So I just recently rented the film on Google Play and while I thoroughly enjoyed it for its musical value and talent, I have to say that it kind of falls short on the story. I'm not sure what the story-writers and producers were going for when they put this together, but I feel like they could have done better to make it less predictable.
With what research that I was able to find, I've found that PT Barnum had not two children like the movie depicts, but four children to be exact. I also found out that he never mixed business with pleasure when he met the famous "Swedish Nightingale", Jenny Lind. However, I will give credit to the fact that Barnum's museum did burn down back in July 13, 1865.
Now while I understand that for most biographical-centric musicals, they're not always going to get things 100% accurate for the sake of entertainment, but the inaccuracy for this film ranks up 70% in my honest opinion. Had someone like Lin-Manuel Miranda picked up this idea, this movie-musical could have been better. I will say however that the soundtrack for this film definitely deserves all its recognition. I've been listening to all the songs on constant repeat for nearly two weeks now and it just gets better every time!
The positive aspects of this movie mainly rely on the talent of the actors. Hugh Jackman is undoubtedly a great singer- and of course, I'll also give credit to Zac Efron, Zendaya and Keala Settle. I'll also point out that the setting details were well thought out and portrayed for a movie that takes place in the 1860's. If I had lived during that time period, I probably would have felt as dreary as the other folks who existed back then.
So overall, I feel like the movie itself gets too much praise. My personal rating would be 7/10 stars because the soundtrack kind of softens the blow for the lack of historical accuracy as well as the amount of predictability in the film's plot.