I am an odd one in that I did not enjoy the musical "Barnum". Much of it is because it really didn't give a great account of the showman's actual life. For me, I much prefer this 1986 made for TV movie. While it's not perfect (it's a bit episodic due to the film's length), it does give a nice overview of his life and major attractions he brought the world.
It was an odd choice to have Burt Lancaster in the film....mostly because Lancaster was rather elderly at the time. Having him star in it in his peak (1950s-60s) would have been amazing.....but the film managed to still work very well. I especially like how, at times, Lancaster breaks the fourth wall and talks to the viewer! It's well acted, clever and the moments with Tom Thumb were not just interesting but very charming as well.
Overall, a nice TV movie about a truly odd man...but odd in a mostly good way.
