Screen Rant
10 Non-Musical Movies With 1 Incredible Musical Sequence
By Arielle Port
Nov 9, 2024
Surprisingly, some of the best musical sequences in cinematic history aren’t found in true musicals. Traditionally, the best musicals are able to express character’s feelings directly to the audience in a way that feels powerful instead of expositional. Over the years, a long list of movies have leaned into this idea, but not all fully committed to it. In other words, some movies were willing to make song and dance a big part of a major scene, but didn’t want it to define the story.characters’ feelings directly to the audience in a way that feels powerful instead of expositional. Over the years, a long list of movies have leaned into this idea, but not all have fully committed to it. In other words, some movies were willing to make song and dance a big part of a major scene
There is a long history in Hollywood of dramas and comedies to have one special musical sequence to express a character’s emotions in a way that goes beyond simple words. While the feeling being expressed is usually romantic, it can be silly or entertaining in its delivery, with the song used to convey powerful emotion.
10
500 Days Of Summer (2009)
You Make My Dreams Come True by Hall & Oates
Zooey Deschanel as Summer Finn with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 500 Days of Summer
500 Days of Summer is a bittersweet dramedy telling the rise and fall of an incompatible romance in a nonlinear fashion. Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Tom Hansen is a hopeless romantic who shares his intense feelings about Zooey Deschanel’s Summer Finn with his best friend and his younger half-sister. Tom so desperately wants Summer to be The One that he overlooks Summer’s insistence that their relationship is casual.
500 Days of Summer has a lot of music, but it is not a musical. Tom and Summer first connect over their shared love of The Smiths. Tom is more than able to express his feelings to his friend and sister, with one exception. After the first time Tom and Summer have sex, it cuts to Tom leaving the apartment, aglow. He is so blissful that he bursts into dance to “You Make My Dreams Come True” by Hall & Oates right on the street, with everyone around him slowly joining in classic musical fashion. It would be cheesy to express pure joy in words, but it’s effortless in dance.
9
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Knights of the Round Table (original song) by the Monty Python troupe
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a comedic twist on the classic Arthurian legend. As the British sketch comedy troupe’s first foray into narrative filmmaking, the movie has become a cult classic over time for its absurdist skewering of medieval life.
Early in the story, King Arthur sets out to gather knights for his Round Table, including Sir Lancelot the Brave, Sir Robin The Not- Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot, and the “aptly named” Sir Not-Appearing-in-this-Film. Suddenly, without warning, the knights break into the song, “The Knights of the Round Table,” dancing their way through the castle and cutting away to a lone prisoner clapping along. The rest of the movie is not a musical, but the number did inspire a Broadway musical adaptation, Spamalot.
8
The First Wives’ Club
You Don’t Own Me by Lesley Gore (covered by Diane Keaton, Bette Midler, and Goldie Hawn)
The First Wives Club is a feminist comedy where Diane Keaton, Bette Midler, and Goldie Hawn’s characters rediscover self-empowerment through the love of female friends, after all three of their husbands leave them for younger women. They blackmail their ex-husbands into funding a nonprofit organization to help abused women.
At the end of the movie, after the shelter’s opening party and rejecting her ex, Keaton’s character says she is feeling “brave,” which triggers Midler and Hawn to conspiratorially break into song, “You Don’t Own Me,” which they sing through the shelter and down the street. It’s not the most elaborate choreography, but the image of the three women in all white in harmony with each other and themselves is perfectly powerful. Their chemistry before and during the song makes this a joyous way to end the movie instead of potentially awkward.
7
Enchanted (2007)
That’s How You Know (original song) performed by Amy Adams
Enchanted is a fantasy romantic comedy where Amy Adams’ Giselle finds herself stranded from her animated kingdom in the real world of New York City, “where there are no happy endings.” Giselle’s home kingdom of Andalasia, like many Disney princess worlds, is filled with musical expression, where characters sing to communicate their emotions. Patrick Dempsey’s Robert Philip does not appreciate Giselle’s habit of breaking out into song.
Giselle and Robert are walking through the park, debating the merits of “dating” vs love at first sight. Giselle says it’s important to show true love with small gestures every day, and as she speaks, she starts singing. To Robert’s dismay, but also delight, everyone in the park joins in for a full song-and-dance number, bringing some of the fantasy of Andalasia to NYC. Old couples waltz. A mariachi band joins in. Even Robert finds himself tapping his toes to the song. This is the only example where Giselle sings a musical number with people instead of talking animals.
6
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You by Frankie Valli (covered by Heath Ledger)
Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles from 10 Things I Hate About You pointing at the camera
Teen romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You reimagines William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in modern times. Younger sister Bianca was forbidden to date until her “shrew” of an older sister, Julia Stiles’ Katarina “Kat” Stratford, decided to date. Heath Ledger’s Patrick Verona is the school bad boy hired to date Kat.
