I'm a fan of Russel Crowe movies). I cringed every time he opened his mouth to sing. Besides lacking in tonal quality, he was couldn't keep on pitch and was consistently flat. In Javert's signature song, "Stars," he was awful. "Stars" requires a voice with power, something that Crowe's voice completely lacked. His flat, nasally head voice ruined the moment and the song. Sasha Baron Cohen was okay as Thenardier, but that was about it. His huckster characterization failed, for me, to show Thenardier's implicit sinister quality. Anna Hathway as Fantine was good. I found her portrayal in "I Had A Dream" moving from an acting perspective, but if I closed my eyes and just listened - well, her "I Had A Dream" was just good but could not hold a candle to Mia Solonga or Patti Lupone's versions. Samantha Brooks as Eponine was good, and her performance of "On My Own" just good but nothing more than that. Later I found out that Samantha Brooks did Eponine on Broadway and in the 25th Anniversary tele-performance. In the video of the 25th Anniversary performance she knocked it out of the park, just fabulous. So, my suspicion is that she was directed in the movie to hold back. That was too bad because she has a fine voice. It seems in general that the movie emphasized the acting over the singing. In summary, the Les Mis movie is overall adequate at best and does not live up to the hype. It would have been better served if the director found someone who could at least carry a tune instead of Russell Crowe.

We loved the show and are planning to go see the movie. A few friends went on Christmas day; but recalling the show, I thought it might be a bit sad for a movie on Christmas day. :-)

If it's culture you're looking for, you're better off with "Django Unchained"!

Thanks for the review.

Have not seen it, but will to decide for myself

I think it probably comes down to a matter of taste. If you value a performance based upon the textures and delicacies of the voice, perhaps you can find fault. If your taste in aesthetics is for beauty over intensity, I can see where the directing style could have gotten tedious. It probably comes as no surprise to anyone that my preference is for the intensity, the passion, the reality of the story's tragedy. I didn't want to just see it, or hear it...I wanted to feel it...and I definitely did (twice, so far).

I saw Anne Hathaway speak about the difference between the delivery of the songs in the two different mediums. She spoke about how on stage these great songs are delivered as anthems, designed to be carried across a theatre. However, in a movie, it is more of a direct relationship with each viewer. That could clearly be a difference between the stage and screen performances. Just because it is a musical doesn't necessarily mean that the vocal quality carries more weight than the acting performance...especially in a movie.

Roger Daltrey once said years ago at a solo concert I was attending (defending his slightly decreased ability to sing at the same ridiculously high level he did when he was younger), "I never wanted to be no F-ing Barbara Streisand anyway." Give me a good blood-curdling. primal scream over pitch perfect every day of the week.

Loved the play. I actually saw it with Nancy when we were young attorneys just starting out in the city.

Loved the play. I actually saw it with Nancy when we were young attorneys just starting out in the city.

Loved the play. I actually saw it with Nancy when we were young attorneys just starting out in the city.