"Tick, Tick... Boom!" And 40 Other Excellent Musicals You Can Stream Right Now
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It's been a banner year for movie musicals with several new and noteworthy releases getting a lot of love (and likely to make a run at this year's Oscars). Adaptations like In The Heights and newly-released Tick, Tick... Boom!, a filmed version of award-winning stage musical Come From Away, and the wholly new Annette have all made waves and are available to stream now.
Netflix
Not to mention West Side Story and Cyrano are still to come later in 2021!
So whether you're wanting to check out some of these new titles, take comfort in an old favorite, or are simply missing the joy of live theater, here are the best musicals you can stream right now:
Movie Adaptations of Stage Musicals:
1.Cats (2019)
Half Broadway musical adaptation, half fever dream, Cats may be controversial, but it's worth seeing at least once. Jellicle Cats gather for the Jellicle Ball where they introduce themselves and their whole deal one by one. In the end, one lucky cat will be crowned Jellicle Choice by Old Deuteronomy (iconically a gender-swapped role played by Judy Dench) and be lifted up up and away to the Heavyside Layer. What does any of that actually mean? Nobody knows, and as Linkin Park would say, in the end it doesn't really matter. You don't watch an Andrew Lloyd Weber musical for storytelling that makes sense. You come for the off-the-rails dance numbers (in this case, literally, as Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat absolutely eats his number up), incredible ballads, and the sheer joy of musical theater at its biggest and most bizarre.
Watch it on HBO Max.
2.Chicago (2002)
Considering the film won the 2003 Academy Award for Best Picture, and the stage revival is one of the longest running Broadway shows in history, it's hard to believe that the original production of Chicago in 1975 wasn't so popular. But as time has gone on and we as a people come to love salacious celebrity scandal more by the minute, this tale of showbiz, affairs, and murder has only become more popular. You already know the hit tunes — "All That Jazz," "Cell Block Tango," "Razzle Dazzle" — and they're committed to film flawlessly by leads Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere with a shockingly good supporting performance by *checks notes* John C. Reilly?!
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video with Starz.
3.Dreamgirls (2006)
Proof that American Idol used to be a star-making program, Dreamgirls is an excellently cast adaptation that launched Jennifer Hudson into the stratosphere and brought Beyoncé back to the silver screen. They, along with an effervescent Anika Noni Rose are the titular Dreamgirls — singers in the fictional girl group The Dreams who are on the rise to stardom. Heavily based on the true story of The Supremes, Dreamgirls chronicles the history of Motown, and all of the struggle and success that went along with it.
Watch it on HBO Max.
4.Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
Fiddler on the Roof centers around Tevye (Topol), a Jewish milkman who lives in the Russian village of Anatevka in the early 1900s and is trying to marry off his eldest daughters to worthy suitors, even as political unrest encroaches on the town and traditions begin to change. One of the most iconic musicals...ever, this is a must-see, especially if you've never seen it on stage. And if you're wondering where you recognize me from, yeah, it's from playing Villager Number 22 in Fiddler in 8th grade. No autographs, please.
Watch it on Amazon Prime.
5.Gypsy (1962)
Gypsy: A Musical Fable, the Broadway musical this film adaptation is based on, is itself based on the memoirs of real-life striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, detailing her early life touring in a musical act with her sister and mother. Rose (Rosalind Russell) is an overbearing stage mother who dotes on young daughter June, a naturally talented performer, and tolerates older daughter Louise (Natalie Wood), who has less of a knack for the stage. But after years of performing and touring, June rebels and elopes, leaving Rose to go to any length to make Lousie a star.
Watch it on HBO Max.
6.Hairspray (2007)
As a teen living in 1962 Baltimore, Tracy Turnblad longs to be a dancer on her favorite television program, The Corny Collins Show but is discouraged because of her "pleasantly plump" figure and support of integration. But after learning some moves from her pal Seaweed and catching the eye of star dancer Link and Corny Collins himself, Tracy is brought onto the show and helps fight for equality, both on TV and in Baltimore. Based on the 2002 Broadway musical, which was itself based on John Waters' 1988 film, Hairspray has long been a musical theater staple, and excellent performances by Queen Latifah, Zac Efron, Nikki Blonsky, and Amanda Bynes make this adaptation sing. If you're wondering why I didn't mention John Travolta, that's because I have spent years convincing myself that he isn't in this movie. Please don't bring it up again.