10 Things I Hate About You has a lot of music. Kat and Patrick bump into each other at a music club. Kat and Patrick dance at a house party and at prom. However, the movie is not a musical, but has one of the most iconic musical moments. In a grand, public romantic gesture, Patrick serenades Kat to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” with the school marching band backing him up. The move lands Patrick in detention, but it also wins him the girl.
5
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band (covered by Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, and David Koechner)
The Channel 4 news team standing and looking worried in Anchorman.
Anchorman was Adam McKay’s directorial debut featuring Will Ferrell as San Diego’s trusted anchorman, Ron Burgundy. Ron and his news crew are shaken when the news station is forced to hire Veronica Corningstone, a woman, for “diversity” reasons. Veronica wants to be seen as a professional, but she is so overcome after seeing Ron perform a flute solo that she cannot help but fall into bed with him.
Ron promises Veronica to keep their sexual relationship secret, but immediately tells his friends he’s in love. Struggling to describe the feeling, Ron is overwhelmed and turns to the lyrics of “Afternoon Delight,” with the fellas joining in with him. In a film where Ron’s flute solo symbolizes his “magical” chemistry with Veronica, this impromptu song sequence doesn’t feel entirely out of place—it amplifies the film’s playful absurdity.
4
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Danke Schoen by Wayne Newton & Twist and Shout by the Beatles
Ferris Bueller on the float at the parade in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a teen comedy where Matthew Broderick in his career-defining role as Ferris Bueller leads his friend and girlfriend in the world’s greatest day of playing hooky. Ferris visits the art museum, steals a lunch reservation from the Sausage King of Chicago, and goes to a Cubs game. It’s a series of hijinks all while dodging near misses to make it back home before his parents.
At one point, Ferris’s friends lose track of him at a parade—only for him to appear on a float, grabbing a microphone to dedicate a song to his friend “who hasn’t seen anything good all day.” Ferris then lip-syncs to “Danke Schoen” and “Twist and Shout” with a live band. Backup singers and dancers join him on the steps, and the crowd goes wild. This parade sequence captures the joy of a classic large-group musical number, adding to the film’s playful, rebellious spirit.
3
Ella Enchanted (2004)
Somebody to Love by Queen (covered by Anne Hathaway)
Ella (Anne Hathaway) stands in a field in Ella Enchanted
Ella Enchanted is a fantasy comedy starring Anne Hathaway as Ella of Frell, a girl “blessed” with obedience. If anyone gives her a command, she cannot help but obey. Ella’s fairy godmother just wanted baby Ella to stop crying, but did not realize she was saddling Ella with a life’s curse. Years later, when Ella’s secret gets out, Ella decides she must find her fairy godmother to lift the curse. Ella finds herself at a giant’s wedding, and they want one of Ella’s traveling companions, an elf, to sing, which he finds an offensive stereotype.
When a giant commands “Sing!” Ella’s curse kicks in, and she performs a stunning rendition of Somebody to Love. The giantesses provide backup vocals, and the whole room starts dancing. It’s a fun performance sequence. At the very end of the movie, the narrator says the lesson is, “you can’t go wrong when you follow your heart and end with a song.” This leads into a choreographed performance of “Don’t Go Breaking Your Heart” by Ella – this time by choice – and the whole cast, capturing the movie’s spirit of freedom and joy.
2
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In from the musical Hair (covered by Steve Carell & the cast)
The 40-Year-Old-Virgin is a romantic comedy starring Steve Carell as Andy Stitzer, as the titular 40-year-old virgin. Andy, a naturally shy guy, stopped trying to have sex after a few missed opportunities in his youth. His coworkers rally to find him love, or at least get him laid. In his own way, Andy develops a sweet relationship with Catherine Keener’s Trish Piedmont. After many comedic misunderstandings, Andy tells Trish the truth about his virginity, and they profess their love.
After their wedding, they smash cut to Andy and Trish in bed, catching their breaths after consummating the marriage. Trish asks Andy, “How was it for you?” and Andy looks directly into camera and starts singing “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” from the musical Hair. This transitions into a jubilant musical number with the entire cast singing and dancing. Like 500 Days of Summer, but it takes it further by involving the entire ensemble in a full-fledged musical performance.
1
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Jai Ho by A.R. Rahman
Jamal (Dev Patel) and Latika (Freida Pinto) at the train station in Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a beautiful drama starring Dev Patel in his film debut as Jamal Malik, a boy from the Bombay slums. Jamal is on the Hindi version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and doing so well that the police are suspicious he’s cheating. Through flashbacks, the audience sees how he is able to answer every question using trivia he’s picked up throughout his life. He longs to reunite with his childhood love, Freida Pinto’s Latika. Jamal only became a contestant on the program as a last-ditch effort to reach Latika, who always watches the show.
Jamal gets the final question right through sheer guessing. He goes to the train platform where he had told Latika he’d always wait for her, and she is there waiting for him. They kiss and lead the entire platform in a Bollywood-style dance on the platform, bringing joy and closure without words. Bollywood, known for integrating music and dance to enhance storytelling, shines through the Slumdog Millionaire finale, introducing its magic to a broader Hollywood audience.
