BY PRISCILLA MEDINA

For those who have a love for musicals, take a look at the romantic drama under the direction of Tom Hooper, “Les Misérables” (lay-mee-zay-rahbl) or as some may call it “Les Mis,” seeing that most are unable to pronounce it correctly. Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, the very popular “Les Misérables” musical production launched in the 1980’s. The film was released in theatres on December 25, 2012. Not like many musical films, the majority of the time the cast sang in order to tell the story. Usually you would suspect the songs to be pre-recorded, however the music for “Les Mis” was sung while filming.

The film takes place in 19th century France. Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) an ex-convict, has broken his parole to start a new life, as Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe) has gone after him. In the meantime, trying not to get caught by Javert, Valjean makes a promise to care for his factory workers, Fantine’s (Anne Hathaway) daughter Cosette (Amanda Seyfried), who originally went through many obstacles just so she could pay an innkeeper and his wife to watch over Cosette.  As for Cosette, she is caught in a love triangle with Marius (Eddie Redmayne), a student of the rebellion and Eponine (Samantha Barks), the daughter of the innkeeper. Each individual is in turmoil.

With such an amazing cast, “Les Mis” won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture in a Musical or Comedy, Hugh Jackman won for Best Actor, and Anne Hathaway won for Best Supporting Actress. Hathaway also won a Screen Actors Guild Award for her Supporting Role in the movie. With song after song, some criticize the movie as boring, but I highly recommend it for adults and those who have a love for musicals. For those adults who’ve never experienced a real musical production, “Les Mis” shows a great example of what a musical is all about.