Many of the greatest films of all time rose in popularity thanks to their iconic soundtracks. It’s impossible to think about Back to the Future without “Power of Love,” Reservoir Dogs without “Little Green Bag,” Trainspotting without “Lust for Life,” or Goodfellas without “My Way.” Sometimes, an iconic scene in a hit movie can increase the original artist’s popularity; Queen saw “Bohemian Rhapsody” increasing in acclaim after it appeared in Wayne’s World. However, there are some instances where a great soundtrack is the only redeemable aspect of a film.
Just because a movie doesn’t work doesn’t mean that it can’t have a great playlist; if you’re considering leaving the theater or switching off a movie halfway through, you may stop and reconsider if you hear one of your favorite bands in the background. Not every movie can be Back to the Future or Goodfellas, and these are some instances when the soundtrack was better than the movie itself.
Suicide Squad
David Ayer’s 2016 film Suicide Squad was one of the most underwhelming comic book movies in recent memory; while a film centered around the rouge’s gallery of the DC universe teaming up to face an evil more evil antagonist seemed like a great concept, the film’s erratic editing, poor writing, confusing tonal shifts, and awkward humor resulted in a disaster. That being said, the one aspect of Suicide Squad that lived up to the hype was the music, which had been prominently featured in the trailers. Between Eminem’s “Without Me,” Grace’s “You Don’t Own Me,” Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” and the original song “Heathens” by Twenty One Pilots, Suicide Squad’s soundtrack managed to encapsulate multiple generations of hit records.
Hot Summer Nights
Hot Summer Nights is a bit of an oddity in the A24 collection; it doesn’t really decide if it wants to be a coming-of-age comedy or a gritty crime thriller, and the odd plot twists only make the film’s tonal contrast stand out. However, the film does a pretty great job at capturing the music of the 1980s with period-accurate soundtrack drops. With David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” Beck’s “I’m So Free,” Ty Wagner’s “Walking Down Lonely Street,” and The Modern Lovers’ “Hospital,” the music felt much more authentic than the characters and relationships.
Gold
Gold was a very disappointing piece of “awards bait” that failed to get any traction in the Oscars race. Matthew McConaughey gives a fantastic performance as the infamous prospector Kenny Wells (based on Bre-X CEO David Walsh), but the film ultimately condenses his life into a Wikipedia entry. However, the marketing heavily relied on the use of Iggy Pop’s “Gold,” and the subsequent film managed to work in even more classic tunes. Big Dipper’s "Ron Klaus Wrecked His House,” Joy Division’s “Atmosphere,” New Order’s “Temptation,” and Pixies’ “Hey” are just a few of the great songs that managed to keep audiences awake amidst the 121-minute runtime.
St. Elmo’s Fire
“The Brat Pack” made a lot of iconic coming-of-age films in the 1980s, but St. Elmo’s Fire hardly became the classic that The Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles were. The film’s unlikable characters weren’t charming in the ‘80s, and the film’s offensive humor has aged even worse. The one aspect St. Elmo’s Fire has in common with classics like Pretty in Pink is its terrific soundtrack; the original compositions by the famous producer David Foster turned St. Elmo’s Fire into a bigger sensation than the film really deserved.
The Greatest Showman
The Greatest Showman isn’t necessarily a bad movie, but it’s a haphazard compilation of musical numbers that basically presents P.T. Barnum as a hero of underrepresented people, while in reality, he was a malicious charlatan. So how did it become a worldwide sensation and smash hit? Thanks to the musical talents of Hugh Jackman and the Broadway producers Greg Wells, Justin Paul, and Benj Pasek, The Greatest Showman’s soundtrack encouraged musical fans to come out in droves to see the film. There are many standout numbers (“A Million Dreams,” “Rewrite The Stars,” and “From Now On” just to name a few), but it was the triumphant number “This Is Me” that earned an Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe win.
I Am Sam
I Am Sam is an egregious attempt at humanizing the lives of those with intellectual disabilities that suffer from every cliché that you could imagine; Sean Penn’s performance has not aged well in the slightest. Although the film tries its hardest to be charming, the only thing that’s actually endearing is the main character’s love of The Beatles. Cover versions of “Let It Be,” “Across the Universe,” “Blackbird,” “Nowhere Man,” and “Revolution” among others manage to tune out the insufferable dialogue.
The Beach
Danny Boyle never failed to put together a great soundtrack for his films, even if they don’t watch the quality of classics like Steve Jobs or Shallow Grave. The Beach is possibly his worst film, but the odd mystery adventure film became somewhat of a sensation in 2000 with its terrific soundtrack. New Order, Blur, Underworld, Orbital, Faithless, Sugar Ray, and All Saints are among the sampled groups that are featured.
Batman Forever
While it’s not quite as egregious as its follow-up Batman & Robin, Joel Schumacher’s first venture into Gotham City turned the Dark Knight into a complete joke, completely contradicting the tone that Tim Burton had so delicately constructed in the first two films. That being said, Batman Forever had the benefit of the excellent original song “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me,” which earned U2 a Golden Globe and Grammy nomination. The rest of the soundtrack spices things up with Seal’s “Kiss From A Rose,” the Flaming Lips’ “Bad Days,” Mazzy Star’s Tell Me Now,” and Method Man’s “The Riddler” to create one of the best-sounding Batman films to date.
Intolerable Cruelty
The Coen Brothers are renowned for the terrific soundtracks in their films, with some classics like The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou rising in cult appreciation thanks to fans’ love of the music. Intolerable Cruelty is perhaps the Coen brothers’ worst film, but that doesn’t mean that they skimped out on a great collection of romantic songs that sold George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones’ relationship better than the script. Elvis Presely’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer,” Tom Jones’ “If I Only Knew,” and Melissa Manchester’s “Don’t Cry Out Loud” accompany a fantastic score by Carter Burwell.
Teen Spirit
Teen Spirit has a fantastic concept; it’s essentially a Cinderella story set in the world of pop music competition. While the film itself, unfortunately, reiterates many of the cliched aspects of similar “rise to fame” movies, it features a fantastic soundtrack accompanied by actual performances from the film’s cast. Elle Fanning proves her talents as both a singer and an actress with her terrific covers of “Good Time,” “Don’t Kill My Vibe,” “Light,” and “Dancing On My Own” among others.
21
The true story of the MIT Blackjack Team and their experiences counting cards and getting involved with criminals in the Las Vegas casino scene is a fascinating premise for a thriller that could have rivaled Martin Scorsese’s Casino; unfortunately, 21 seems to dodge any of the more compelling aspects of the story in favor or a generic crowd pleaser. It’s an underwhelming waste of a great story, but 21 at least brings the exciting environment of Las Vegas gambling to life thanks to a terrific and energetic soundtrack. Between older classics like The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and Moby's “Slippin' Away” to more modern hits like LCD Soundsytem’s “Big Ideas” and Rhianna’s “Shut Up And Drive,” the 21 soundtrack both reflects the traditionalism of Vegas culture and the youthfulness of the protagonists.