Top 15 Movie Musicals

Greetings, reader!

Well, I've done all-time rankings of various genres this fall, and this ought to be the last one of the series for now (I have other themes to explore in December). From a genre very dear to me, these are the all-time greats!

DISCLAIMER: There are a few must-see classics of the genre that I have woefully not seen, as I haven't found them available to watch anywhere in the last years, from streaming service to streaming service or even a quick search of local DVD collections and down-the-rabbit-hole websites. Chief among these are Cabaret and Rent, so if you're wondering why they're not featured, that's why. Tips on where to watch them would be most appreciated!

Here are my honorable mentions: Jersey Boys (2014), Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Joker: Folie à Deux (2024), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), The Greatest Showman (2017).

15. Chicago (2002)

This is one of my fiancée's favorite movies, and I can see why. The Best Picture -winning musical is all about flair, showmanship and female empowerment - with a good deal of murder and other crimes to balance it out with some edge. Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones provide absolutely enthralling performances, while the lavish set design and zany showtunes make the aesthetic charming and memorable. And let's not forget about the choreography, which could be argued to be the film's strongest suit, especially in the Cell Block Tango number.

14. Les Miserables (2012)

Oh yes! The film adaptation of the Broadway adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel is the very epitome of the revolution-themed musical, sure to inspire the viewer to stand on the barricades and sing songs of liberation. Iconic numbers like I Dreamed a Dream and One Day More come to life in a brilliant fashion, making for one hell of a fist-pumping experience for fans of musicals and/or revolutions.

13. The Sound of Music (1965)

Ah, this is the stuff. Made in the mythical era where American audiences were trusted to realize that the Nazis are the bad guys, this Robert Wise classic gets points for its wholesome-turned-nervewracking plot, the beyond-iconic Julie Andrews performance, and immortal musical numbers like Do-Re-Mi, My Favorite Things and the titular The Sound of Music. A truly beautiful film, this one.

12. West Side Story (1961)

Yeah, a film doesn't win TEN Academy Awards by accident. The film with the all-time fourth-highest Oscar count is a brilliant big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical created by Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. While the 2021 remake by Steven Spielberg does certain aspects better, I do consider the 1961 classic to be the overall better film.

Numbers deeply ingrained in musical history, like Maria, America and Tonight, come to life with stunning choreography, while Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno provide some of musical cinema's all-time acting performances as Maria and Anita, respectively. It's a tale as old as time, and I reckon ol' Shakespeare himself would've been proud of this one.

11. Rocketman (2019)

It might be sacrilege to put such a new and opinion-dividing film ahead of West Side Story, but hey, it's my blog and I make the rules. As a cinematic experience, considering all possible aspects, I enjoy and appreciate this slightly under-the-radar biopic of Elton John even more than many conventionally more-acclaimed musicals.

If you haven't seen Rocketman and are wondering why a biopic is on this list, trust me, it's not a case like Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) where we cut to a bunch of the famous songs in between moments of dialogue - Rocketman truly is a musical in every sense of the word. While it does tell the real-life story of Elton John, it does so in a fantastical manner, bending the rules of reality whenever one of the musical numbers hits, which makes for a magical viewing experience. The musical numbers, and the way they tie the conventions of the genre into John's story while showcasing many of his greatest songs, truly make this film tick, and the end result is fantastic.

10. Grease (1978)

With this one, it's all about the vibes. Watching Grease in retrospect is so weird, because you realize that the characters aren't very likable, the central love story is littered with red flags and the moral of the story is horrible - yet that doesn't change your opinion on the musical very much? Because it was never going to be a thematically powerful story with life-changing lessons, nor does it need to be. The all-time legendary aesthetic, coupled with the songs being just banger after banger after banger, makes for a product that is just so fun to watch and listen to.

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are beyond perfect for their roles, and like I said, the songs man, THE SONGS! Grease with Franki Valli performing? Coolness personified. Summer Nights? Classic. Hopelessly Devoted to You? Beautiful. Greased Lightnin? I'm not even into cars, except when this song comes on. You're the One That I Want? One of my all-time favorite musical numbers. We Go Together? Just the ridiculously over-corny and all-out delightful ending track that such a musical calls for.

8. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

It's queer, it's colorful, it's fun and zany and subversive and weird, it's The Rocky Horror Picture Show. No other picture show is quite like the Rocky Horror one, whether it's thanks to the flamboyant songs by Richard O'Brien, the eccentric performances by legends Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon, or the visual aesthetic and costume design being some of the coolest, most revolutionary and iconic imagery seen in the genre. Side effects may include re-examining your sexuality and not getting Time Warp out of your head for three weeks, but be that as it may, I do recommend this beloved fever dream to everyone!

7. The Blues Brothers (1980)

Very few movies can claim to be even half as cool as this one. Two guys, just out of prison and down on their luck, embark on a mission from God - and lucky for the viewer, that mission is filled with entertaining musical numbers, featuring cameos from the combined star power of Ray Charles, James Brown and Aretha Franklin. Throw in a record-breaking car chase sequence, and you've got yourself a classic.

6. Mamma Mia! (2008)

The thing about Mamma Mia! is that it's probably cinema's best example of low-to-no-stakes storytelling. While there is a plot to keep the viewer engaged, very little goes wrong, with most of the runtime being drama-free and devoted to the characters having a good time. Making such a film is a dramaturgical challenge, but they sure pulled it off, making for one of the least stressful and most fun films ever made.

