Les Miserables

[Gusteau]

I went to see it this afternoon with my sister; we both loved it!

A lot of the reviews I read were critical of the way it was filmed, that is, with so many close ups. Those reviews felt like that made it lack the epic quality a story like Les Miserables should have. While there were a few scenes where I'd agree ("One Day More") I generally really liked that. I felt like the close ups were very intimate and helped to personalize a very large cast of characters for the audience. I also loved the way "At the End of the Day" was staged in that tunnel/corridor.

They made some changes in the order of the action, but I thought they were appropriate. Moving "I Dreamed a Dream" after "Lovely Ladies" was a great choice. I started to worry that they had cut the first "Do You Hear the People Sing?" when it didn't come after "Red and Black," but I loved what they did with it!

I thought Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway were just incredible. Every scene of Anne Hathaway's was a knockout. "What Have I Done?" and "Bring Him Home" were real standouts for Jackman. I felt Eddie Redmayne was both fantastically cast and nice to look at as Marius - "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" made me cry. I liked Amanda Seyfried too, even though Cosette is a character I don't particularly care for. I found her to be a very likable Cosette. Russell Crowe's Javert was disappointing for me. His singing was not on the same level as the rest of the cast, but I would have forgiven him Rex Harrisoning it if his performance had been less stoic.

I will definitely buy the DVD!