It’s just my opinion, but to me it ain’t a musical until you see a character burst into song in the middle of a crowded street, and then everyone starts dancing. This doesn’t seem to happen very often in real life, which is why we need musicals.
Today, let’s talk about a few of the best musicals produced for film since the year 2000. In order to produce this list, however, this reviewer had to choose some criteria which may have eliminated a few favorites.
This list includes only live action musicals with original songs, and/or newly filmed versions of musicals originally produced for stage.
I decided not to list: animated features (e.g. Happy Feet); musicals using exclusively a catalogue of pre-existing songs (e.g. Across The Universe; Romance and Cigarettes); or ‘musicals’ which are actually just movies about songwriters (e.g. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story; Once).
If your favorite movie fits all these criteria and still isn’t on the list, that’s because I didn’t like it.
On to the good stuff!
10. The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
A lush, romantic, over-the-top but still satisfying revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s gothic musical. It’s full of classic tunes, great costumes, gorgeous sets, and somewhat weak attempts to make prince charming Patrick Wilson look old. Minnie Driver also gives a delicious performance as the primadonna diva, La Carlotta.This is a fun evening’s entertainment if ever there was one. Prepare to be seduced!
9. Rent (2005)
Rent, arguably the most important and influential musical in recent memory, is about down-and-out bohemians living in New York City in the 90’s. The fast-paced, emotional story follows their strugges to survive poverty, addiction, and AIDS. Onstage there is nothing like it (except maybe La Boheme), but the earnest attempt to finally bring it to film made it look a bit dated. I think this may have less to do with any failure on the part of the creators, and more to do with just how much Rent defined the way we think, about AIDS, homelessness and addiction. The characters and situations are so familiar to us now that they may look like clichés, but that’s only because Rent was the musical that set the standard. The issues it raises are still with us.
8. Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
A musical, from the director who brought you The Saw II-IV. Enough said? This goth rock slasher opera features Anthony Head as a “legal assassin” who reclaims body parts from patients who can’t pay. The show is utterly fantastic, if a bit cheesy, and worth watching just to see Sarah Brightman’s bizarre and beautiful performance. Viewers will note a striking similarity to the plot of 2010’s non-musical Repo Men, but while the concepts are similar the films serve very different (though equally bloodthirsty) audiences.
7. The Producers (2005)
It’s the movie version, of a musical version, of a movie, about a musical. Director Mel Brooks’s hilarious story follows Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane) and cowardly accountant Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick) as they attempt to cash in by producing a Broadway flop. The show is essentially the perfect musical, full of perfect comic numbers. The parade of gay stereotypes in the “Keep It Gay” segment is sure to amuse and annoy, and is well balanced by the inclusion of virtually every other imaginable stereotype, including Uma Thurman as a long-limbed Swede whose motto is “If You’ve Got It, Flaunt it.” Nathan Lane is probably the best part of the show.
6. Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
For its profoundly moving musical numbers and fascinating historical tale alone, this epic Bollywood film has to rate among the best musicals of the decade. Jodhaa Akbar astounds with its rich instrumentation, beautiful production and a classic love story that transcends religious differences. With music by acclaimed composer A.R. Rahman, Jodhaa Akbar tells the story of the 16th century Muslim Mughal emperor Akbar The Great whose mutually respectful and loving partnership with his Hindu wife Jodhabai helped advance the dream of a nation united. The film aroused controversy in some communities, and a few of the battle sequences fall a bit short, but director Ashotosh Guwarikar claims the film was “rigorously researched” and historically accurate. Regardless, the film’s music and production can only be described as sublime, and the uplifting message of religious tolerance, love and compassion makes the film a delightful and memorable experience.
5. Chicago (2002)
One word: Fosse. Chicago has it all: a great cast, great choreography, great story, great songs. Set in the roaring 20’s, it’s the story of murderess Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) as she does time on death row alongside her idol, jazz club showgirl Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones). The Cell-Block Tango” is a particularly unforgettable number, wherein the inhabitants of death row explain why “he had it comin’.
4. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Australian director Baz Luhrmann has always loved music, dance, glitter and romance. In Moulin Rouge! he presents a tale of star-crossed lovers (Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman) at famous Parisian nightclub, the Moulin Rouge. The show mixes musical genres and eras, adapting and mixing pop, rock, techno, bhangra, classical, tango, original songs and everything in between. It also features a musical within a musical as the characters try to put on a show called “Spectacular Spectacular!” While their realities are somewhat tragic, the spectacle is an overwhelming success.
3. Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Featuring Icelandic indie-pop star Björk as Selma, an immigrant woman trying desperately to get her son an operation that will save his sight, this movie is an emotional battering-ram that might cause even the staunchest viewers to break down in public. Selma, an imaginative woman obsessed with Hollywood musicals, turns her ever-darkening situation into a series of rousing and beautiful musical numbers. It’s an interesting reinterpretation, arguably an outright attack, on the Hollywood musical as an escapist fantasy where one can try to hide from the harsh realities of life.
2. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
One of the better collaborations between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd is a perfectly-realized vision. Sondheim’s music is beautifully adapted by composer Christopher Bond and engagingly performed by the cast. Supporting actors Jayne Wisener (“Johanna”) and Ed Sanders (“Toby”) give particularly stunning musical performances.
1. Hedwig And The Angry Inch (2001)
Hedwig And The Angry Inch addresses sharp, painful issues using passion, humor, beauty, and stirring songs. It’s the story of a young man forced to undergo a back-alley sex change in order to escape Communist East Berlin, only to find himself living a hardscrabble life as a woman in a trailer park in the American Midwest. Abandoned, alone, trapped between genders and between worlds, Hedwig has no choice but to make herself a star. The creators of this musical expanded the reach of the genre in ways not seen since Cabaret. Hedwig is a poetic confessional of gender, history and politics; a story about growing up and discovering identity, with nothing to rely on but rock music and a fierce determination to survive.
Bonus: Stingray Sam (2009)
While researching this list, I found an unusual independent production known as Stingray Sam. It is an hour-long musical presented as a series of six episodes and is available primarily in digital media form. While its theatrical exposure was limited, it won several awards and is just too cool not to mention. If you like singing cowboys, in space, look up Stingray Sam.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_films_by_year
Sweeney Todd on IMDB
Repo! The Genetic Opera on IMDB
Repo! director Darren Lynn Bousman on IMDB
Jodhaa Akbar on Wikipedia
Dancer In The Dark on IMDB
Stingray Sam’s Official Website
