Bustle
The 14 Best Movie Musicals Of All Time
By Staff
December 28, 2023
I’ve only clapped in a public movie theater once, following the opening scene of 2007’s Hairspray. When “Good Morning Baltimore” finished, in which Tracy Turnblad introduced her neighborhood and sunny disposition in equal measure, my Midwestern audience rose in an honest-to-God round of applause. It was wild.
But movie musicals can have that effect, and this season, there are three big-budget premieres: Wonka (now playing), The Color Purple, and the upcoming Mean Girls. Whether they’ll inspire a similar reaction is anyone’s guess.
It’s rare to get a trio of star-studded musicals intended for theater audiences around the holidays. There’s usually one; sometimes it’ll get a competitor, like when Annie and Into The Woods both premiered in December 2014. (Nowadays, many are instead primed for streaming, such as Netflix’s Tick, Tick… Boom! in 2021, or Matilda The Musical in 2022.)
There’s an appetite for the genre, but for both Wonka and Mean Girls, the film’s trailers hid their musicality. “If you spell out the word musical, people have pre-formed opinions,” a studio marketer told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month. “Musical has a connotation that [characters] are going to sing every word, and audiences can be turned off.”
The Bustle team is not turned off. We love movie musicals, and to illustrate that point, we’ve rounded up our 14 favorites, from throwback classics to Disneyfied hits. —Brianna Kovan, Bustle
Chicago (2002)
Chicago has everything: murder, sex, jazz, gin, Christine Baranski. Crime is rampant, and booze is flowing, as is the opportunity for runaway songs from Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The movie musical, set in 1920s Chicago, kicks off with “All That Jazz,” one of my favorite opening scenes because of the editing and choreography. I always forget about Dominic West’s early cameo and get excited when he pops up on screen. And that’s just the start!
The film, an adaptation of the 1975 Broadway show, won six Oscars for a reason, including Best Picture. It’s funny, sexy, and smart without being overly gratuitous or self-serious, and the theme (of achieving fame through sensationalism) is timeless. The best part? Its run time is under two hours. —Marina Watts, Bustle Entertainment News & Strategy Editor
Dreamgirls (2006)
In 2006, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose, and Beyoncé sang “Dreamgirls will never leave you,” and true to their word, they haven’t. The movie has show-stopping ballads, disco stompers, and a gripping story that makes Sandoval look like high school. It was also a revelation for Hudson, who started her EGOT by winning an Oscar for her role. (Then there’s Beyoncé, arguably giving her best acting showcase.) Hudson’s rendition of “And I Am Telling You…” has become the golden standard for musical theater students, while Bey sings “Listen” as if she’s bringing her real life to the role. —Jake Viswanath, Bustle staff writer
Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
Each time I enter Tevye’s Anatevka, I find new details that enamor me more to the story. (In my latest watch, it was the women’s peasant blouses, which look pulled from Dôen.) There’s great singalong music and inspired choreography — especially the “To Life” bar scene between the Russian men and the shtetl Jews. But really, it’s all about Chaim Topol. As Tevye, he’s buoyantly charismatic, and even as he clings angrily to traditions, his Papa is guided by a deep well of love for his daughters. —B.K.
Grease (1978)
These days, a woman changing up her look for a man isn’t necessarily the vibe, but classics are classics for a reason. Grease was John Travolta’s start in the big screen musical scene — dare I say Danny Zuko walked so Travolta’s Edna Turnblad could shimmy? — and the 1978 film led to a 1982 sequel and a live TV adaptation by Fox in 2016. The plot is camp, as are the characters. It may not age perfectly, but it’s nostalgic enough to rank among the best. —Alexis Morillo, Bustle Lifestyle Editor
Gypsy (1993)
Nothing’s better than Bette Midler belting out “Rose’s Turn,” playing the hungriest stage mother of them all. The story is based on Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous stripper who started in vaudeville and burlesque. And yes, there’s even a lengthy strip tease in the show featuring the most incredible costumes (and hats) by Bob Mackie. Gypsy, with music composed by Jule Styne and a book by Arthur Laurents, is one of the few musicals Stephen Sondheim only wrote the lyrics for. And while these actors were babies in this 1993 adaptation, you might recognize Mean Girls star Lacey Chabert as Baby June and The Handmaid’s Tail’s Elisabeth Moss as Baby Louise. Plus: Tony Shalhoub! —Leigh Scheps, Inside Edition Digital reporter and freelance entertainment writer
Hairspray (2007)
When a post-High School Musical Zac Efron said, “Kiss my ass” in Hairspray, there was some kind of generational awakening. The 2007 film — the original movie based on a musical based on a movie, pre-Mean Girls — helped usher millennials into a PG-13 teenagedom, guided by a familiar, charismatic cast: Efron, John Travolta, Amanda Bynes, Queen Latifah, and James Marsden, among others.
