15 Underrated Movie Musicals That Are Still So Much Fun
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
Movie musicals definitely run the gamut of quality, though there are diehards who appreciate anything with some singing and dancing no matter what. For every West Side Story, there is a Burlesque or Cats that take such a big swing... and don't quite score the grand slam they were aiming for. When it comes to musicals, however, the bad ones are often just as entertaining as the classics. These 15 movie musicals may have been poorly reviewed but they've still got enough redeeming qualities to make for a fun watch.
Doctor Dolittle (1967)
If you only know the character Doctor Dolittle from his modern adaptations, this '60s musical starring Rex Harrison is a fun throwback and still a kid-friendly adventure. None of the songs will blow your socks off or leave you humming their tunes afterward, but the movie has enough fun moments to justify putting it on.
See the original post on Youtube
Paint Your Wagon (1969)
Did you know the acclaimed writer of Network Paddy Cheyefsky helped pen this Western comedy musical? Paint Your Wagon was released at a time of major market saturation with musical films, so critics weren't huge on this one, but the unique Gold Rush setting and the solid core cast of Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, and Jean Seberg make it watchable.
See the original post on Youtube
Darling Lili (1970)
An underappreciated Dame Julie Andrews musical, she plays an undercover German spy posing as a celebrated English musical star, a fun twist on her performance persona. There's a great mix of spy hijinks and extravagant showbiz moments in Darling Lili that make it worth the price of admission.
See the original post on Youtube
Roller Boogie (1979)
It's certainly no Saturday Night Fever, and critics pointed out that Roller Boogie felt like a cash-in on the roller disco trend of the time, but the film has a passionate cult following nowadays. Both as a time capsule and a fun jukebox musical, it's a good time.
See the original post on Youtube
Can't Stop The Music (1980)
This musical, a fictionalized biopic about the formation of the Village People (who also star), was a huge bomb at the time and part of the inspiration for the creation of the Golden Raspberry Awards alongside Xanadu. The inaugural "Worst Picture of the Year" deserves the honor of a watch, and you'll probably find plenty more to enjoy in it than you first expect.
See the original post on Youtube
Grease 2 (1982)
Mostly criticized as an overly familiar retread of the original classic's beats, Grease 2 is still packed with more charm and good music than some original musicals. The sequel was fronted by Maxwell Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer, who played a Rydell High School exchange student and the new leader of the Pink Ladies respectively.
See the original post on Youtube
The King and I (1999)
An animated take on the classic 1951 musical, most fans agree that the live-action adaptation is stronger, but seeing a non-Disney animated musical is an interesting experience. It doesn't live up to its full potential but it may be a cool deep cut to throw on for movie night if you have hardcore music fans coming over.
See the original post on Youtube
Glitter (2001)
Mariah Carey's film debut was raked through the coals to such an extreme degree that some people who may have loved it probably scared away. Sure, her acting isn't great, but the film doesn't deserve its 6% Rotten Tomatoes score, by any means.
See the original post on Youtube
The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
Directed by Joel Schumacher, The Phantom of the Opera is generally praised for its lush visuals and strong central performances, with detractors pointing to derivations from the stage version and knocking some dragging plot moments. Gerard Butler got vocal lessons
See the original post on Youtube
Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
This is worth watching just to see the great Anthony Stewart Head (aka Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) delivering rock opera melodies beautifully. Set in a dystopian future in the year 2056, where assassins are tasked with repossessing the organs of debtors to the GeneCo megacorporation, it's a very original setting for a musical.
See the original post on Youtube
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
You've got to give the High School Musicali films credit for having enough staying power to pull off the hat trick. Not many movie musicals get a sequel, let alone a trilogy, and a whole new series adaptation on top of that!
See the original post on Youtube
Nine (2009)
Buckling slightly over the weight of its ambitions, Nine was set to make a huge splash with its stellar ensemble cast, and fascinating source material with the original musical 1982 of the same name, an adaptation of the classic Federico Fellini film 8 1/2. Marion Cotillard and Penélope Cruz were standouts here, and a few musical sequences elevate this experience, even if it doesn't come together to the transcendent whole it could have
See the original post on Youtube
Burlesque (2010)
With Cher and Christina Aguilera taking top billing, this should be a bonafide classic instead of an under-the-radar musical romance, and it's got some awesome songs in here. Criticism of the film's directing and script is fair, but who comes to a musical for the dialogue? It's always refreshing to see an attempt at an original story and not a Broadway adaptation.
See the original post on Youtube
Rock of Ages (2012)
A mostly uninspiring jukebox musical with takes on songs from Guns N' Roses, Pat Benatar, Whitesnake, and more, a surprising highlight of Rock of Ages is none other than Tom Cruise, who commits 1000% in the role of the self-obsessed rocker Stacee Jax.
See the original post on Youtube
Cats (2019)
We knew this take on the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical would be weird, but it truly veered further into the uncanny valley than anyone expected with how the Jellicle cats ended up looking in the final cut. Jennifer Hudson's performance of "Memory" is pretty much this film's only saving grace,
See the original post on Youtube
You Might Also Like