7.Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
John Cameron Mitchell writes, directs, and stars in Hedwig and the Angry Inch — a musical about an East German genderqueer rock singer who, after her husband that she moved to Kansas for leaves her, leans into her love of rock 'n roll, only to have her songs stolen by her protegé Tommy (Michael Pitt) who goes on to become a huge star. Hedwig tells her story at a series of concerts at seafood restaurants that coincide with dates on Tommy's tour, singing a full soundtrack of absolutely killer original songs along the way. While this film adaptation of the Off-Broadway stage musical wasn't necessarily a hit upon it's a release, Hedwig is a veritable cult-favorite, having now been staged in 15 countries even brought to Broadway in 2014.
Rent it on Amazon Prime Video.
8.In The Heights (2021)
Lin-Manuel Miranda's first — and Best New Musical Tony–Award Winning — Broadway effort is brought to the screen in this recent film version that has Anthony Ramos starring as Usnavi, successfully filling the big (like, clown-size big) shoes of Miranda's originated role. We hang a while at Usnavi's corner store in Washington Heights, where we meet everyone in the neighborhood from his Abuela ("she's not really my Abuela, but she practically raised me, this corner is her escuela") and cousin Sonny to other local business owners and their families, to Usnavi's long-time crush Vanessa, all of whom are pursuing their big dreams.
Watch it on HBO Max.
9.Jersey Boys (2014)
Jersey Boys chronicles the rise of The Four Seasons — ya know, "Sherry," "Walk Like a Man," "Big Girls Don't Cry" — and the jail time, mob activity, and personal tragedy that followed them. Joe Pesci is also an oddly pivotal character in the story of The Four Seasons (not as an actor in the movie, but as in he knew and influenced the band way back when). Between that and Clint Eastwood directing, if you're not too sure if you're down with musicals but would follow Pesci and Eastwood to the ends of the earth, give Jersey Boys a try.
Watch it on HBO Max.
10.Les Misérables (2012)
Les Misérables, is perhaps one of the most epic modern musicals, and, if you couldn't already tell from the name that it's set in France, knowing that it all begins with drama over a loaf of bread should seal the deal. After Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is released from prison after 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving nephew, he assumes a new identity to escape his parole. Over decades, he is hunted by single-minded policeman Javert (Russell Crowe) as he cares for Cosette (Amanda Seyfried), the daughter of ill-fated factory worker Fantine (Anne Hathaway) who he takes in as his own. Operatic in construction and sweeping in scope, Les Misérables was one of the most anticipated movie adaptations of any musical in recent memory with fair results. Absolutely worth a view for the always-entertaining story, an Oscar-winning turn by Anne Hathaway (and her Very Good short hair), and the novel live singing, but perhaps if you're going to have people sing live you might want to cast more, oh, I don't know...singers? Just a thought!
Watch it on Netflix.
11.Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
No musical loves extensive exposition through song more than Little Shop of Horrors, and as much as I wish I could present this summary as a doo-wop number, unfortunately I'm not working in an auditory medium. Seymour (peoples' hero Rick Moranis) is an ordinary nerd (OK, guy with glasses) working with his crush Audrey (Ellen Greene) in a plant shop when he discovers a strange plant after a total eclipse of the sun. Unfortunately for all, the plant turns out to have a taste for human flesh, but hey — it also has a killer singing voice. Steve Martin also plays a role as Audrey's abusive boyfriend Orin Scrivello, DDS, who will validate your fear of going to the dentist, as well as your opinion that Martin did the right thing by keeping his hair grey for most of his career.
Watch it on HBO Max.
12.My Fair Lady (1964)
Awarded Best Picture, Best Director (George Cukor), Best Actor (Rex Harrison), and several technical awards at the 1964 Academy Awards, My Fair Lady is a beloved adaptation of the Lernor and Loewe's 1956 stage musical, which was itself an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion. Audrey Hepburn leads as Eliza Doolittle, a cockney flower seller who is plucked from the streets by phonetician Henry Higgins after he bets he can teach her to speak and act like a lady. Full of sweeping ballads, big 'ol sets, a script full of ear worms, and some off-the-rails accent work from Audrey, it's pretty much everything you could want from a large-scale movie musical.
Watch it on Netflix.
13.The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
"Gerard Butler is the one true Phantom!" is a phrase my partner often says unprompted, and while I don't know that all would agree, I appreciate his commitment and can acquiesce that this movie is a faithful adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Weber's masterpiece in both plot and tone. If you've been alive for more than five seconds, it's likely that you already know what The Phantom of the Opera is about: there's a Phantom! He lives under an opera house! And boy oh boy does he have some pipes.
