13 Movie Musicals That Are So Good, I Can Hardly Explain It

You'll be dancing and singing by the end of this list.

Movie musicals are given a bad reputation, but they're joyous, dramatic, and full of fantasy.

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If you can suspend your disbelief for superhero movies, you can do it for musicals, too.

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And it’s more believable that people would break into song and dance than Spider-Man swinging around New York fighting a goblin. I'm just saying...

If you’re a newbie to movie musicals, here are what I consider to be the best of the best.

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1. All That Jazz

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A semi-autobiographical fantasy musical about Bob Fosse's life when he was working on editing his film about Lenny Bruce and creating the original Broadway musical Chicago, directed by Fosse himself.

2. An American in Paris

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Gershwin tunes and Gene Kelly's choreography make this one of MGM's best movie musicals they ever produced. And the dream ballet is gorgeous.

3. The Band Wagon

Loew's Inc. / MGM

One of MGM's finest musicals of the '50s, that includes one of Fred Astaire's most beautiful numbers, "Dancing in the Dark," with Cyd Charisse.

4. Cabaret

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A great adaptation of the stage musical with Oscar-winning performances by Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey, and direction by Bob Fosse.

5. Chicago

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The first, and so far only, musical to win Best Picture at the Oscars since Oliver! in 1969. An inventive adaptation that oozes Fosse cool.

6. Dreamgirls

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I mean, Jennifer Hudson singing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" is enough. And I'm a sucker for stories that were inspired by The Supremes.

7. It's Always Fair Weather

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A more serious Gene Kelly vehicle that wasn't appreciated when it was released and called a "cynical musical." It's a story about three G.I.'s who return home from WWII and how their lives don't turn out how they thought they would. Also, Gene Kelly tap dances on roller skates!!!!

8. Little Shop of Horrors

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Comedy nerds like this one. That's a big deal considering how many jokes and stand up sets that are about the "ridiculousness" of musicals.

9. Singin' in the Rain

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I mean, it's considered the all time best for a reason.

10. Tick, Tick… Boom!

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Who knew Andrew Garfield could sing like that? The musical about Rent composer Jonathan Larson finally got a film adaptation by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was inspired by Larson's work to create his own.

11. West Side Story (2021)

20th Century Studios

Honestly, I like this adaptation more than the 1961 version. For someone who hadn't directed a musical before, Steven Spielberg sure knows how to stage one. David Alvarez, Ariana DeBose, Mike Faist, and Rachel Zegler make these iconic roles their own, and Rita Moreno is a legend for a reason.

12. The Wizard of Oz

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I mean, it's an all time classic film. If you don't feel something when Judy Garland sings "Over the Rainbow," then I don't know what to tell you.

13. 42nd Street

Warner Bros.

The best in the "putting on a show" sub genre of musicals popular in the '30s and '40s. And the title number is one of the best of all time.

Do you have any favorite movie musicals?