The Best Musical Movies, According to Vogue
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People say that you’re either into musical movies, or you’re not—but perhaps those in the latter group have simply never seen the very best examples from the genre. Ever since Hollywood’s first musical film was released nearly a century ago, in 1927 (The Jazz Singer), they’ve captured the hearts of moviegoers everywhere. Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire helped to further popularize the form in the ’30s, after which came a Golden Age of musicals during which silver-screen renditions of Broadway hits (My Fair Lady, West Side Story, Gigi) proved their box-office mettle all over again. But what makes a musical movie one of the best of all time? Among other things: a story that one generation eagerly introduces to the next, a memorable soundtrack, and a sense of magic that can’t be recaptured in a remake (unless it’s by Steven Spielberg, that is).
Below, a shortlist of the best musical movies of all time.
West Side Story (2021), dir. Steven Spielberg©20th Century Studios/Courtesy Everett Collection
When it was announced that one of history’s most beloved musicals would be remade, the world took comfort in the fact that the epic project would be helmed by one Steven Spielberg, who crafted a film worth celebrating with Rachel Zegler and Ansel Elgort as the star-crossed lovers. With ever-so-slight alterations to the script (including the brilliant choice to bring back Rita Moreno, who starred in the original film), the remake was a dazzling ode to the movie-going experience and all things West Side Story.
How to watch: Stream on Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video, or YouTube.
Mamma Mia! (2008), dir. Phyllida LloydPhoto Credit: Jonathan Prime
Based on the 1999 stage musical set to the songs of Swedish pop group ABBA, Mamma Mia! is delicious from start to finish. Shot between London and the Greek island of Skopelos, the film features an all-star cast consisting of Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Christine Baranski, Stellan Skarsgård, Amanda Seyfried, and Dominic Cooper. As they synchronize-swim in the azure sea, one can almost hear the call of the Sirens. The film was such a hit that the entire gang regrouped for more—in 2018, the sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again! was released to great fanfare.
How to watch: Stream on Netflix, Apple TV, Prime Video, or YouTube.
Across the Universe (2007), dir. Julie TaymorPhoto: Courtesy Everett Collection
Though it exclusively uses songs by the Beatles, and is set in Beatles-era Liverpool and New York, Across the Universe is a musical that, surprisingly, has nothing to do with the Fab Four themselves. Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess star in this stellar musical film that builds a love-storyline in a clever sequence of classic hits. In one psychedelic number, for “Happiness is a Warm Gun,” you may spot Salma Hayek as a sexy nurse—but the whole movie is one big trip.
How to watch: Stream on Max, Apple TV, Prime Video, or YouTube.
Dreamgirls (2006), dir. Bill CondonPhoto: Courtesy Everett Collection
Written and directed by Bill Condon, Dreamgirls was adapted from the 1981 Broadway musical of the same name, itself very loosely based on the rise of The Supremes. In the film version, BeyoncĂ©, Jennifer Hudson, and Anika Noni Rose star as the Detroit girl group navigating, and defining, the R&B music scene of the 1960s and ’70s. It’s a film of killer performances, though Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” hit especially hard, going on to win the Oscar for best supporting actress in 2007.
How to watch: Stream on Paramount+, Apple TV, Prime Video, or YouTube.
Moulin Rouge! (2001), dir. Baz LuhrmannPhoto: Courtesy Everett Collection
In this whirlwind of a film, Baz Lurhmann brings Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec-era Paris to life with Christian (Ewan McGregor), a starving poet enamored by Paris’s bohemian underbelly, and Satine (Nicole Kidman), an exquisite courtesan with aspirations for the stage: the sight of her suspended on a swing in a bedazzled corset is nothing short of mesmerizing. Music-wise, the lush film is set to a mishmash of existing hits by the likes of U2 and Whitney Houston, plus a few covers and original songs—because why reinvent the entire wheel?
How to watch: Stream on Apple TV, Prime Video, or YouTube.
