So… how about thatCatstrailer? It’s, like, really weird, right? The long-running Broadway smash, coming to us from composerAndrew Lloyd Webberand poetT. S. Eliot, features one of the greatest pieces of musical theatre ever composed (“Memory”) amidst a downright incomprehensible narrative involving a group of cats attempting to prove they are worthy of ascending to Heaven by singing, among other tunes, an aggressive rock number with lyrics like “Rum Tum Tugger is a curious cat.”
It was always weird, is what I’m saying. But the film version, featuring an all-star cast ofJennifer Hudson,Ian McKellen,James Corden,Taylor Swift,Jason Derulo,Judi Dench,Idris Elba, andRebel Wilsondoubles down on the strangeness of it all with eye-poppingly garish CGI “fur technology” rendering each actor into some kind of PS2 cutscene abomination. With, you know, cats!
Surely, this must be the weirdest Hollywood movie musical ever made, right? Well – maybe not. For there is a history of strange musicals that have made it to the big screen. Movies that say “no thank you” to the traditional pleasures of aSingin’ in the Rainor aLa La Landin favor of an idiosyncratic, unique, singular vision that can only be described as “bonkers.” Buckle your seatbelts and get your ears ready for some tunes: These are the weirdest movie musicals ever made, in honor of those damn Jellicle Cats.
Repo! The Genetic Opera
The term “cult classic” gets thrown around a lot these days, butRepo! The Genetic Operais the real deal; a critically maligned oddball that amassed a dedicated fandom all its own — a fandom, it should be noted, that is still meeting up for interactive fan-screenings more than a decade after the film was released. So what exactly makesRepo!such a strange number? Set in a dystopian future where an organ failure epidemic devastates and reforms society, a mega-corporation named GenCo becomes the “savior” of the day with organ transplants on loan — but if you miss your payments, you have to deal with the Repo Men, who come and collect the company property to some gruesome ends. Beyond the legalized murder, there’s a mystery illness, elites jockeying for an inheritance, a surgery-addictedParis Hilton, a disturbingly alluring GraveRobber who serves as the musical’s narrator, the greatSarah Brightmansporting super-creepy transplant eyes, and of course, opera. -Haleigh Foutch
Robert Altman.Robin Williams.Shelley Duvall.Harry Nilsson. All masters of their craft. And when they combined to turn the lovable adventures of Popeye the Sailor Man into a bonafide Hollywood musical, they created one of the weirdest, most puzzling pieces of tonally-clashing filmed musicals ever made. The 1980 musical version ofPopeyetries to smudge Altman’s acclaimed-but-ultra-specific aesthetics and stylistic tics into “a musical” as literally as possible, without seemingly any adjustments for the new form. Altman tends to shoot his sequences in freewheeling, zoom-happy wides, eschewing traditional coverage. His dialogue is delivered in naturalistic, overlapping waterfalls; he’s less interested in comprehension than in textures. Thus: His musical sequences are shot in freewheeling, zoom-happy wides – meaning that when Williams sings a happy tune, he is framed just, like, a little too far away, and it’s weird. And: The songs, penned by the incredible Nilsson, literally do not rhyme, so as to feel more like natural dialogue instead of a stylized “piece of music.” Couple this with Williams’ truly insane Popeye dialect choice, and these tunes become borderline avant-garde.
Making a comedy musical starring Williams as Popeye must’ve felt like a home run to Paramount – the fact that Altman took the pitch and instead delivered “a strange bunt down the first bass line that still somehow advanced the runner” is delightful to me. And ifPopeyeintrigues you in any way, I’ll give you two more pieces of homework: WatchPunch-Drunk Loveand listen toCarly Rae Jepsen’s“Everything He Needs,”as both works flip and remix the Nilsson-penned Duvall-performed “He Needs Me” in objectively perfect ways.
Romance & Cigarettes
The jukebox musical has existed for some time, both onstage in acclaimed Broadway shows likeJersey BoysandAmerican Idiot, and in the cinema in eccentric works likePennies from HeavenandOh! What a Lovely War(both equally valid entries for this list, both worth your time). But this well-trod form perhaps reached its apex of oddness withJohn Turturro’s 2005 New York kitchen sink dramedyRomance & Cigarettes. The singular, stylized vision practically shakes with Turturro’s personal passion, and its star-studded cast is more than ready to oblige.James Gandolfini,Susan Sarandon,Steve Buscemi,Mary Louise-Parker,Christopher Walken,Mandy Moore, and the clear MVPKate Winslet– this is a dope as hell cast, and they throw down the gauntlet with their musical performances, achingly expressing the alternating passions and regrets they feel.
But while Turturro’s constructions do flirt with classical musical tropes, from his widescreen cinematography (Clint Eastwood’s boyTom Stern) to his intricate dance choreography (which often gets real horny!), his performers’ songs are fundamentally, originally odd. They’re not singing new arrangements of the classic rock tunes on the soundtrack. Nor are they lip-syncing to the original tunes, as some musical films have used as a device. Instead, they sing alongwiththe original tunes, their generally untrained voices (Moore notwithstanding) lilting under and over the songs. It gives the whole piece a feeling of verisimilitude – these characters are just singing along to the radio, the way you or I would – and makes it a worthy addition to the “odd musical canon.” Walken’s rendition of Tom Jones’ “Delilah” is, especially, a knockout.