Watch it on HBO Max.
14.The Producers (2005)
The Producers began as a cult-favorite 1967 Mel Brooks film, premiered as a stage musical in 2001, and was then adapted for this 2005 production. As the titular producers we have Nathan Lane as skeeze-ball Max Bialystock and Matthew Broderick as accountant-turned-skeeze-ball Leo Bloom, both of whom also originated the stage roles. When these two discover that they can make more money from a Broadway flop than a hit, they do everything in their power to ensure that their production of Springtime for Hitler sinks — and with a title like that it should...right...? Be prepared for some over-the-top Brooks humor as well as a post-watch meditation on how much things have changed in movies for the better in the short time since this was made.
Watch it on Peacock for free.
15.RENT (2005)
It would be wrong for me to bury the lead: This is one of my favorite movies. I know it's my job, but I can't even be subjective. I saw this movie at the perfect time, when my preteen brain was sucking up the media that I would, apparently, love forever, and I know I'm not alone. RENT is the quintessential alt-musical-gone-mainstream. We follow a group of bohemian New Yorkers just trying to survive and make art (and, you guessed it, rent) in the city amid rapid gentrification and the AIDS epidemic. Performances by some of the stage musical's original cast (Anthony Rapp, Jesse L. Martin, Idina Menzel, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Adam Pascal, Taye Diggs) bring authenticity to this rather faithful translation of playwright and composer Jonathan Larson's last work. It's easy for people to roll their eyes at RENT, but I encourage you to revisit the rock musical to end all rock musicals, and listen to the opening notes of "Seasons of Love" like it's for the first time.
Watch it on HBO Max.
16.Tick, Tick...Boom! (2021)
Adapted from the late Jonathan Larson's autobiographical one-man show, Tick, Tick...Boom! affectionately plays tribute to its originator, vaguely fictionalizing his life just before his 30th birthday in 1990. In the midst of chaos — relationships, a day job at a diner, the AIDS epidemic — Jonathan must decide if he's going to stick with his dream of becoming the next great musical theater auteur or sell out. The viewing experience benefits from being somewhat familiar with Larson's work and legacy — mainly his premier work RENT, which tragically opened on the day of his death from an aortic aneurysm in 1996 — but doesn't require it, especially with an energetic and contemplative performance by Andrew Garfield as Jonathan. Tick, tick... Boom! marks Lin-Manuel Miranda's first run at directing, and while he's occasionally razzed for his earnestness, in this instance it's his greatest strength, as his admiration and deep understanding of Larson and the source material clearly comes through.
Watch it on Netflix.
17.The Wiz (1978)
The Wiz The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" premiered on Broadway in 1975 as a reimagining of The Wizard of Oz set within the context of modern Black culture with an all-Black cast and new soul and R&B songs. It took Broadway by storm, winning seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The Wiz is adapted from the stage musical, but makes a few more changes, most notably making Oz a dream-like version of New York City and aging Dorothy up to a 24-year-old teacher, played by the ever-wonderful Diana Ross. The movie is bright, wild, and a cult-favorite, featuring performances by Michael Jackson and Richard Pryor and songs you'll be singing for the rest of the day, if not the rest of your life.
Watch it on Peacock for free.
Filmed Stage Productions of Musicals:
18.Billy Elliot (2014)
You would never think that an entire song about how much Margaret Thatcher sucked would work as a major number in a musical...until you see Billy Elliot and you're like, "yep, it works!" With music by Sir Elton John himself, this stage adaptation of the 2000 movie follows the titular Billy, a boy from a blue-collar mining town who longs to be a ballet dancer instead of a boxer like his dad imagines he'll be. How does old Maggie come into play? It's the 1980s and there's a miner's strike, of course! Unlikely fodder for a musical, but hey, it was a hit.
Rent it from Amazon Prime Video or watch it on Amazon Prime Video with Broadway HD.
19.Come From Away (2021)
Set directly after the attacks on Sept. 11, Come from Away is the true story of what happened in the rural town of Gander, Newfoundland when 38 planes carrying 7,000 passengers were directed to land there without warning during the emergency and days long grounding of all US-bound planes. Even as the townspeople struggle to feed, house, and clothe as many newcomers as live in Gander, the locals and the "plane people" bond in ways they'll remember for a lifetime. With most performers playing multiple roles, and a set made mainly of arranged and rearranged chairs, this staging is a testament to the transformative nature of the stage and the comfort of suspended disbelief.