Yentl (1983), dir. Barbra StreisandPhoto: Courtesy Everett Collection
Barbra Streisand has quite a few movie musicals under her belt (Funny Girl! Hello Dolly! On a Clear Day You Can See Forever! Her wrongly maligned version of A Star Is Born!), but her directorial debut is undoubtedly the jewel in her crown. A spiritual cross between Mulan and Fiddler on the Roof, Yentl stars Streisand as a young woman in turn-of-the-century Eastern Europe, who—bear with us here—disguises herself as a man to pursue an education and ends up backing into a love triangle with a hunky fellow scholar (Mandy Patinkin) and his pretty fiancée (Amy Irving). But don’t expect sprawling, High School Musical–esque song-and-dance numbers at the yeshiva; in Yentl, every song functions as a monologue, during which our heroine privately reckons with the loneliness and absurdity of her situation. It shouldn’t work—but it so does.
How to watch: Stream on Max, Apple TV, Prime Video, or YouTube.
Grease (1978), dir. Randal KleiserPhoto: Courtesy Everett Collection
It’s the summer of 1958, and an Australian expat (Olivia Newton-John) falls for a charming young greaser (John Travolta)—only for the two teens to realize they’ll be classmates come the fall. The problem? He’s got a bad boy reputation to uphold at Rydell High, and she’s far too wholesome. Their story unfolds to an irresistible soundtrack, including songs like “You’re the One that I Want,” “Summer Nights,” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You”—the latter of which would earn songwriter John Farrar an Oscar nomination.
How to watch: Stream on Apple TV, Prime Video, or YouTube.
The Sound of Music (1965), dir. Robert WisePhoto: Courtesy Everett Collection
Few films are as cherished as The Sound of Music—a film set in the hills of Salzburg, Austria, and based on the real-life story of Maria von Trapp, who went from nun to nanny to the wife of a naval captain whose large family became a musical sensation. In the Hollywood version, Julie Andrews plays the adorable Maria with Christopher Plummer, as the dashing captain, leading their merry band of children out of Austria on the cusp of the Second World War. Directed by Robert Wise, the film would go on to win the Academy Award for best picture in 1966.
How to watch: Stream on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, Prime Video, or YouTube.
My Fair Lady (1964), dir. George CukorPhoto: Courtesy Everett Collection
Based on the Broadway hit of the same name (which itself riffs on George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play Pygmalion), My Fair Lady stars Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle, a street urchin taken in by phonetics professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison), a man committed to finessing and transforming her grating cockney accent into the Queen’s English. The hilarious comedy-musical is responsible for a few memorable one-liners (“Dover, move your bloomin’ arse!”), as well as swooningly lovely songs (“On the Street Where You Live,” “I Could Have Danced All Night”), and extraordinary costumes by Cecil Beaton.
How to watch: Stream on Paramount+, Apple TV, Prime Video, or YouTube.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), dir. Jacques DemyPhoto: Courtesy Everett Collection
Few movie musicals are actually sung through, which should alone earn this one, by Jacques Demy, a spot on our list. But more than that, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg—with its gorgeous, jazz-inflected score by Michel Legrand—boasts dazzling interiors and costumes, plus a heartbreaking story: Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo star as young lovers separated by the Algerian War.
How to watch: Stream on Max, Apple TV, Prime Video, or YouTube.
West Side Story (1961), dir. Robert WisePhoto: Courtesy Everett Collection
From its unforgettable prologue (the colorblocked Saul Bass graphics! that utterly irresistible Leonard Bernstein score!) to its lacerating finale, West Side Story set a high watermark for musicals in the early 1960s. Under the direction of Robert Wise and director-choreographer Jerome Robbins (who also commandeered the original stage production, starring Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence, and Chita Rivera), the playgrounds and fire escapes of the Upper West Side framed an epic urban retelling of Romeo and Juliet.
How to watch: Stream on Apple TV, Prime Video, or YouTube.
Singin’ in the Rain (1952), dir. Gene Kelly, Stanley DonenPhoto: Courtesy Everett Collection
Directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, the cheerful Singin’ in the Rain follows three silent film stars confronted with their industry’s transition to the “talkies.” The film is led by Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and Debbie Reynolds, and over the last 70 years, their songs have been embedded in our culture—from the titular “Singing in the Rain” to “Good Mornin’.”
How to watch: Stream on Amazon.