And while Tracy Turnblad’s journey alone, from teenage outsider to self-actualized star, is a pleasure to watch, Hairspray interweaves her story with the civil rights activism of the ’60s. It’s an earnest, celebratory underdog film that culminates in an uplifting performance of “You Can’t Stop the Beat.” —Grace Wehniainen, Bustle TV Writer
Hello, Dolly! (1969)
If Barbra Streisand’s in it, it must be legendary — and she sings the hell out of a score by Jerry Herman. This Gene Kelly-directed film, adapted from the 1964 Broadway show, follows a fast-talking matchmaker who makes an honest man out of Walter Matthau’s Horace Vandergeller and convinces him to marry her. The title song, with Streisand dressed in gold sequins and featuring Louis Armstrong and an entourage of dancing waiters in red jackets, is a show-stopping hit people still talk about. —L.S.
High School Musical (2006)
Of the Disney Channel’s great movie musicals, High School Musical is top of the class. It made young actors into bona fide stars, some of whom have continued in musical theater (e.g., Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Corbin Bleu), and many of the songs became instant, campy classics, from the cathartic “Breaking Free” to “Bop to the Top.” Disney was stupid not to release this in theaters from the jump. —J.V.
La La Land (2016)
While everyone’s busy streaming “I’m Just Ken,” there’s another Ryan Gosling classic on heavy rotation on my Spotify: “City of Stars.” In 2016’s La La Land, Gosling plays a down-on-his-luck jazz musician who falls in love with a floundering young actress, Mia (Emma Stone). And as much as this musical is centered on the pair’s love story, it’s also a love letter to the movie musicals of yore, the ones I grew up watching, like Singin’ in the Rain and An American in Paris, which are full of so much charm and showmanship that they far outshine today’s offerings. —Samantha Leach, Bustle Entertainment Editor-at-Large
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Sure, the choreography is a little clunky, the story’s implausible, and don’t get me started on Pierce Brosnan’s singing voice. But those criticisms are too boring for a movie that’s as campy and unabashedly entertaining as Mamma Mia! With a star-studded cast led by Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried, the 2008 film follows Sophie, who invites three of her mom’s exes to her Greek wedding to suss out which is her father. It’s an ABBA-filled romp that throws caution (and sense) to the wind and just has fun. (The same can be said for its even campier sequel, 2018’s Here We Go Again.) —Gabrielle Bondi, Bustle TV Editor
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Though best known for its floor-filler dance number “The Time Warp,” it’s Rocky Horror’s camp, chaotic characters, and a generous helping of queer smut that have made the film a cult classic. As Frank-N-Furter, Tim Curry leads the cast through a fever dream of fishnets, as newly engaged couple Brad Majors and Janet Weiss find themselves stranded in a storm. A creepy gothic mansion seems like a decent choice for solace, but throw in a convention of Transylvanians, some bloodthirsty aliens, and a crackpot scientist building his dream man, and you can bet they wished they’d just found a motel.
What unfolds is a night of debauchery, one that will invariably break the fourth wall with audience participation (bring rice and an umbrella). And expect a “shadow cast,” fans in full costume who’ll lip sync as the movie plays. First-timer at the Frankenstein Place? Welcome to the family. —Charlie Mock, BDG’s Associate Director of Social Media
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
There are so many winning moments in 1952’s Singin’ in the Rain. Gene Kelly dancing around a light post on a sound stage singing the title song is one of the most iconic movie musical scenes. “Good Morning” with Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor is so famous that it’s now the song in a juice commercial. In “Broadway Ballet,” Cyd Charisse delivers a master class in sultry seduction, donning that forever-recognizable green sequin dress. That’s not to mention the standout dance numbers in “Moses Supposes,” “Gotta Dance” and “Make ‘em Laugh.” And who doesn’t love a young Rita Moreno as Zelda Zanders? —L.S.
