Les Misérables is the 21st episode in Screen Junkies comedy series Honest Trailers. It was written by Russell Eida, Andy Signore, Brett Weiner, Todd Spence and Gina Ippolito. It parodies the 2012 musical film Les Misérables in the format of a musical episode. In addition to spoken narration by Jon Bailey, it includes sung narration by Jason Paige. Les Misérables was the first musical episode of Honest Trailers and features lyrics by Ian Weinreich, Daniel Hartley and Andy Signore, and music by Julian Hornik. The video was published on March 26, 2013, to coincide with the release of Les Misérables on home video and Blu-ray. It is 4 minutes and 12 seconds long. It has been viewed over 8.6 million times.
Watch Honest Trailers - Les Misérables on YouTube
"Not since Chicago has a movie tried so hard to convince you that movie musicals are a good idea." ~ Honest Trailers - Les Misérables
Script[]
Universal Pictures proudly presents... the film you realized had absolutely no dialogue whatsoever, only after you bought your ticket.
Les Misérabablebles
Told in award-winning songs of beauty and exuberance... except those sung by Russell Crowe.
Javert: (singing) --unless you learn the meaning of the law. / I have made a false report. / --we may have met.
Characters often singing, about things that could be very easily done... by just talking normally.
Mme. Thénardier: (singing) --go and draw some water from the well...
Éponine: (singing) Hey there, monsieur, what's new with you?
Cosette: (singing) Are you all right? Why did you go away?
Seriously; they sing everything. So to hit that point even harder, we thought we'd sing the rest of the trailer.
Meet the spirit of human redemption, Jean Valjean
A paroled thief now on the run under an assumed identity
For reasons never made clear in the entire movie
Who must face off against Inspector Javert
An officer with such terrible priorities
He'll put the entire city of Paris on lockdown
To stop a man who already served his time
Follow along in their epic game
Of cat-and-mouse that spans 20 years
Which is almost as long as the movie feels
Meet Fantine, a random factory worker
Who brings an incriminating letter to work
For no reason, and is fired
Sinking into desperation so deep
She becomes the most pathetic woman in France
In just two verses of song
Watch her with no hair, watch her with no teeth
Yet she becomes the most desirable prostitute in town
Which she'll blame on Hugh Jackman
Even though he had nothing to do with it
It's Anne Hathaway like you've never seen her
Literally, she drops dead after only, like
20 minutes of screen time
Leaving Valjean to now care for Cosette
Her precocious child who is scared of the dark
But totally cool letting some stranger drag
Her around the city
Now, at the dawn of revolution
One young man will give up everything
For a woman he's met through a fence
Prompting a heartbreaking romance
We know nothing about because
The entire subplot is glossed over
To make room for countless scenes of Borat
Not since The Dark Knight Rises has a movie
Been so manipulative with its use of time jumps
And not since Chicago has a movie tried so hard
To convince you that movie musicals are a good idea
Featuring award-winning songs, but they all sound the same
So without the track listing, you won't be able to tell
One song from another
Experience over two-and-a-half hours of CGI crane shots
And extreme close-ups
And the death of Russell Crowe's acting ability
Starring...
I have a very annoying vibrato
I really, really, really wanted to win an Oscar
I should have never agreed to sing an entire movie
They really should have shown less of me and more of Éponine
Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse!
[Fancy Wolverine (Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean); Susan Boyle (Anne Hathaway as Fantine); Fat Maximus (Russell Crowe as Javert); French Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen as Monsieur Thénardier); and Tim Burton (Helena Bonham Carter as Madame Thénardier)]
If your girlfriend doesn't appreciate you after sitting through this movie
Then you should really rethink your relationship
Less Miserables
Trivia[]
- The success of this video lead to Screen Junkies producing Honest Trailers for several other musicals including A Star is Born, Mary Poppins, Frozen, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Aladdin, The Jungle Book, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Beauty and the Beast, Moana, La La Land, The Greatest Showman, and many, many more. They also included parody songs in the Honest Trailers for The LEGO Movie, Fifty Shades of Grey, Toy Story and Honest Retro TV Themes! See the musical episodes page for more.
- An Honest Trailer Commentary for this episode was recorded and was available on the Screen Junkies Plus until the website/app was discontinued. Screen Junkies don't currently have any way of releasing the video.
Reception[]
Honest Trailers - Les Misérables has an 96.5% approval rating from YouTube viewers. Media sites were generally positive in their appraisals. The Mary Sue wrote that the Honest Trailer was "longer than it needs to be. Four minutes is a lot to ask from someone watching a trailer, even a fake honest one, but there are enough quality jokes spaced out that you won’t feel cheated at the end of it." Tube Filter said the Honest Trailer was "spot on." Geek Tyrant said the Honest Trailer was "funny." BBC America described the Honest Trailer as "a delight."
Production credits[]
Video thumbnail for Honest Trailers - Les Miserables
VOCALS:[]
Singing Narrator Vocal: Jason Paige
Hugh Jackman Vocal: Daniel Hartley
Anne Hathaway Vocal: Clea Alsip
Russell Crowe Vocal: Jason Paige
Sacha Baron Coen Vocal: Jason Paige
Helena Bonham Carter Vocal: Jason Paige
Voiceover Narration by Jon Bailey
SONG:[]
Lyrics by Ian Weinreich, Daniel Hartley and Andy Signore
Music by Julian Hornik
EPISODE:[]
Directed by Andy Signore
Executive Producer Mitch Rotter
Series Created by Andy Signore & Brett Weiner
Episode Written by Russell Eida, Andy Signore, Brett Weiner, Todd Spence and Gina Ippolito
Edited by Dan Murrell
External links[]
- The Screen Junkies Sing In One Of The Funniest ‘Honest Trailers’ Yet - Tube Filter article
- ‘Les Miserables’ Honest Movie Trailer Sings What We’re All Thinking (VIDEO) - Huffington Post article
- Great Honest Trailer for LES MISERABLES - Geek Tyrant article
- Honest Trailer of Les Misérables Might Be Better Than Les Misérables, Definitely Funnier - The Mary Sue article
- Les Misérables Finally Gets An Honest Trailer - BBC America article