The best movie musicals: 9 films where songs tell the story
Nine of the best movie musicals, from Singin' in the Rain, West Side Story and Mary Poppins to Cabaret, Grease, Moulin Rouge!, Les Misérables, La La Land and The Greatest Showman.
When characters burst into song, cinema can feel magical. This list gathers nine of the best movie musicals, in release order, with posters, the directors and the main cast.
For each musical we explain the story, what makes the songs and numbers special and what to watch for. The list goes from classic Hollywood to recent hits, so there is a good entry point whether you love musicals or are still unsure about them.
How the movie musical changed over time
The musical was born with sound cinema at the end of the 1920s and dominated Hollywood for decades. Studios like MGM had their own teams of composers, choreographers and stars, and films like Singin' in the Rain came out of that system.
From the 1970s the genre became rarer and more adult, with films like Cabaret using music to talk about politics and darkness. For years, a big musical was seen as a risky bet, and many people said the genre was dead.
Moulin Rouge! and later Les Misérables, La La Land and The Greatest Showman showed there was still a large audience for songs on screen. Today musicals mix stage adaptations, jukebox soundtracks with existing pop songs and original stories.
How we chose
We chose musicals by critical reception, audience love, awards and lasting influence, from classic Hollywood to today. This is not a numbered ranking.
We also looked for variety: classic studio musicals, stage adaptations, a jukebox musical, a dark drama and modern originals. All nine are easy to find today, and the songs of most of them are well known even to people who never saw the film.
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Directed by Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly. Starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor.
Why it matters: Singin' in the Rain is set in Hollywood at the end of the 1920s, when silent films give way to talkies. Silent star Don Lockwood, played by Gene Kelly, has to adapt, while his co-star Lina Lamont has a voice that does not work on sound film.
Watch Kelly's title number in the rain, one of the most famous scenes in cinema, and Donald O'Connor's acrobatic Make 'Em Laugh. The film also laughs at the chaos of early sound recording, with microphones hidden in flowers.
In 2006 the American Film Institute named it the greatest movie musical of all time. Ideal for anyone starting with the genre, as it is funny, light and full of energy.
West Side Story (1961)
Directed by Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins. Starring Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno.
Why it matters: West Side Story moves Romeo and Juliet to the streets of New York in the 1950s, where Tony and Maria fall in love across two rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. The music is by Leonard Bernstein and the lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
Watch the choreography by Jerome Robbins, which turns street fights into dance, and songs like America and Tonight. Natalie Wood's singing voice was dubbed by Marni Nixon, a common practice at the time.
It won ten Oscars, including Best Picture, the most for any musical, and Rita Moreno became the first Latina actress to win an Oscar. Ideal for those who like tragic love stories, and it pairs well with Steven Spielberg's 2021 version.
Mary Poppins (1964)
Directed by Robert Stevenson. Starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke.
Why it matters: Mary Poppins follows a magical nanny, played by Julie Andrews, who arrives at the home of the Banks family in London in 1910 and changes the lives of the children and their distant father. Dick Van Dyke plays Bert, the chimney sweep.
Watch the sequence where the characters jump into a chalk drawing and dance with animated penguins, a mix of live action and animation that impressed audiences. The songs by the Sherman brothers, like A Spoonful of Sugar and Chim Chim Cher-ee, became classics.
It was Julie Andrews' first film, and she won the Oscar for Best Actress. Ideal for families and for anyone who wants a warm, nostalgic musical.
Cabaret (1972)
Directed by Bob Fosse. Starring Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey.
Why it matters: Cabaret takes place in Berlin in 1931, at the Kit Kat Klub, where singer Sally Bowles, played by Liza Minnelli, lives a carefree life while the Nazis rise to power around her. Joel Grey plays the unsettling Master of Ceremonies.
Almost all the songs happen on the club stage, commenting on the story instead of interrupting it, which makes the film feel closer to a drama. Watch the scene in the beer garden, the chilling moment where the political threat becomes clear.
Bob Fosse won Best Director, Minnelli and Grey won acting Oscars, and the film took eight in total, the most ever for a film that did not win Best Picture. Ideal for adults and for people who think they do not like musicals.
Grease (1978)
Directed by Randal Kleiser. Starring John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John.
Why it matters: Grease follows Danny and Sandy, played by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, a summer romance that continues at Rydell High in the 1950s, where Danny has to keep his tough-guy image in front of his gang.