Watch it on Apple TV+.
20.David Byrne's American Utopia (2020)
David Byrne's acclaimed Broadway show hits the screen in a filmed version directed by Spike Lee. The show features songs from Byrne's latest solo album (also titled American Utopia), some of the Talking Heads' greatest hits (yes, including "Burning Down the House"), and monologues on the pertinent topics of climate change, police brutality, and modern American politics. If you're wondering if oversized gray suits are involved, the answer is: yes. many.
Watch it on HBO Max.
21.Disney's Newsies: The Broadway Musical! (2017)
If you, like me, are passionate about written media, workers rights, and tap dancing, geez louise do I have a musical recommendation for you. Set during the historic Newsboys Strike in New York in 1899, Newsies follows Jack Kelly (Jeremy Jordan) as he rallies his fellow newsboys to fight Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst when they raise the price of paper distribution, taking wages from the boys who depend on them. There's also the original film version (1992), starring Christian Bale at his hair-floppiest. Double feature, perhaps?
Watch it on Disney+.
22.Hamilton (2020)
Hamilton is little-known musical that gained almost zero attention, earned no money, and chances are you've never even heard a song from it and never will. Just kidding, I don't think there's anything I can tell you about Hamilton that you don't already know through the power of cultural osmosis, but in case you've been living under a rock in a cave 20,000 leagues under the sea for the last several years: Hamilton is a rap-musical telling of the life and times of founding father Alexander Hamilton who bumped elbows with George Washington, James Madison, Aaron Burr, and a bunch of other people you learned about in AP US History and swiftly forgot the details of. Both praised and criticized for its use of colorblind casting for these historical characters, Hamilton broke the mold of what a mainstream musical phenomenal can be. If you haven't seen the filmed version yet and are wondering what all of the hubbub is about, give it a watch and join the convo.
Watch it on Disney+.
23.Into the Woods (1991)
One of Stephen Sondheim's greatest works, Into the Woods is a dark retelling of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, with familiar characters like Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, and Rapunzel each maintaining their own storylines. But the musical focusses on an unnamed baker and his wife, who are on a journey to scavenge for several items so that a witch may give them a child. Grand, magical, and utterly heartbreaking, Into the Woods explores what happens after Happily Ever After, and gives us some of the most classic musical theater songs of modern times. This filmed stage version featuring the original Broadway cast, starring Bernadette Peters as the Witch and Joanna Gleason as the Baker's Wife, is a personal favorite that I have watched, conservatively, one million times. (There's also a film adaptation, but in my humble opinion, the filmed stage version is the definitive one to watch).
Rent it on Amazon Prime Video.
24.Oklahoma! (1999)
Hugh Jackman was born to play sly and charming cowboy Curly McClain who's on a mission to woo Laurey Williams (Josefina Gabrielle), an independent neighbor who isn't so sure about Curly and is busy avoiding other romantic advances. This is a filmed version of the late-'90s West End revival and will be a joy to watch for any Rogers and Hammerstein fans or Oklahoma! newcomers.
Rent it on Amazon Prime Video.
25.Passing Strange (2009)
A young Black artist simply called "Youth" (Daniel Breaker) is living in LA in the 1980s and is looking to learn more about himself, his art, the world, and "the real" in this thrilling rock musical. Written and narrated by Stew, it's a look back at the dedication, confusion, and pain it sometimes takes to be an artist, and the places and people it brings you to in your youth. The film is directed by Spike Lee.
Rent it on Amazon Prime Video or watch it on Amazon Prime Video with IFC Films or AMC+.
26.Shrek the Musical (2013)
IMO there's nothing Shrek would like less than knowing there's an entire musical dedicated to him, but this adaptation for the stage has the best chance of being Shrek-approved. The music is shockingly good (despite not being written by Smash Mouth), the book is funny enough to live up to the original script, and the Tony Award–winning makeup is jaw-dropping. Pinocchio's nose grows, for goodness, sake! Even Broadway legend Sutton Foster stamped her approval on Shrek the Musical by starring as Fiona. And while it may not open with "I'm a Believer," don't worry — they sing it at the end, and I fully encourage you to join in.
Watch it on Netflix.
