When synchronized sound was invented back in the 1920’s, among the most frequently produced films were musicals. Now, movie musicals have been sweeping the big screen for almost a century. Taking inspiration from music hall, vaudeville, and Broadway, this genre includes musical numbers that move the story along,offer insight into characters and their motivations, and, more often than not, excite their audience. While a divisive genre among many audiences, when a musical film manages to hit the perfect balance between entertainment and engagement, it can bean experience unlike any other.
While musical films such asSweeney Todd,Phantom of the Opera, andLes Misérablesfocus more on the dramatic and serious side of musicals, when most people are in the mood for a good time, there is certainly no shortage. Not every musical is just harmless popcorn fluff, but they all have little elements of entertainment that audiences don’t have to work too hard to find. Whatever the method a musical chooses to take, when a musical is entertaining, it can be deliriously so.
10’Singin’ in the Rain' (1952)
Directed by Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen
Singin' in the Raintakes place in Los Angeles in 1927, at the beginning of the golden age of Hollywood, where the hottest silent film star is the debonair Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly). In public, he’s dignified and madly in love with his beautiful co-star Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen). Behind closed doors, he’s humble and can barely tolerate his clingy, shrill-voiced co-star.But when a whole new system is about to get added to his movies, Don must get the help of his best friend Cosmo (Donald O’Connor) and new love Kathy (Debbie Reynolds) if he hopes to make his latest film,The Dueling Cavalier, into a hit.
While undoubtedly a light-hearted romp,Singin’ in the Rainis alsobrutally honest in its depiction of the struggle most silent film stars took to transition to talking pictures. The process was extremely messy, with frequent technical problems and careers either being ruined or set in stone. The end result is one of the most iconic and entertaining Hollywood musicals ever made.
Singin in the Rain
Watch on Max
9’Wonka' (2023)
Directed by Paul King
Long before he opens his chocolate factory, young Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) arrives in town with no money and an ambition to bring his unique brand of candy to the world. But in less than 24 hours, he finds himself broke, enslaved in a hotel/launderette and at war with a chocolate cartel that has connections with police and the clergy. But with the help of his fellow launderette workers, among them an orphaned little girl named Noodle (Calah Lane), he might just be able to change the world.
Given how Willy Wonka is an enjoyably mysterious character, the idea of an origin movie for the demented candy maker seemed like a recipe for disaster. Thankfully, under the helm ofPaddingtondirectorPaul King,Wonkais a joyous, colorful delight that unapologetically takes inspiration from the likes ofMary PoppinsandDoctor Dolittle. Timothée Chalamet brings an innocent charm with hints of the more demented Wonka we know is to come, andthe songs are classically upbeat and serve the story perfectly.
Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, ‘Wonka’ tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.
8’Rocketman' (2019)
Directed by Dexter Fletcher
Telling the life story of rock superstarElton John, Reginald Dwight(Matthew Illesley/Kit Connor/Taron Edgerton) is born into a detached family with an uncaring mother (Bryce Dallas Howard) and a mostly absent father (Steven Mackintosh). He finds his escape through music, eventually becoming a student at the Royal Academy of Music. Eventually, his talent takes him to the highest of highs - but his search for love brings him to crushing lows.
WhileRocketmanis not the most groundbreaking music biopic, it successfully puts its own spin on the genre by depicting Elton John’s life as a full-blown musical, withcharacters breaking out into his greatest hits and tying them into the narrative. Songs like ‘Rocketman’ and ‘Tiny Dancer’ gain whole new meaning, as they reflect Elton’s detachment from his own life and his hope for a new love.In an age of mediocre biopics based on the lives of famous musicians,Rocketmanmakes a distinctly engaging impression.
A musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John’s breakthrough years.
Rent on Amazon
7’The Rocky Horror Picture Show' (1975)
Directed by Jim Sharman
Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and his fiancée Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) travel alone at night when their car breaks down near an old, hidden castle. Deciding to take refuge inside, they stumble into the strange, literally alien world of Dr. Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry), a self-described “sweet transvestite” mad scientist. What follows is a series of confusing, sensual, and deeply physical experiences that rock Brad and Janet to their core. If they get out alive, what will be left of them?
A film so beloved it is still in limited release even after almost 50 years,The Rocky Horror Picture Showisa playful riff on B-movies with a gleefully anarchistic spirit. It features production design that takes inspiration from Hammer horror films, costume design right out of a punk nightclub, and a rock soundtrack that ranges from campy to quietly metaphorical.It’s certainly not quite to everyone’s taste, but there’s a reasonThe Rocky Horror Picture Showhas become the definitive cult hit.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Watch on Hulu
6’Mamma Mia!' (2008)
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd
Based on the West End hit,Mamma Miais a jukebox musical that uses the songs of the cult Swedish pop groupABBAto tell an original story. Young Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) lives with her mother (Meryl Streep) on an island in Greece and is getting ready for her wedding. But having never known who her father was, she decides to secretly send invitations to three men who had a romantic past with her mother around the time she was conceived. Will she be able to figure out which one is her father? Will her mother find out why they’re really here?
Mamma Miais one of those films that exist for one singular purpose - toplay some great music and let its audience have a great time.The plot is by no means groundbreaking, predominantly taking a back seat to letting the cast sing ABBA songs, more often than not without any real connection or segue. But that has not stopped the film from becoming extremely popular with audiences, to the point whereit has become one of the best-selling DVDs in history, as Billboard reported.