Dancer in the Dark
Are you in the mood to have your world absolutely annihilated? No? You feel like “being happy”? Okay, maybe steel and save yourself from watchingDancer in the Darkjust yet. But if you’ve got the stomach to deal with some utter emotional despair,Lars von TrierandBjörk’s 2000 gut-punch musical is, to borrow a phrase from the Icelandic icon, a triumph of the heart – even as it’s breaking yours. Björk is a factory worker trying to hide the fact that she’s going blind, while trying to raise money for an operation for her son to avoid the same fate. And theentire fucking worldis out to get her, resulting in some hard-to-watch exploitations of her innocence (complicated by the real-life knowledge thatvon Trier exploited herthroughout shooting), a couple of queasy crimes, an agonizing indictment of the legal system, and a borderline unfair final image.
Throughout this narrative, rendered in von Trier’s trademark Dogme 95-styled filmmaking (bleary, smeary digital images removing any sense of affect or “directorial choice”), Björk sometimes gets moments of reprieve in the form of imagined musical numbers, combining some traditional Hollywood razzle-dazzle (especially with an inspired cameo fromCabaret’sJoel Grey) with Björk and von Trier’s eccentricities. The Björk-penned tunes are works of remarkable nuance, offering a semblance of reprieve while radiating with the melancholically dramatic irony that this is not, and can not, be real. True story: The first time I watchedDancer in the Dark, it was such a soul-shattering experience, that I needed to watch the traditional pleasures ofMary Poppinsimmediately after. Good luck!
Anna and the Apocalypse
Few films have to satisfy as many genres asAnna and the Apocalypse, but this Scottish gem ticks all the boxes handily while singing and dancing through the heartfelt chaos. Part Christmas movie, part high school musical, and part zom-com,Anna and the Apocalypseis surprisingly great at being all three, bouncing between holiday spirit, teenage hormones, and laugh-out-loud horror-comedy (or sometimes, heartbreaking zombie drama) with such tonal precision directorJohn McPhailmakes it look deceptively easy. Sure, this is probably the only musical where you’ll see a zombie in a snowman suit get decapitated by a see-saw or watch a gang of singing teenagers dispatch the undead with watermelons and a PlayStation controller, but it’s also just a damn good musical to boot with earworm songs, great ensemble numbers, and — arguably the toughest to pull off of all — great (and hilarious) new Christmas songs you’ll immediately add to your yearly playlist. -Haleigh Foutch
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
Did you forget that theSouth Parkmovie is a bonafide Hollywood musical? Allow me to remind you. Better yet, allowStephen Sondheim, one of the best composers and lyricists to ever live (Sweeney Todd,Company), to remind you: “I think South Park Uncut is just terrific, and the numbers in it are wonderful.” Sondheim is, as usual, correct:South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncutis a terrific film with wonderful musical numbers, written byTrey ParkerandMarc Shaiman. Beyond the film’s expected raunch lies a narrative with an unexpected and important big ol’ damn heart. The film’s pitch-perfect mapping of traditional musical structure – an opening number in “Mountain Town,” a want song in “Up There,” an end of act one show-stopper in “La Resistance” – works so well because there is genuine emotion behind each tune.
While the literal Devil might sing “Up There” about his frustrations with live-in boyfriendSaddam Hussein, these outrageous specifics soar because of the true pathos behind the lyrics, melody, and performance. Even the out-and-out gag-centered variety numbers – like “What Would Brian Boitano Do?”, in which the gang muses on how the famous figure skater would get out of this jam – are elevated by sheer commitment. In other words, the best jokes, especially musical ones, work the best when nobody knows they’re jokes. Just like the show, Parker andMatt Stonehave an awful lot to say about our society beyond their silly, vulgar gags. And we should all be grateful they chose to express it via music and lyrics.
Bonus points: Check out Parker and Stone’s pre-South ParkworkCannibal! The Musicalto see just how much these guys have loved musicals forever.
Streets of Fire
If you want to get me, a reserved man who likes iced chai lattes and speaking in a soft tone about how I like major seventh chords because they’re “gentle”, to jump out of my seat and pump my fist in the air like an aggro bro who just got aBallersblu-ray for Christmas, put the filmStreets of Fireon. This flick straight up rules hard. Coming from the brains of tough genre maestroWalter Hill(The Warriors,48 Hrs.),Streets of Fireis a wild melange of tones, styles, and tunes. It mixes up neon-noir, post-apocalyptic alternate reality grungy sci-fi, 1950s nostalgia, 1980s retro-futurism, punchy action, broad comedy (hello,Rick Moranis!) and, most importantly,Diane Laneas the frontwoman of a rockin’ band, Ellen Aim and the Attackers.
