MY TOP TEN MOVIE MUSICALS

It’s a common phrase: “Write what you know.” So I’m kicking off my (hopefully) weekly feature, Top Ten Tuesdays, on a Monday with my picks for the top ten movie musicals of all time. These are based on cuz I said so. I’m not including any ProShot stage musicals or Disney animated musicals because those seem like good future list topics. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

10. GREASE 2

Grease may be the word but Grease 2 is the show! Get into it. The main factor that places this sequel above the beloved original for me is the superior score and Michelle Pfeiffer’s rendition of Cool Rider comes in at a close second. Most of these songs are much funnier and more plot driven than those found in the predecessor with a couple of clunkers (looking at you Charade) notwithstanding.

9. MOULIN ROUGE

The success of this film can be narrowed to four words and an ampersand: Baz Luhrmann & Ewan McGregor. McGregor is luminous in this movie, so sweet and sincere and lovable and his vocal performance overflows with boyish vulnerability. It’s a career best performance for a consistently great actor. And while jukebox musicals (especially multi-artist jukeboxers) are decidedly not my thing, Baz Luhrmann elevates the sub-genre with his rich, luscious visuals and unique style. A stronger lead actress might’ve bumped this film up the list as Nikki Kidman’s reed thin cringe inducing vocals almost tank the whole picture.

8. TEEN WITCH

I’ve always been shocked that Robin Lively didn’t become a bigger star. She’s so genuine and endearing in this movie, one of my absolute favorites from childhood. Admittedly it’s nostalgia that places this film on the list because, also admittedly, it’s not a great movie. Or musical for that matter. But it is so much FUN! The few songs that appear in the movie are slamma jamma bops and as far as YA films go the performances and production are pretty solid. You don’t really even wanna try and top that.

7. HELLO, DOLLY!

This film has the reputation for ending the golden era of movie musicals and I really don’t see why as it’s my favorite of the period. Barbara Streisand is notoriously miscast but that doesn’t make her performance any less compelling or hilarious. Her intro to So long Dearie is one of my favorite moments from any movie musical. And Michael Crawford is a doll as Cornelius Hackle, his crackling tenor projects a most honest and sincere It Only Takes a Moment. It’s one of the most perfect books and scores in the entire musical theatre canon and this is a perfectly good film portrayal of it.

6. MATILDA, THE MUSICAL

The newest entry on this list, I was blown away by the near flawless translation from stage to film. It’s a difficult endeavor and we’ve seen it fail way more often than succeed but this one really gets it right. Beautifully cast, fantastically choreographed and perfectly shot it is in many ways an improvement on the stage show. The world of Roald Dahl is a fantasy world filled with magic and even with the biggest of budgets, on stage magical moments require a giant leap of willing suspension of disbelief. The depth of visual reality the film medium provides allows for a more complete engagement into the magic and into the show.

5. HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH

This is really a show best seen in an old, small ramshackle theatre or bar which makes a film translation tricky. But Hedwig is John Cameron Mitchell’s creation and as the film’s writer and director he has crafted a careful recreation of his beloved off Broadway smash hit. This is a gorgeous, glorious, transcendent piece of work, both on stage and on film, and I’ve become more human through my interactions with it.

4. SISTER ACT 2

Another sequel that surpasses it’s more popular original. Don’t get me wrong, the original is a classic but this film gripped me tight as a kid. Mostly because of Lauryn Hill’s voice and performance but the whole cast is great and I think the film captures some of the most inspiring (Oh Happy Day), most beautiful (His Eye is On the Sparrow) and most downright entertaining (Joyful, Joyful) musical moments ever committed to film.

3. LABYRINTH

I rented this VHS from the library probably a million times and I was just transfixed on Jennifer Connelly. Recently seeing her in Top Gun, Maverick reminded me how incandescent she is on screen and only slightly more so at 16. I can’t think of another movie that feels like Labyrinth. It’s always sucked me in with a kind of sublime anxiety of being trapped in a wonder filled but dangerous place, attributable to a menacing but seductive David Bowie. It was a confusing movie for my little queer brain and it’s left a lasting, indelible impression.

2. THE WIZARD OF OZ

Many would call this the GOAT and were it created in a time when more care is taken in weaving song and plot it would be my number one. Judy Garland…I mean really what can you say. It’s one of the most deservingly popular and recognizable film performances ever. The word iconic is overused these days but it applies very specifically here. Every part of her performance is iconic but Over the Rainbow is the single best vocal performance ever captured on film. Period.

1. CHICAGO

Chicago is the only musical film I can think of that elevates the source material beyond its original inception to something even greater. The plot takes place in two worlds, the real world of a 1920’s woman’s prison and a fantasy vaudeville world. On stage defining these two worlds can be a tricky, confusing task but on screen these transitions can happen naturally, with zero audience befuddlement. It boasts a terrific cast and technically perfect production helmed by director Rob Marshall who lives in two worlds himself, directing proficiently in both the hyper realistic film medium as well as the stylized, razzle dazzle theatrical stage. It’s this perfect marriage of artist and material that make this film the very best of the genre.