The film is based on a stage musical, but songs like You're the One That I Want and Hopelessly Devoted to You were written for the movie and became huge hits. Watch the dance contest in the gym and the final number at the carnival.
It was the biggest box office hit of 1978 in the United States and for decades one of the highest-grossing musicals ever. Ideal for a fun night with friends, though some of its messages feel dated today.
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Directed by Baz Luhrmann. Starring Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor.
Why it matters: Moulin Rouge! by Baz Luhrmann is set in Paris in 1899, where the young writer Christian, played by Ewan McGregor, falls in love with Satine, the star of the famous cabaret, played by Nicole Kidman.
The film is a jukebox musical: the characters sing pop songs from the twentieth century, from Elton John to Nirvana and Madonna, as if they belonged to the 1890s. The fast editing and explosive colors divided critics but created a style of its own.
It was nominated for Best Picture and won Oscars for art direction and costume design, and it helped bring the movie musical back to life. Ideal for those who like romance and spectacle and enjoy recognizing the songs.
Les Misérables (2012)
Directed by Tom Hooper. Starring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway.
Why it matters: Les Misérables adapts the stage musical based on Victor Hugo's novel, following the former prisoner Jean Valjean, played by Hugh Jackman, hunted for decades by the inspector Javert, played by Russell Crowe, in nineteenth-century France.
Instead of recording the songs in a studio, Tom Hooper had the actors sing live on set, which makes the performances rawer. Watch Anne Hathaway's I Dreamed a Dream, filmed in a long close-up.
Hathaway won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, and Jackman was nominated for Best Actor. Ideal for those who like big emotional dramas, as almost every line is sung.
La La Land (2016)
Directed by Damien Chazelle. Starring Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone.
Why it matters: La La Land by Damien Chazelle follows Sebastian, a jazz pianist played by Ryan Gosling, and Mia, an aspiring actress played by Emma Stone, as they fall in love in Los Angeles while chasing their dreams.
Watch the opening number on a closed freeway interchange, filmed as if in a single shot, and the final sequence, which imagines a different version of the story. The film pays homage to classic musicals while telling a modern, bittersweet love story.
It had 14 Oscar nominations, tying the record, and won six, including Best Director for Chazelle and Best Actress for Stone. Ideal for those who want a romantic musical that also feels like a drama about ambition.
The Greatest Showman (2017)
Directed by Michael Gracey. Starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron.
Why it matters: The Greatest Showman tells, very freely, the story of P. T. Barnum, played by Hugh Jackman, who creates a traveling show with performers rejected by society in nineteenth-century America. Zac Efron and Zendaya play a couple on and off the trapeze.
The songs were written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the same songwriters behind the lyrics of La La Land. Watch the number This Is Me, which won the Golden Globe for Best Song and was nominated for the Oscar.
Critics were mixed, but audiences loved it: the film stayed in theaters for months and its soundtrack was the best-selling album of 2018 in the world. Ideal for families and for those who want pure feel-good energy.
Where to start
Pick by the mood you are in:
- Pure joy: Singin' in the Rain, Grease or The Greatest Showman.
- For the whole family: Mary Poppins.
- Romance with a bittersweet ending: La La Land, Moulin Rouge! or West Side Story.
- Darker and more adult: Cabaret or Les Misérables.
If you are new to musicals, start with Singin' in the Rain. It is short, funny and shows why the genre became so loved, and many later musicals quote it.
If you think you do not like musicals, try Cabaret or La La Land, where the songs grow out of the story more naturally. Then rate them on Rankiew and see which style suits you best.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movie musicals?
Among the most loved are Singin' in the Rain, West Side Story, Mary Poppins, Cabaret, Grease and La La Land.
Which musical should I watch first?
Start with Singin' in the Rain for the classics, Grease for a fun crowd-pleaser or La La Land for a modern take.
Are there musicals for people who do not like musicals?
Cabaret and La La Land use music in grounded ways, which can win over viewers who find big song-and-dance numbers unrealistic.
Which musical won the most Oscars?
West Side Story (1961), with ten Oscars, including Best Picture.
What is a jukebox musical?
It is a musical built from existing popular songs instead of new ones. Moulin Rouge! is a famous example, with hits from different decades sung in 1890s Paris.
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Sources: official studio releases, filmographies and public records.