Also, it's a jukebox musical consisting of ABBA's music, so there's no way it was going to be anything but awesome. The clever arrangements and whimsical choreographies make for an end product that truly does the all-time greatest pop band's music justice.

5. The Meaning of Life (1983)

And now for something completely different. For the theater geek part of me, it feels a bit wrong to rank the third Monty Python film ahead of the likes of Grease and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, because in many ways, it isn't as conventionally good as a musical as those films. But, this is a subjective list, and while the compositions and arrangements of The Meaning of Life aren't quite Oscar-worthy, they do make for a film that I enjoy watching time again, more than almost any other musical.

A good musical can be a great deal of things, and this one succeeds in making one laugh better than all the others, much thanks to the hilarity of numbers like Every Sperm Is Sacred and Galaxy Song. This film is bizarre, unforgettable, surprisingly thought-provoking, and in the end, one of my favorite musicals albeit in an unconventional manner.

5. Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (1964)

Oh, yes. This vintage French film was nominated for five Academy Awards, which is quite the feat for a foreign film in the deeply America-centric Hollywood of the 60's. But it's just that good - the central love story is bittersweet heartbreak, and I love how it doesn't spell out to the viewer exactly how they should be feeling (something American romance films tend to do a bit too much), but rather leaves the emotional takeaway up to multiple interpretations.

But the music itself is an even bigger asset than the deeply emotional plot - the main melody of the song I Will Wait for You, which is also heard in multiple instrumental reprises across the film's score, is one of the most authentically and heart-wrenchingly emotional pieces of melody ever composed. Even before I knew anything about the film and its plot, just hearing that melody always moved me, as there's just something about it that invokes raw emotion on an exceptional level.

4. La La Land (2016)

After all the hype has died down, we cinema enthusiasts must ask ourselves - was La La Land really that good?

Honestly, no. It was better.

While many films seem like a huge and game-changing thing at the time of their release but then lose points in retrospect, this masterpiece by Damien Chazelle did the opposite for me. I definitely enjoyed it and considered it one of the year's best movies, but I wouldn't have put in my top 3 movie musicals of all time. However, as the years have passed, I've realized how much layers there really were...in addition to being an aesthetically pleasing love letter to Hollywood with obviously fantastic costume and set design, it's also a good love story made great by how it ends and how much that says about us humans, our goals and ambitions, and our relationships.

Also, the songs are JUST. SO. FUCKING. GOOD. I swear, every time I listen to Another Day Of Sun, my opinion of not only that song or the soundtrack but of the entire movie seems to move up a notch, as its magical atmosphere seems to have infinite "Damn, I didn't remember it was THIS GOOD!" value.

3. Hair (1979)

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of war. And neither is this movie. For my pacifist soul, Hair is pretty much the most thematically powerful musical one could imagine, with its anti-war message hitting deep to a heartbreaking degree. In addition to the values being on point, the film's hippie aesthetic is fun and memorable, and the musical numbers are on point - very untypical songs for the musical genre, but untypical in a good way, as every track is just so incredibly groovy. The haunting final number The Flesh Failures / Let the Sunshine In will stay with you.

2. tick, tick...BOOM! (2021)

I'm guessing that quite a few fans of the genre liked this film alright, but will wonder at me placing it this high. But, man, tick, tick...BOOM! spoke to me. Like, to a staggering degree. I felt this movie on a level that I have felt only a few others.

First of all, the musical itself was written by Jonathan Larson before his untimely passing, and adapted onto the big screen twenty-five years after his death. The musical is an autobiographical one, and Andrew Garfield's performance as Larson is overwhelming in its vulnerability and raw passion. The musical presents Larson as a geek who spends all his time on ambitious creative endeavors, while being frustrated by the inequalities of the world and the fact that everyone can't be saved, as he over-analyzes everything to a point of philosophical conundrums and rambling stand-up bits so convoluted that the only thing he could do with his thoughts was to write a musical about it. Now, as hard as it might be for people who know me to believe, I saw quite a bit of myself (or at least what I aspire to be) in this, making this into the downright most relatable musical I have ever witnessed.

I also love the unconventional style of the narrative, breaking so many barriers of the musical genre while somehow also managing to feel like the genre in its ultimate, unleashed final form. It's a massive tearjerker, and it will always have a big place in my heart.

1. Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Yeah, this one also just really spoke to me. Moulin Rouge! was a gaping hole in my general education for a long time, until I finally saw it for the first time earlier this year. And by God, it became my favorite in the entire genre.

The chosen songs, from how they fit into the story and themes to how they are arranged, are spectacular. The performances by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman are heart-melting, making for a love story that feels larger than life - and this is further boosted by director Baz Luhrmann's arthouse style, the flamboyant set design, and naturally, the musical numbers. Moulin Rouge! takes everything that is great about the genre, celebrates it and bathes in it, in a manner that would make even La La Land jealous. This chaotic, silly and deeply touching film entertained me and moved me to a profound degree, and has quite a firm hold on this list's #1 spot.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I celebrate Finland's Independence Day with a patriotic post: the top 10 accomplishments of Petteri Orpo's government!