Table of Contents Show
These days there’s one hot button, divisive, topic that is guaranteed to start a fight at any big family dinner: musicals. You either love them or you hate them, or at least that’s what they want you to think. Some of us, like me and maybe like you, are still on the fence. Personally, I haven’t been excited about a musical since High School Musical came out in 2006. Yet, I keep trying because most of my relatives and all of my close friends love them, so there’s got to be something to it, right?
While I’m still not crazy about more traditional musicals, over the years, I’ve found a few films we can compromise on— movies which are technically musicals but are a far cry from the pillars of the genre. Not only are these picks a good compromise on movie night, most of them are available to stream. If like me, you’re looking to dip your feet into musicals but you’re still not ready to watch a more traditional one (CATS anyone?) here’s a few you can try.
That Thing You Do! (1996)
- WATCH IF YOU LIKE: American Graffiti, Mad Men
- STANDOUT NUMBER: “That Thing You Do!” Could there be any other choice?
When the drummer of pop band The Wonders breaks his arm, the rest of the band has to scramble looking for a solution. Enter Guy, an appliance salesman, and drummer with a jazz background.
When Guy changes the beat on one of The Wonder’s romantic ballads to make it a rock song, Jimmy, the band’s frontman is furious… until the song becomes a surprise smash hit, catapulting the group to stardom. But now that they’re at the top, how long can they stay there before they go crashing back down? That Thing You Do! is a nostalgic look back at a landmark moment in American music when the boundaries of popular music were being redrawn.
During the infancy of rock and roll, the field seemed wide open for anyone with a catchy tune, and success seemed within reach for many bands like The Wonders. This smart, snappy, and stylish film captures the experience of many of these groups where the everyman is substituted for an everyband. And, as an added bonus, this film was written and directed by America’s Dad, Tom Hanks.
The Commitments (1991)
- WATCH IF YOU LIKE: Pirate Radio, High Fidelity
- STANDOUT NUMBER: “Mr. Pitiful” There’s a lot of good songs in this musical, but I’m partial to this one.
The Commitments is a gritty musical. It follows the driven, but not talented, Jimmy Rabbitte as he assembles a band of Dublin youth in an attempt to form a supergroup good enough to rocket them to fame and fortune. Jimmy is hardworking and earnest, but often misguided. His choices of mentors and group slogans are questionable at best, and for all his posturing, he’s winging it just as much — if not more so — as the people in his band.
Even his insistence that they be a soul band despite resistance from the group’s members is dubious, yet it seems to work. But The Commitments is really an ensemble film. All of the best scenes revolve around this large group of very different personalities Jimmy had assembled, and watching them come together and drift apart. Watching this movie is like watching a comet, something really great is happening, and you know it’s not going to last very long.
Each of the band’s ten members, not to mention Jimmy, have their own agendas for joining the band. As these motivations shift and change, Jimmy does all he can to keep the group Committed (sorry, I had to do it). The question is, can he pull them together, or are The Commitments destined to fall apart?
Sing Street (2016)
- WATCH IF YOU LIKE: Back to the Future, Rock ‘n’ Roll High School
- STANDOUT NUMBER: “Drive It Like You Stole It” This song is a bop on a soundtrack full of them.
Sing Street is a coming-of-age tale about Conor, a privileged teen whose life starts falling down around him as he tries to rebuild it through music. Conor doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into when he starts at a rough, all-boys, Catholic school. The kids are tough, the teachers are smothering and sinister, and Conor stands out for all the wrong reasons.
The only bright spot seems to be Raphina, an aspiring model who lives across the street from the school. In an attempt to impress her, Conor casually drops that his band is looking for a girl to star in their next music video. But when she doesn’t say no, Conor realizes that now he needs to actually put a band together. In a panic, he manages to assemble a rag-tag team of young musicians, and, luckily, they’re pretty good. Sing Street is a guided tour through the major musical moments of the eighties — using a mix of new and preexisting songs.
However, don’t let all the neon and pop music fool you… this musical can drift into unexpectedly dark territory. That being said, ultimately the musical is a love letter to teenage enthusiasm and optimism, and a rallying cry to anyone out there wondering if they can seize their moment.
Blinded By The Light (2019)
- WATCH IF YOU LIKE: Footloose, The Outsiders (solely because of the amount of denim)
- STANDOUT NUMBER: “The Promised Land” Yes, it’s the regular version of the song, but in the film, it feels so fresh.
Blinded by the Light centers around Javed, a high school student trying to find a way to balance his interests and ambitions with his more traditional family’s expectations. When Javed discovers Bruce Springsteen, it changes his life in ways he couldn’t have imagined.
Throw in racial tension in a divided Thatcher-era Britain, and you’ve got a setup for a roller coaster ride of a coming-of-age tale. Blinded by the Light is a musical about testing your limits and the process of self-discovery. Javed might start out emulating his hero, but by the end of the film, after much trial and error and a few snappy musical numbers, he’s found an identity that’s all his own. One really spectacular aspect of this film is how it so perfectly captures the experience of hearing a life-changing song for the first time.
