friday flicks – movie musicals for people who hate musicals

There doesn’t seem to be a film genre that is as divisive as the musical these days, and there seems to be a growing number of folks who aren’t all that impressed with the once-beloved staple of Hollywood productions. Only 1% of major movies today are musicals, a steep drop from its height of 10% back in the 1930s.

Listen, we get that musicals are not for everyone and there are certainly a couple of musical mistakes in the past year that have certainly not helped to quell an audience’s growing disapproval – Cats, Dear Evan Hansen and Sia’s Music are probably to blame. But there do exist a handful of movie musicals that are actually pretty fun and make for a good watch, if you can believe it. Musical haters: lend us your ears! Have a read down below of some of our recommendations for musicals that you’ll enjoy for your next movie night (we promise.)

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW Ask your parents about this flick since there’s a mighty high chance that they’ll have some stories to tell about this one. Revered as a cult classic and often makes a top spot of even a musical hater’s favourite films list, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a wild romp of a tale that can keep anyone entertained on wacky characters and visuals alone, but the fact that the tunes are also great is a whopping big bonus in our eyes. Starring Hollywood greats such as Susan Sarandon, Tim Curry, Richard O’Brien and even a cameo from Meat Loaf himself, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll have a good time watching this flick (if you haven’t already.)

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS This is another horror-based musical, except this time with a giant killer plant from outer space. This 1986 movie stars Rick Moranis as a down-on-his-luck florist who begins a twisted friendship with Audrey 2, a particularly sassy plant named after his co-worker and long-time crush played by Ellen Greene, and happens to have an insatiable craving for human flesh. It also stars Steve Martin as a sadistic dentist as well as all of the other absurd shenanigans befitting for a late ‘80s comedy, like an uber-glamorous Greek chorus trio who sing-narrate everything going on. We suggest giving this classic musical a watch, because if the words; ‘giant singing plant coercing a nerdy flower shop worker into murder,’ don’t pique your interest just slightly, then we don’t know if anything will.

HAIRSPRAY Now moving back into the realm of reality – or at least as how realistic a musical can get – we have the 2007 movie-musical Hairspray, which was based on the stage production of the same name, that was in turn based on the non-musical film directed by legendary director and the undisputed king of weirdness, John Waters. Taking place in Baltimore during 1962, this flick follows teenager and hairspray-enthusiast Tracy Turnblad navigating her place in the world as a plus-size girl, while also dancing on the popular Corny Collins Show. While a bit ridiculous on the surface, this musical also delves into some meaty topics like racial segregation, body image and other societal pressures felt during that era. Plus, we can take a safe bet that “You Can’t Stop the Beat” will be playing on repeat in your head – it’s such a bop!

DREAMGIRLS With a cast line-up including Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy and freaking Beyoncé herself for god’s sake, it’s a given that you’re in for a splendour of incredible vocal performances. Set in the swinging ‘60s right into the disco days of the ‘70s and based on an original stage musical, this film follows the fictional girl group The Dreamettes and their rise to stardom, loosely based on the real-world story of The Supremes (featuring the iconic Diana Ross.) If you’re a sucker for glitzy costumes then this is the film for you: it’s chock-full of dazzling dresses. Famous faces and fantastic frocks aside, the singing in this film is just top-notch, and we would be amiss if we didn’t acknowledge Jennifer Hudson’s spine-tingling rendition of “And I Am Telling You” which we think is one of the best musical moments of all time.

CABARET From a film set in the ‘70s made in the 2000s comes a film made in the ‘70s set in the ‘30s, Cabaret. If you haven’t seen this iconic flick starring the great Liza Minelli and directed by one of the most iconic men in modern musical history, Bob Fosse, then you better get this on your TV screens ASAP. This film follows the escapades of the bohemian performer Sally Bowles (Minelli) and American writer Brian (Michael York) living in Berlin during the Jazz Age, right before the rise of the Nazi regime. Equally grunge as it glam, this film transformed movie musicals forever and even landed Liza an Academy Award for her role as Sally, so we can safely say that it makes for a pretty nice watch.