# Movie musicals for someone who doesn't like movie musicals? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 23, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039 "2014-02-23T22:40:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/1 "2014-02-23T22:40:07Z")
Maybe it’s just me, but I find the scheme of typical movie musicals – an ordinary movie except where at some points the stars and supporting cast burst into song and dance instead of dialogue or narrative-- utterly ridiculous. I really have no patience for them because they take me right out of whatever suspension of disbelief I might have and slap me in the face with their unreality. I have found a few exceptions to this, all in movies that are in large part _about_ music or musical theater. The first musical I remember really liking is All That Jazz, where of course nearly naked hot chicks didn’t hurt either. More recently I’ve found a couple of others. _As It Is In Heaven_ is an Swedish film about retired conductor being more or less drafted into conducting a local community choir. I just saw another in a similar vein – _The Concert_ is a French comedy about a Russian conductor who was forced out of his career during the bad old communist days, and arranges a comeback concert. I thought both were great, or near great, films, if perhaps a bit sappy. Still, since the characters are immersed in music as part of their lives, I’m able to buy into the concept and enjoy them. So what else should I like? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/2 "2014-02-23T23:53:07Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Maybe it’s just me, but I find the scheme of typical movie musicals – an ordinary movie except where at some points the stars and supporting cast burst into song and dance instead of dialogue or narrative-- utterly ridiculous. While there certainly are movie musicals like this, it’s actually not as “typical” as you might think. Musicals where many, if not all, of the song and dance numbers have some kind of in-universe justification, like being part of a concert or play, aren’t rare exceptions, they’ve always been a common type of musical. > [@](#): > > I really have no patience for them because they take me right out of whatever suspension of disbelief I might have and slap me in the face with their unreality. I have to say I’ve seen people suddenly burst into song in real life a lot more often than I’ve seen people outrun a huge explosion, but okay. 😉 If you want a musical where no one spontaneously bursts into song without explanation AND if you liked _All That Jazz_, I’d highly recommend Bob Fosse’s earlier (and more famous) musical _Cabaret_. One of the main characters, played by Liza Minnelli, is a nightclub performer and there are scenes throughout the movie showing her singing onstage. Otherwise the movie is mostly a drama set during the last days of the Weimar Republic. In the film version of _Chicago_, most of the musical numbers are presented as the fantasies of one of the characters, an aspiring nightclub singer. We see characters singing and dancing onscreen, but it’s made clear that this isn’t happening for real aside from a couple of numbers that are actually part of a nightclub act. I hesitate to recommend it because it’s a very bleak and depressing movie, but _Dancer in the Dark_ also presents its musical numbers as the fantasies of the main character. In this case she’s a factory worker (played by Bjork) who loves movie musicals and daydreams about musical numbers happening around her. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/3 "2014-02-23T23:53:36Z")
If you don’t like musicals, why bother watching any? Just listen to the soundtracks. Because you either love musicals or you don’t. OK, I will recommend “Cabaret” which is songs performed in the context of the nightclub, not people bursting into song for no reason. I ADORE “Cabaret”. And “Chicago”. * * * You beat me to it, Lamia! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/4 "2014-02-24T00:03:16Z")
Singin’ In The Rain has a blend of spontaneous vs in-context numbers, I’d say ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/5 "2014-02-24T00:13:27Z")
Cabaret is a good one,as mentioned above. O Brother, Where Art Thou? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/6 "2014-02-24T00:14:21Z")
A golden oldie that IIRC doesn’t have any unexplained bursting into song is _42nd Street_ (1933). It’s mostly about all the drama going on behind the scenes of a new Broadway show, and all or nearly all of the musical numbers are from the rehearsals or opening night. A more recent movie that’s probably a love-it-or-hate-it, or maybe a love-it-or-“WTF did I just watch?”, is Todd Haynes’s 1998 _Velvet Goldmine_. It’s set during the glam rock era and two of the main characters are rock stars loosely based on David Bowie and Iggy Pop. The movie includes covers of real songs from the era as well as a few originals. These are mostly presented in the movie as concert performances and promotional videos. There’s also a brief fantasy sequence near the end. ETA: I second _O Brother, Where Art Thou?_ ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/7 "2014-02-24T00:15:09Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I have to say I’ve seen people suddenly burst into song in real life a lot more often than I’ve seen people outrun a huge explosion, but okay. 😉 Yeah, I always wonder if people who make this complaint limit their moviewatching to indie, neo-realist, slice-of-life stuff. Because of course MOST movies have completed unrealistic elements! I mean, if you don’t like musicals, you don’t like musicals - fine. But the “unrealistic” argument makes me :dubious:. Also, it’s been a long, long time since I saw it, but doesn’t even “Cabaret” have a number of songs that are not part of the in-show cabaret? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/8 "2014-02-24T00:18:54Z")
