America has a love/hate affair with the musical. The idea of characters spontaneously bursting into song while sitting on their doorstep or running the office copier is eye-rollingly contrived and unrealistic, but sometimes watching people rock a big show tune is exactly what the doctor ordered. With the movie version of the major Broadway sensation Mamma Mia!, based around the songs of Swedish pop superstars ABBA – yeah, we’re scared, too – about to hit cineplexes nationwide, we decided to take a look at memorable pop/rock musical movies. The genre has a spotty history, but sometimes even its failures can become odd pop-culture time capsules.
The Blues Brothers (1980)
Showstoppers: “Think,” “Shake a Tail Feather,” and “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love.”
It’s not only an ode to famous American blues and soul artists of the ‘50s and ‘60s, but also an outrageous and revered road movie that continues to be quoted today. After “Joliet” Jake Blues leaves prison, he and his brother Elwood seek to save the Catholic orphanage they grew up in from foreclosure by reuniting their old blues band to raise money. Of course, they have to contend with a homicidal female stalker, wild police chases, and pursuit by an enraged country band and Illinois Nazis before they can complete their task. John Landis’ energetic comedy is completely over the top, and the soundtrack has sold in the millions, reviving interest in the artists who appeared in the film – including Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and John Lee Hooker – thanks to the musical passions of co-stars Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi.
Cry-Baby (1990)
Showstoppers: “King Cry Baby” and “Doin’ Time for Being Young.”
Take Grease, add Johnny Depp in Elvis mode, stir in John Waters’ earnestly campy take on 1950s life in America, and you’ve got Cry-Baby. This underappreciated and spirited musical didn’t set the world on fire 18 years ago, but it features refined and raucous ‘50s pop and rock battling for dominance in the same way that the Squares and the Drapes (delinquents) face off around its good girl-bad boy romance. Another well-known ‘50s Waters musical, Hairspray, tackled racial integration and rock ‘n’ roll rebellion in Baltimore with a similarly splendid approach.
Grease (1978)
Showstopper: “Summer Nights” and “You’re The One That I Want.”
(Briefly) making Olivia Newton-John a movie star and continuing John Travolta’s first hot streak, this cinematic adaptation of the Broadway musical took the classic “wrong side of the tracks” romance – a good girl wanting to unleash her wild side and a bad boy with a sensitive heart – and gave it a hip ‘50s rock soundtrack with some ‘70s disco flavor. But what the playwrights didn’t count on was the giant success of one Barry Gibb-penned tune (“Grease”) and two John Farrar originals (“Hopelessly Devoted to You” and “You’re the One That I Want”) written specifically for the film that became the soundtrack’s most successful songs. They gave the movie extra pizzazz and have since been essential inclusions in subsequent revivals of the show, including the recent one on Broadway.
High School Musical (2006)
Showstopper: “Stick to the Status Quo.”
It’s a generic title for sure, but this Disney Channel movie, with its utopian high school vision in which a basketball jock (Zac Efron) and math whiz (Vanessa Hudgens) buck conformity and find harmony auditioning for a role in their school’s “musicale,” struck a big nerve with tweens everywhere. Despite its numerous stereotypes, it’s got some heart and taps into current pop culture trends, and not only inspired a TV sequel, but installment number three is coming out in movie theaters nationwide this October. That’s an unprecedented feat that shows how the House of Mouse is a media empire unto itself, regardless of zero MTV airplay.
Idlewild (2006)
Showstopper: “PJ and Rooster.”
A Prohibition-era gangsta tale centered around a juke joint called Church – in which two small-town brothers (Outkast’s Andre Benjamin and Antwan A. Patton) grapple with entanglements involving family, women, and organized crime (including a mean-tempered Terrence Howard) – is a muddled narrative mess. But it is somewhat redeemed by an unusual blend of hip-hop with ‘30s jazz and blues with some cool jitterbugging. The film’s got a couple of striking sequences, and ironically enough, the end credit finale – a grandiose, Busby Berkeley-style number complete with lively tap dancing – caps it off in classic fashion.
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Showstoppers: “Elephant Song Medley” and “Like A Virgin.”
The conclusion to Baz Luhrmann’s “Red Curtain” trilogy, Moulin Rouge! is a stunning visual treat with a simple story. Penniless writer Christian (Ewan McGregor) and showgirl/aspiring actress Satine (Nicole Kidman) fall in love, but must cope with the unwanted advances on her by the rich, cold-hearted Duke, who is funding their “spectacular spectacular” at the Moulin Rouge. Lush, color-saturated visuals married with quirky, unorthodox renditions of ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s pop tunes in a 1900 setting give this flick an extra kick, plus you get the ever-adorable Kylie Minogue as a magical green fairy. Seriously, what else do you need?
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Showstoppers: “Time Warp” and “Sweet Transvestite.”
Adapted from a British stage play, the ultimate audience participation film is also the biggest cult movie sensation ever. No joke, it hasn’t stopped playing—somewhere—
in 32 years and has grossed nearly $150 million. It’s hard to say how many thousands of times audiences have shown up at midnight screenings in costume with rice and toilet paper in hand to pay homage (and talk back) to Janet, Brad, and Dr. Frank-N-Furter, that sweet transvestite from Transexual, Transylvania. The horror comedy’s wacky cast and Frankenstein allusions have no doubt added to its iconic appeal. This is one “Time Warp” that some fans never want to leave.
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)
Showstopper: Aerosmith rockin’ “Come Together.”
Yeah, it sounded like a good idea at the time – get ‘70s superstars Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees to star in a movie inspired by Beatles tunes from the seminal Sgt. Pepper’s album, and feature their versions of many of said songs. But the paper-thin story, plus the lack of dialogue and serious acting chops, helped sink this musical fast. And seriously, Aerosmith as the Future Villain Band with Steven Tyler getting his ass kicked by Frampton? (OK, he “accidentally” falls to his death…) We’ll blame the drugs for that career move. Still, it’s a fun train wreck worth seeing once. If you were born after 1970, see how many ‘70s icons you can name singing in the chorus at the end. For a better use of Beatles tunes with far more striking visuals, check out the recent Across the Universe.
The Wedding Singer (1998)
Showstoppers: “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)” and “Love Stinks.”
Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore can seriously overkill the annoyance and cuteness factors, respectively, but they clicked well in this ‘80s throwback in which a wedding singer and banquet server must decide whether their respective soulmates are really right for them. Despite not being a traditional movie musical, The Wedding Singer uses Sandler’s performances of signature ‘80s tunes as an integral part of the story. His inebriated sourpuss rendition of “Love Stinks” during one wedding is the highlight of this fun retro flick, which also includes an awesome cameo from Billy Idol.
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