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Saw Les Miserables this morning.
Overall, I enjoyed it. But it's not without its flaws, the most glaring is Russell Crowe's Javert. Crowe's voice is mediocre on a good day, and the talent around him only accentuates this flaw. However, his acting throughout Les Mis sets a high bar and is the only thing that makes him bearable.
Hugh Jackman's Jean Valjean is good, but not great, with Bring Him Home being his weakest spot. Sung full voice, there's a power in his prayer that was out of place.
Anne Hathaway turns in a good show as Fantine, and her performance of I Dreamed a Dream was outstanding.
Amanda Seyfried's Cosette was good but forgettable. Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen as the Thénardiers were perfect, and Samantha Barks gave a worthy performance as Éponine.
But the showstopper for me was Eddie Redmayne. With nearly a dozen showings of Les Mis in the theater under my belt, Redmayne blew me away in the best performance of Marius I've seen to date, and Empty Chairs was probably the highlight of the film.
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