Based on the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story takes place on the Upper West Side of New York city where rival gangs vow their vengeance, Puerto Rican belles celebrate “America,” and an ill-fated love blossoms. There’s a huge selection of movie musicals to sing along to before Disney’s ‘West Side Story’ releases on December 10th, including other Sondheim spectaculars.
These movie musicals have dance breaks aplenty, incredible soundtracks, and stories that range from the science fiction horror of man-eating plants from outer space to the mundane horror of messy break-ups.
Newsies (1992)
Disney has a long history of movie musicals, but one of their lesser-known productions is Newsies, a story of the mistreated newsboys of Manhattan. When the publisher of the paper they sell raises the prices, the newsboys go on strike and rousing dance number ensue as they gather newsboys across New York City, fighting against strike-breaking tactics and a vengeful orphanage warden.
Newsies has gained a cult following since its catastrophic release, along with a Broadway adaption. Featuring a young Christian Bale in the lead role, and the music of Alan Menken – who also composed (in collaboration with Howard Ashman) music for Disney classics such as The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast – it’s good fun all around.
Into the Woods (2014)
Another Sondheim classic, Into the Woods is a twisted retelling of fairytale characters whose wishes bring them into the woods where wolves and adulterous princes lurk. The Baker (James Corden) and the Baker’s Wife (Emily Blunt) tie the stories together in their quest for a child after a Witch (Meryl Streep) curses the Baker’s father.
Lyrically and thematically dense, the movie opts in favor of a lighter tone than the Broadway musical, smoothing over some of the bleakest moments while retaining its dark humor. Each of the characters ventures into the woods, for a child, or a festival, or to sell their cow, but they soon learn to be careful what you wish for.
Les Misérables (2012)
Adapted for the screen most notably in 2012, Les Misérables is arguably one of the greatest French novels of all time. Following the life of Jean Valjean, a convict who finds redemption and has a second chance at life, he is relentlessly pursued by the legalistic Javert. With one of the best soundtracks to sing along to, the film's story also offers a condensced but no less moving retelling of Les Mis, with love – both unrequited and forbidden – tragedy, and a revolution. Like West Side Story, more than a few tears might be shed, but it’s well worth the emotional turmoil.
The Last Five Years (2014)
Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan star in this film about the beginning and end of a marriage, told by each of their characters in a different order. The Last Five Years plays out nearly entirely in song, alternating between Cathy (Anna Kendrick) and Jamie (Jeremy Jordan), as they consider why and how their relationship fell apart. Despite the witticism and exuberant energy of many of the songs juxtaposed with a somber topic, the tone of The Last Five Years is hard to define. The cinematography is not particularly inventive, and the color palette too stark. It's worth noting that the film let down the source material in many ways, but the chemistry between Kendrick and Jordan salvages the adaptation, and it’s a refreshing antidote for anyone who's accidentally ingested too many sickly-sweet rom-coms.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007)
Tim Burton and Sondheim are a match made in heaven. Sondheim’s deliciously grisly soundtrack perfectly complements Burton’s imagination that brings Fleet Street to life. Their imaginations are nearly the only living things in this darker, more sordid London, where Sweeney and his lover are chopping up customers into meat pies while Sweeney seeks a chance to get revenge on the lecherous Judge Turpin. Sweeney Todd has a fantastic score, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter as the murderous duo, and a heavy dose of the macabre. Filled with twists and turns, it's the dark musical you never knew you wanted.
In The Heights (2021)
Another movie musical set in Manhattan – this time in Washington Heights – In The Heights tells the story of the Latinx and Hispanic community navigating their own futures, and changes to their beloved neighborhood. The music and dance sequences are riotously fun, with a charming cast playing young romantics, gossipy hairdressers, and those with big dreams trying to “make it out.” The song “No Me Diga” perfectly encapsulates the film’s energy: playful, clever, with great directing that lends as much personality to the scenes as the actors do. Lin Manuel-Miranda has expressed his love for Hispanic diasporas, and In The Heights is built on his own experiences as the son of Puerto Rican immigrants. The film feels intimate and inviting; absolutely a feel-good feature.
Rent (2005)
While we’re in an empire state of mind, Rent must be mentioned. A gritty exploration of the East Village during the AIDS epidemic, the film follows several “bohemians,” New Yorkers making art, love, and the best they can of their lives. The movie is a frank exploration of drug abuse, sexuality, the AIDS crisis, housing insecurity, and the ways people negotiate finding love and community in spite of their struggles. Gut-wrenching and uplifting, some characters are more developed than others and Rent can seem a little lost in itself at times. But there’s a reason the musical remains a culturally significant piece of art. Rent stands as a testament to the queer people lost to such a tragic era.
The Prom (2020)
Step aside Candide, The Prom is giving “glitter and be gay” a whole new meaning. The Prom is full of musical theater references, so it might not be everyone’s proverbial cup of tea. But it has some sweet songs and Meryl Streep playing a self-obsessed diva, as well as a positive LGBT+ message. A young girl is prohibited from taking her girlfriend to prom by the local homophobes, so washed-up Broadway stars make sending her to prom their new role.
The Prom is charming, it’s cliché, and it falls back on too many stereotypes to be particularly ingenuous, but Jo Ellen Pellman shines as the breakout star playing Emma, the lesbian fighting for her and her girlfriend’s inclusion. Plus, Ariana DeBose, cast as her girlfriend, has drawn attention to the positive choice by the film-makers to specifically cast queer actors for queer roles.
Chicago (2002)
One of the most popular movie musicals, Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) ends up in prison after her plans to make it big in showbiz go awry in Chicago. Sent to Murderess’ Row where she joins the prisoners in fishnets instead of jumpsuits, Roxie ends up conspiring with a fellow prisoner (and idol) to manipulate the press in order to secure their acquittals. The cinematography utilizes flashy cutaway scenes in homage to the original production, as well as plenty of jazz hands, snapping, and sultry hip movements. Chicago is less emotionally grounded, instead playing out its dark humor in the style of a vaudeville with over-exaggerated plot twists and dance movements, but it remains one of the best musicals – both on and off the Broadway stage.
Little Shop Of Horrors (1986)
Three doo-wop singers functioning as a Greek chorus preside over “Skid Row” in New York, home to a geeky florist who's in love with his colleague, her sadistic dentist boyfriend, and a venus fly trap with a penchant for human blood. Every bit as campy as that motley collection of characters suggest, Little Shop of Horrors is a delightful horror comedy. It’s filmed on a stage set constructed for the movie and utilizes puppets like the original production, but this enhances the original production's bizarre charm. Not to mention, the music is by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast), and it’s every bit as catchy as their more-recognizable Disney classics.