27.The SpongeBob Musical: Live On Stage! (2019)
Shoutout to the person who closed their eyes and wished that their favorite cartoon could be a two hour long musical featuring songs by their favorite artists — it came true! And it even won a Tony for Best Scenic Design of a Musical! The show takes place during another typically-not-so-typical day in Bikini Bottom with all of your favorite characters, but most excitingly the music and lyrics are by an eclectic group of bands you likely already know and love like David Bowie, Brian Eno, Cyndi Lauper, The Flaming Lips, Sara Bareilles, John Legend, and They Might Be Giants. A sure-fire way to pass along good music taste to your children without them even catching on.
Watch it on Paramount+.
28.Springsteen on Broadway (2018)
Do you like Bruce Springsteen? Stupid question. Of course you do, and by the transitive property, you'll love Springsteen on Broadway, which features Bruce playing some of his greatest hits and telling the personal stories behind them. Thank goodness I didn't see this live, because I would have simply screamed "PLAY 'THE RIVER'" until I was escorted out. Now I can yell it at the TV instead :)
Watch it on Netflix.
Original Movie Musicals:
29.Annette (2021)
You can thank me for the creation of this musical since apparently we're living in a world where all of my wildest dreams come true and Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard get to star alongside one another in an experimental opera. You're welcome! Driver plays Henry, a terrifyingly male comedian, and Cotillard his wife Anne, a renowned opera singer. But when Anne gives birth to their daughter Annette, who has a remarkable gift, their domestic life begins to strain. The twist? Annette is played by a wooden marionette. Between the extremely-present (but very well-maneuvered) puppet, an unpredictable script, and the sweet eerie doldrums of Driver singing for over two hours, this is one of the strangest movies I have ever seen, and I MUST recommend that you watch it.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
30.The Greatest Showman (2017)
Hugh Jackman waited his whole life to ham it up to the max in this tale of ring master, businessman, and ineffective husband P.T. Barnum's rise to circus success, so the least you can do is watch it and stand up and clap at the end — Hugh will know if you don't! Whether or not you're interested in a plot about big top empires, the soundtrack undeniably slaps, but you already know this since you've heard "This is Me" (sung by Keala Settle) at least once a month for the last four years and have definitely cried at least two of those times. Zendaya stuns as Anne Wheeler in one of her first huge roles and it's just nice to have Zac Effron as Phillip Carlyle up there doing his thing again.
Watch it on Disney+.
31.High School Musical (2006)
You may be rolling your eyes at High School Musical being on this list, but Kenny Ortega didn't put his whole foot in this movie as director and choreographer for us not to pay it its proper respect. The impact is undeniable. HSM spinoffs are being spun off to this very day 15 years later, we gained a new cutie-hottie in Zac Efron, and Vanessa "it's terrible but...inevitable?" Hudgens hit the world stage. We learned that you can like basketball *and* singing and still be accepted — a lesson we didn't know before. It is famously my sixth favorite Disney Channel Original Movie, which is saying something, because there are a lot of perfect ones. If you doubt HSM's quality, just put on the soundtrack — I dare you not to do the "We're All In This Together" dance. You know you still know it.
Watch it on Disney+.
32.Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) is a folk singer living in Greenwhich Village in 1961 playing clubs, recording music, and trying to make it as an artist while keeping his life (somewhat) together. Written and directed by the Coen Brothers, it has their signature dark humor and, of course, a cast that's almost too good with appearances by Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, and Adam Driver (doing weird voices and playing the GUITAR no less!). Based largely on the life of folk singer Dave Van Ronk, the music in Inside Llewyn Davis is largely covers or adaptations of folk songs by Van Ronk and other artists of the day. This role is generally considered Oscar Isaac's breakout, and for good reason — simply put, he's stupid good in it. The kind of good that almost makes you mad. He even did his own singing and guitar playing and just...pulled it off beyond belief. "Oscar Isaac folk album when," I google for the hundredth time today.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
33.La La Land (2016)
Collecting six Oscars (save of course for Best Picture) and earning a whopping near $450 million worldwide at the box office, La La Land was a bonafide hit in 2016, back when our collective need for escapism was at a high (little did we know what was to come) and a little dreamy tap dancing was especially welcome. We were also shamelessly thirsty for Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling to play against one another again — simpler times. You shouldn't let this film fool you into thinking Ryan Gosling invented jazz, but I don't blame you if you get caught up in the ambitious dance numbers (if traffic in LA was that fun I would be loading up the moving truck right now), and catchy original songs.