Mamma Mia!
5’Moulin Rouge!' (2001)
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
Unfolding in 1899,Moulin Rougefollows young English poet Christian (Ewan McGregor), who travels to Paris and falls straight into the Bohemian revolution. After a convoluted series of events, Christian is taken to the titular nightclub and falls in love with their most popular courtesan - Satine (Nicole Kidman). She returns his love, but with a jealous Duke (Richard Roxburgh) seeking to pull his funding for the club if he doesn’t have her, it’s a romance that is doomed to die - and a love that will live forever.
Moulin Rougeis a unique take on the jukebox musical sub-genre, using the music of a multitude of different modern artists (fromThe BeatlestoMadonna), fast-paced editing, and extremely over-the-top sets to portray a world that runs on far more heightened emotions than our own.It’s an unapologetically melodramatic tragedywith an attitude much like a night at the club - starting out on a delirious high while ending with a not entirely pleasant hangover.
Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge! follows Christian, a young writer in Paris, who falls in love with Satine, the star courtesan of the Moulin Rouge cabaret. As they begin a passionate affair, they must hide their love from the jealous Duke, who is funding Satine’s next show.
Watch on Disney+
4’The Wizard of Oz' (1939)
Directed by Victor Fleming
Often rated high on lists of the best movie musicals, it’s highly unlikely that there are people on this planet at some point over the last 85 years who have not seenThe Wizard of Oz. It stands up there with franchises likeStar Wars,Lord of the Rings, andSupermanthat have become so synonymous with pop culture, yet more often than not live up to the hype.As a fantasy film, it broke new ground for Hollywood, but as a musical, maybe even more so.
While not the first movie to use songs as part of its story, a strong argument can be made forThe Wizard of Ozbeing amongthe first to truly cement the image of a modern musical. The songs help to push the story along, and express character motivations, and music motifs are reprised throughout to give dramatic weight to certain scenes. The composition of these songs ranges from heartfelt and beautiful to joyous and upbeat andhelped make the film as honored as it is today.
The Wizard of Oz
3’Hairspray' (2007)
Directed by Adam Shankman
Based on the Broadway hit inspired byJohn Waters’ 1988 cult classic,Hairsprayis an entertaining musical thatbrings big laughs, big heart, and big joy. In 1962 Baltimore, Tracey Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) is a fun-loving, progressive teenager obsessed with the Corny Collins Show, and decides to audition when a slot for dancers becomes available. But when racist and fat-phobic producer Velma Von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer) rejects her, Tracy becomes determined not only to become a star but to break societal barriers and make her favorite show racially integrated.
Hairspraydeals with serious issues of racism, body image, and societal progress, yet never forgets how to have fun and entertain its audience. The music is bouncy, peppy, and classically 60s, with the likes of “you may’t Stop the Beat” becoming a playlist standard for any musical fan. Being a film version of a Broadway musical based on a non-musical film,Hairspraybrings things full circle in a film that, while not entirely beholden to its stage counterpart, still captures its infectious spirit and colorful tone.
2’In the Heights' (2021)
Directed by Jon M. Chu
One year afterLin-Manuel Miranda’s musical phenomenonHamiltonwas released to streaming, acclaimed directorJon M. Chureleased his film adaptation of Miranda’s first Broadway hit,In the Heights. Taking place over the course of a few days in the lives of the people who live in Washington Heights, NYC, the film predominantly follows Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), Vanessa (Melissa Barrera), Benny (Corey Hawkins), and Nina (Leslie Grace) as they attempt topursue their dreams while dealing with the harsh reality of the world around them.
With Miranda’s energetic mix of modern Broadway tunes, rap, and rhythm, with Chu’s flair for over-the-top, colorful staging,In The Heightsis a film thatsuccessfully translates its stage origins into a film format. The characters are engaging, the plot gets dramatic, the music is powerful, the tone is grounded yet hopeful, and the themes of finding where you belong and remembrance of home and culture are timelessly relatable.
In the Heights
Adapted for the screen from Lin Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical of the same name, In the Heights stars Anthony Ramos as Usnavi de la Vega, a bodega owner in the New York City neighborhood of Washington Heights on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Usnavi’s daily life and the lives of the other neighborhood residents are detailed through song, set against the backdrop of a sweltering New York City summer.
1’Mary Poppins' (1964)
Directed by Robert Stevenson
When it comes to acclaimed Disney films, few have reached the pedigree ofMary Poppins. Set in London, 1910, the Banks family is on the lookout for a new nanny when one almost literally falls from the sky. This nanny, the titular Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews), is a mysterious woman who operates on her own set of logic, rules, and physics.She takes the children of the family on magical misadventures, all the while their father begins to go on a far more personal journey of his own.
All the elements of a classic Disney film are on full display inMary Poppins: catchy, upbeat songs, beautiful production design and animation, anda true sense of wonder that couldn’t be matched by any other studio. While the emotional arc of Mr. Banks (David Tomlinson) is the true heart of the film, one cannot dismiss such entertaining moments as the animated sequence and “Step in Time”, which are so infectious you almost don’t want to see the end.
