Top 5 Movie Musicals

I went to see Now You See Me 2 this week which is not a good movie, and one you should avoid seeing even if you did like the original. But whenever possible I prefer not taking a crap on someone’s work; at least they went out there and tried something, even if it was predictable hogwash with a story the writers just shrugged their shoulders at. Okay, a little crap.

But even a movie that bad can’t dilute my excitement about the ten-dollar Founding Father and the upcoming TONY awards. While I won’t be able to see Hamilton for years, that hasn’t stopped the show’s songs from playing on my Pandora station. With that in mind, here are my top five movie musicals.

Caveat: if this list was a true top five, Singin’ in the Rain, West Side Story, Wizard of Oz, and probably Sound of Music would be on the list. These movies are heralded, classics, and all of them in the AFI TOP 100 But if I am really being honest, with the possible exception of Wizard I wouldn’t want to sit down and watch theses movie if they came on the TV. If there is someone who hasn’t seen these four movies I would encourage you to do so. They are classics and everyone should experience them, but for repeated viewing give me any one of the movies below:   

5) Once (2007)

​When I initially signed up for my Netflix account, the very first DVD they suggested to me was Once. I knew nothing about the movie except what I gleaned from the cover and the tiny summary. After months of trying to fight it, I finally sent away for the DVD and man I am glad I did. Once is the story of a vacuum repairman and a Czech immigrant whose passion for music leads to something more. The story gives me all the feels and the music is absolutely beautiful. Eventually the movie was made into a Broadway musical; where it would go on to win eight TONY awards, including Best Musical. This is a must-see for any musical lover, both the film and theater version.

4) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Based on the 1973 British theater production, this is a movie whose success far surpassed that of the stage version. While it ran for 7 years in London, it only got 45 showings on Broadway. Initially the movie was a flop, but it found its audience at midnight showings with people who like throwing bread and love dressing in silly costumes. The story is a parody/tribute to the B-horror and science fiction movies of the 70s. The movie stars Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon, and the incomparable Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, all hamming it up to a delightful degree. The most important role to me was Meatloaf playing the love interest, which gave me hope that even a schlub could find love and ride a motorcycle through a wall of ice. “Time Warp” is also the first of many dances I would practice alone in my room to make sure I had down pat.

3) The Muppet Movie (1979)

It would be almost impossible to get through this list without putting a kids’ movie on here. For that reason I decided to exclude animated movies, but The Muppet Movie is live-action and deserves the spot on the list.  “Rainbow Connection” is as iconic as any song performed in film or on stage. This movie never made it to stage, as it would be hard to pull off, though the creators of Avenue Q may disagree. I don’t know if repeated viewing of this movie as a child birthed my love of the movie musical, but it did strengthen my affection for a good movie soundtrack, as I am sure this cassette was on repeat in our station wagon growing up. Add in jokes that can be appreciated by people of all ages and some top-notch movie cameos and it’s no wonder The Muppet Movie was added to the National Film Registry. 
 
2) Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

Could I be any more of a cliché? Probably, but this selection can’t help it. Based on the TONY award-winning musical of the same name, Fiddler came out seven years after the theater debut. There was some initial controversy with the movie casting Chaim Topel instead of Zero Mostel, who made the role famous on stage. But having seen Mostel in the original Producers, I think he is probably too over-the-top for the screen. The decision paid off, as Fiddler was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won three. Watching this movie gave me dreams of one day starring in the lead role of a high school production, until of course Chris Villante hit puberty and became the best baritone in the state. Literally. He was ranked first in the state. How do you compete with that? I recently went to New York to see the revival and it reignited my love for the show which is once again up for more awards this year. The music is perfect and the story remains a humbling and haunting piece of beauty.
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1) Grease (1978)

Could it be anything else? Grease was the word and reignited interest in the movie musical across the country. The movie is based on the 1971 stage musical of the same name, and stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. It was nominated for an Academy Award for best song, and the soundtrack for the movie is the top-selling soundtrack in history. When I was growing up my Mom would let us pick three songs each from the soundtrack to play on our stereo so we could listen to it while we played outside. I once let my friend Dan pick three songs and but he only chose one, not really having an interest in listening to any more Danny Zuko than absolutely necessary. I couldn’t believe it. Now should the Grease medley come up during a wedding I do my best to separate the guys and the girls for the climactic final song in the series. I had no chance at being normal, but why would I want to be? I would much prefer living in a world where people occasionally break out in to song and dance.

I hope you’ll be watching the TONYs on Sunday. I know I will be. Feel free to follow me @zstoneathome to hear me fawn more over Lin-Manuel Miranda and lament my missed opportunity at seeing Waitress before its Broadway debut.