Watch it on Hulu.
34.The Lion King (1994)
I don't know why all of these billionaires are going to space — if I had unlimited funds, I would develop technology to travel back in time so I could be in the pitch room for The Lion King. "It's Hamlet but with lions and Elton John is doing the music, because OH YEAH it's a musical. All we'll need is 45 million dollars to make it." Quite the idea. Obviously it paid off, as it's one of the most beloved movies, and later, stage musicals on the planet and earned nearly one billion (!) bucks at the box office back when that was more of a rarity.
Watch it on Disney+.
35.Moulin Rouge (2001)
Baz Luhrmann's ~spectacular spectacular~ movie musical extravaganza is the story of Christian (Ewan McGregor), a starving artist living a bohemian life in Paris and his love affair with Satine (Nicole Kidman), the star dancer at the famous Moulin Rouge, which is complicated by a jealous Duke, the club's crafty owner, and, because this is set in the 1890s, tuberculosis, as communicated by Nicole Kidman coughing beautifully into a white bloodied handkerchief — one of my personal favorite film tropes.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
36.Purple Rain (1984)
Prince himself stars in this musical film where he plays The Kid, a young musician from an abusive home who finds solace in his music and band The Revolution. Among conflicts with rival bands, a blossoming romance, and family troubles, The Kid and his band's talent is undeniable and culminates in an emotional double-encore performance. You can thank the Purple Rain soundtrack for your favorite Price songs "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy", and, duh, "Purple Rain."
Rent it from Amazon Prime Video.
37.The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
There's no time like the present to watch Rocky Horror for the first of millionth time and utter "What the hell?" to yourself for the entirety of the clean 100 minute run-time. When I think cult-classic, I think Rocky Horror, and it's absolutely bonkers plot, larger-than-life characters, and continued relevance as generation after generation is influenced by its songs, costumes, and performances, most notably by Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter and Susan Sarandon as Janet Weiss. Obviously, the best time and place to watch Rocky Horror is at a live screening (an adolescent experience that forever defined my idea of fun), but until we're all able to gather together to yell and dance and throw toast at one another, the movie will do.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
38.Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Nobody, NOBODY can hoof it like Gene Kelly, and he, along with Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor are at the height of their power in Singin' in the Rain which captures the behind the scenes drama, laughs, and romance as a movie studio transitions from silent pictures to talkies in the 1920s. Lina Lamont (Jean Hagan), the sour-voiced silent movie star is an icon, a legend, and in my opinion one of the best-dressed movie characters of all time. I recently put the "Moses Supposes" scene in a list of my top five scenes ever committed to film. The dancing is incredible, the songs are classics, and it's always worth a rewatch.
Watch it on HBO Max.
39.White Christmas (1954)
Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) are veterans and post-war performers who meet and take a liking to sister song and dance act Betty (Vera-Ellen) and Judy Haynes (Rosemary Clooney). The four travel to Vermont where the men are shocked to discover that their former General is their hotel's owner and is struggling to make ends meet — and, as this is indeed a musical, they decide to stage a variety show to bring business back to the hotel. A lovely annual Christmas watch.
Watch it on Netflix.
40.Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
I don't know about you, but I don't often think of Willy Wonka as a musical — and then I think about life without knowing songs like "The Candy Man" and "Pure Imagination" and it's simply unimaginable (a word I don't think Willy Wonka himself has ever committed to memory). Gene Wilder takes his turn as Willy Wonka in the first film adaptation of Roald Dahl's famous work which is about a misunderstood (or evil? or kind? literally who knows what's in Willy Wonka's heart) but extremely successful chocolatier who invites five Golden Ticket–holding children to his chocolate factory, where wonder and oddities await. Ready to see Timothée Chalamet as Wonka in 2023? Yeah, me neither.
Watch it on HBO Max.
41.The Wizard of Oz (1939)
It would be difficult to overstate the impact of The Wizard of Oz on pop culture, as you already know. Of course the music, cast, and early use of Technicolor all went toward making this film the phenomena that it is and no doubt will continue to be until the end of humanity (10 years?). But there's some mercurial secret sauce that makes The Wizard of Oz greater than the sum of its parts. Better watch it for the hundredth time to try to figure out what it is, and here's hoping Cynthio Erivo and Ariana Grande do too before starring in the at-long-last-announced Wicked movie. Who am I kidding? We all know they're gonna kill it.
Watch it on HBO Max.