My dad’s from New Jersey, and it’s almost an understatement to say that I grew up listening to “The Boss.” We’ve actually got what amounts to a small Bruce Springsteen shrine in our house. Even though I started listening to the music in this movie before I could speak, watching this musical made me experience it in a new way, almost as though I, too, was hearing Springsteen’s music for the first time.
Yesterday (2019)
- WATCH IF YOU LIKE: 20 Feet From Stardom, Sliding Doors
- STANDOUT NUMBER: “Hey Dude” With this song on the table, there was no other choice.
The summer of 2019 was a good time for non-traditional musicals. Jack Malik is a struggling musician, mostly playing cover songs in little gigs and getting nowhere fast. He’s considering hanging up his guitar when he’s involved in a mysterious accident that transports him, for reasons that are never really explained, to a world where international superstars The Beatles never existed and Jack is the only one who can remember their music.
Soon, he finds himself living the kind of life he could only dream of… but is his dream really a nightmare? Yesterday is definitely a plot-driven film. There’s no denying that there are moments where the script suffers because it can’t step beyond the initial concept. However, this movie is such a good time. Yesterday features several fun cameos, makes some really clever Beatles historical references, and has great running gags.
In between subverting film tropes (such as, “a shadowy group of strangers knows the protagonist’s secret”), the musical also takes some time to address some big ideas, like fate, creative integrity, and the costs of getting everything you’ve ever wanted. It’s also one of those films that leave you wondering, “What if…?” long after the credits have rolled.
Across The Universe (2007)
- WATCH IF YOU LIKE: Moulin Rouge!, Nowhere Boy
- STANDOUT NUMBER: “Across The Universe,” The hypnotic sound and surreal visuals make this one of the most memorable scenes from the film.
This musical received mixed reviews when it came out, but not from me. I’ll admit to being biased about this film, it was the first PG-13 movie I ever saw in theatres and it wound up being one of those formative filmgoing experiences. Across the Universe follows Liverpudlian Jude as he travels to the USA to find his father, an American GI whom he’s never met.
Once in the States, however, things go off the rails pretty quickly, and Jude finds himself immersed in a psychedelic journey through an exciting and divided Vietnam-War-Era America. Along the way, he meets off-brand versions of several cultural heavy hitters, is drawn into a romance with his roommate’s adventurous sister, and discovers his voice as an artist. There’s a lot to like about this movie. The color-soaked visuals, the layered storytelling (there are so many different plotlines in this movie and all of them are great), and the creative reimagining of classic Beatles songs are just a few of them. I promise you’ll be singing “For The Benefit of Mr. Kite” in your hairbrush for weeks to come.
Musical Honorable Mentions
These musicals are ones which, while great, don’t quite fit in with those listed above. However, I couldn’t end this list without at least mentioning the three following films.
Labyrinth (1986)
This musical has cult classic status for a reason. If you haven’t already seen it, watch it. Labyrinth follows whiney teen Sarah as she’s thrown into a fantasy adventure to save her infant half-brother from Jareth, the Goblin King.
But in order to do so, she must find her way to the center of the labyrinth where she will encounter friends, foes, and lots and lots of Muppets. Technically, this film was allegedly made for children (hence the Honorable Mention), but I can assure you it’s a good time for all ages. There’s even a fun drinking game you can play while you watch. And if somehow you’re still not convinced, I have two words for you: David. Bowie.
A Hard Days Night (1964)
A Hard Days Night is arguably the grandfather of every film on this list. This could have very easily just been a promotional film, but instead they went above and beyond and created a cinematic classic.
Watching this is like opening a time capsule. It preserves an era, yet it still feels fresh today, with scenes that feel so natural you would be forgiven for thinking that they were improvisation. While this might be the grandfather of these movies, there is also a grandfather in this movie and he’s pretty great. This unexpectedly bizarre character really elevates every scene he’s in and helps stabilize the narrative.
Hedwig And The Angry Inch (2001)
This is by far the most “standard” musical on this list, as it’s enjoyed a substantial run both on and off-Broadway, and the part of Hedwig has been played by many theatrical heavy-hitters. However, the music is a far cry from your average show tune. I believe this is what the kids call a “rock opera.”
But Hedwig And The Angry Inch is more than just very good, at times David Bowie-esque, music. The plot is a nuanced and complicated exploration of gender and LGBTQ identity. You might think you have the gist of it once you know what the “Angry Inch” in the title refers to, but I assure you that there’s more to it than that.
Before You Go…
Hopefully at least one of these movies will appeal to you, or maybe to a friend who wouldn’t ordinarily be into musicals. It’s never a bad time to try something new, and maybe this list will encourage you to take a baby step into a new genre. And who knows… you might just like it! This list is by no means meant to be comprehensive, so if you have other recommendations, leave them in the comments!