Do you feel the same way about musical numbers in animated movies—whether Disney cartoons or something like the South Park movie? > [@MadTheSwine](#): > > O Brother, Where Art Thou? Good one! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/9 "2014-02-24T00:19:04Z")
_Moulin Rouge_. I stumbled on a weird 60s movie once, and suddenly they started singing [Hey Big Spender](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG3VfKlfDEk). I hadn’t realised it was from a movie. That may have been the day I realised what the song was actually about, which makes me wonder why I recall seeing kids singing it in various Variety Shows on TV. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/10 "2014-02-24T00:19:37Z")
Moulin Rouge maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/11 "2014-02-24T00:23:03Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Also, it’s been a long, long time since I saw it, but doesn’t even “Cabaret” have a number of songs that are not part of the in-show cabaret? To my recollection there’s only one, which I won’t describe in detail because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who hasn’t seen the movie, but it involves people singing in a beer garden. So not a cabaret, but still a situation where people might plausibly have a sing-along. > [@GuanoLad](#): > > _Moulin Rouge_ > [@MadTheSwine](#): > > Moulin Rouge maybe? I love _Moulin Rouge!_, but it has quite a few “suddenly everyone starts singing” numbers. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/12 "2014-02-24T00:27:07Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > A golden oldie that IIRC doesn’t have any unexplained bursting into song is _42nd Street_ (1933). It’s mostly about all the drama going on behind the scenes of a new Broadway show, and all or nearly all of the musical numbers are from the rehearsals or opening night.\* Most of the Busby Berkeley musicals fit under this criteria; **Footlight Parade** is a good one. **A Hard Day’s Night** certainly fits – the Beatles are either performing or they’re singing in the background (and certainly you don’t object to a music score in a movie). Of course, musicals aren’t any more about reality than any other film and certainly no more unrealistic than any superhero film. You just have to enjoy it, not think about it, though the unreality of the songs add to the reality of the emotions. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/13 "2014-02-24T00:35:07Z")
_The Replacements_ is about a bunch of Irish dudes who sing a lot. Or were they Scottish? Either way, it was good. And there’s always _Holiday Inn_, where most of the musical numbers make sense in-story. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/14 "2014-02-24T00:37:16Z")
Hair might fit in your request. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/15 "2014-02-24T00:38:46Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I love _Moulin Rouge!_, but it has quite a few “suddenly everyone starts singing” numbers. Yeah, but the story is so tongue-in-cheek to begin with, that suspension of disbelief shouldn’t really be an issue. How about “sung-through” musicals, where the entire story is done as a musical number, with little or no regular speech at all? > **[Sung-through](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sung-through)** > > A sung-through stage musical, musical film, opera, or other work of performance art is one in which songs entirely or almost entirely replace any spoken dialogue. Conversations, speeches, and musings are communicated musically, for example through a combination of recitative, aria, and arioso. Early versions of this include the Italian genre of opera buffa, a light-hearted form of opera that gained prominence in the 1750s. > A through-sung opera or other form of narrative work with continuous musi... ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/16 "2014-02-24T00:41:13Z")
Hairspray ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/17 "2014-02-24T00:43:23Z")
South Park The Movie. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/18 "2014-02-24T01:33:51Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > … Of course, musicals aren’t any more about reality than any other film and certainly no more unrealistic than any superhero film. … Hadn’t thought about a link between the two genres, but generally speaking I don’t like superhero movies either, unless they are clearly tongue in cheek. > [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > _The Replacements_ is about a bunch of Irish dudes who sing a lot. Or were they Scottish? Either way, it was good. … Are you thinking of _The Commitments_, about the creation and breakup of an Irish band? I’d forgotten about that one, and I liked it quite a lot. And it further reminded me of another film about the rise and fall of a band that I liked – _The Five Heartbeats_. ---
**Author:** ![Roundabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dec6dc/32.png) [@Roundabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roundabout)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/19 "2014-02-24T01:41:23Z")
Little Shop of Horrors. While not exactly fitting the requirements, LSOH is an odd horror-musical that never takes itself too seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039/20 "2014-02-24T01:55:42Z")
Blues Brothers? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musicals-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-movie-musicals/682039.md?page=2)