Using Lane, Moranis, and an eclectic cast includingMichael Paré,Willem Dafoe, andBill Paxtonas the brushes on his canvas, Hill and production designerJohn Vallonecraft a world that feels both indebted to the best kinds of kitschy influences and wholly unique impulses. Hill never lets the audience rest, assailing us with intense action choreography and early-MTV style editing. As for the music? If you’re into bombastic, operatic 1980s rock likeMeat LoaforStevie Nicks, this flick features tunes written by Nicks and Loaf collaboratorJim Steinmanthat will hit you in the bones and stick. “Nowhere Fast” is the obvious hit, but my heart belongs to “Countdown to Love,” a doo-wop aping tune bubbling with adorableness. You ain’t never seen a film likeStreets of Fire– and you must see it now, lest I bro out on you some more.
Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem
In some ways, it makes sense that aDaft Punkmusical would be an anime visual album about an intergalactic alien pop group who gets abducted by a vicious human and must be rescued by an alien astronaut. It would be “weirder” if they made, like, aFred Astaire-styled soft-shoe showcase to “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” right? Set entirely to the landmark albumDiscovery,Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystemis essential viewing for anyone who considers themselves a fan of the French robot-mask wearing dance music duo. A collaboration withSpace Battleship YamatodirectorLeiji Matsumoto, the film’s visuals are candy-coated, popping with appealingly colorful visuals that radiate with the album’s inherent, highly earnest sense of melancholy, hope, and love (digital or otherwise).
You will geek out over how fun the synchronization between the visuals and these now-iconic tunes plays, and you will marvel at how the creative team manages to retroactively make the album feel like a coherent concept album from frame and track one (the objectively perfect “One More Time"). But if you’re not already a Daft Punk fan, the film still works as an experimental yet accessible musical sci-fi odyssey that has a lot to say about capitalism, obsession, unrequited love, technology, and sweet, sweet music. Plus – you just might find your new favorite band. If you’re diggingInterstellaand want more Daft Punk films, check outDaft Punk’s Electroma, a minimalist feature directed by the duo that is literally not a musical. You will either love it or hate it.
Phantom of the Paradise
What if thePhantom of the Opera– before Andrew Lloyd Webber got his catchy little hands all over it – was repurposed for the “1970s genre art-schlock” crowd by notorious genre provocateurBrian de Palma(Carrie,Dressed to Kill) and perfect composer/looney actorPaul Williams(“The Rainbow Connection”)? You’d getPhantom of the Paradise, a thrill ride chock-full of incredible music, deliciously stylized filmmaking, hammy-as-hell performances in all the best ways, and downright Shakespearean acts of love and betrayal.
William Finley(with the singing voice of Williams) plays Winslow Leach, a talented songwriter who’s used, abused, and discarded by the greedy record producer Swan (the actual Williams). Thus, Leach transforms himself into The Phantom, and sneaks into Swan’s venue The Paradise to have his music sung and appreciated by his love, the talented Phoenix (Jessica Harper). The Phantom’s lewk – a bloodshot eye protruding through an elongated aviary feeling mask over metal teeth gritted in agony – will inspire your new Halloween costume. And his doomed-from-the-start love with Phoenix and attempts for revenge with Swan will move and delight you with equal parts sincerity and camp. There were many “wild rock musicals” made during the late ‘70s and ‘80s, from outliers likeThe Appleto more mainstream works likeXanadu. But for my money,Phantom of the Paradiseremains the most watchable, the most deliriously entertaining, and the most low-key influential on many of our favorite contemporary genre pictures.
Yellow Submarine
Made in betweenSgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club BandandThe White Album– aka theBeatles’ two most experimental albums –Yellow Submarineis a rollicking burst of experimentation, imagination, and explorations both visceral and cerebral. Also – it’s got, like, really good music. The Beatles were good, y’know? The animation on this sucker is both inviting and impenetrable, pushing the limits of 1960s hand-drawn artistry past their breaking point, and finding something new on the other side – if you are a fan of any contemporary animation, particularly the surrealscape of Adult Swim, you oweYellow Submarinea watch. Its narrative, resting on a world rendered immovable due to the presence of the hateful Blue Meanies, is simple enough to provide a trampoline for all kinds of set pieces and shenanigans, yet also complicated enough to feel like a genuine journey.
Yellow Submarineis a wild, wild ride, one that can speak to the open hearts of children, the open minds of grown-up cinephiles, and the open courage of, um, stoners. Also, if you haven’t gotten enough “weird Beatles musicals,” I have great news for you: Every single official Beatles musical film is weird, friend.A Hard Day’s Night? Black and white cinema verite styled absurdist comedy, weird.Help? Technicolor spy caper in whichRingo Starris shrunk, weird.Magical Mystery Tour? Psychedelic music video vignettes attached to a nonsensical framing device with purposefully hard-to-follow comedy bits, weird.Let It Be? A grating, exacting dissection of a band who hates each other and clearly must break up, culminating with one of the most objectively joyful musical performances ever, weird. Also:Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, while not an official Beatles-featuring film, is utterly weird, with stars of the ‘70s covering the album with no good taste and no good plot.
