What exactly is a musical film? For the vast majority of us, the word “musical” evokes specific rules to a genre. Large-scale, choreographed musical numbers. An alternate world in which people sing and dance as a means of making subtext into overt text, communicating their deeply-held internal feelings to the audience. But why does the term “musical” encompass only this narrow definition? Is music not one of the most integral aspects of filmmaking? Does it not give a rhythmic, emotional backbone to cinema at large, predating even spoken dialogue and sound effects?
In response, I would submit a much broader definition of musical film, one that contains all films about or otherwise somehow related to music. This broader definition, of course, encapsulates nearly every movie since the invention of the motion picture camera. For example, George Lucas famously confused studios with his pitch for American Graffiti when he described the film as a musical without singing and dancing. Yet this is an apt description. Lucas uses diegetic music to both ground the film in reality and underscore the emotions of each individual scene and character. He identifies the parasocial relationship between his main characters and the disk jockey who delivers them their music over the radio waves. Without music, American Graffiti would feel less than incomplete. This is the case for the films listed below as well. Here are the five best musical films of the 2010s.
Check out our slideshow below! Do you agree with our list? Be sure to let us know your opinion in the comments!
2010s musical films
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5. 'A Star is Born' (2018)
Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut, yet another remake of A Star is Born, is surprisingly fresh and moving. Make no mistake, Cooper has plenty of room to grow, but the film uses Lady Gaga’s talent as a singer as well as actress to great effect.
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4. 'Whiplash' (2014)
Relative newcomer Damien Chazelle’s most satisfying picture continues to be the Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons-led Whiplash. Audiences bear witness to a universally-sympathetic story of the obsession to be great and an abusive teacher-student relationship with a powerful rhythm fitting for its drum-centric plot.
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3. ’Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping' (2016)
The Lonely Island crew—Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer—proved once again in 2016 that they have their finger on the pulse of American youth. Their outlandish mockumentary parodies rockumentaries that came before it, most notably Justin Beiber's Believe. In typical fashion, it features hilarious spoof songs that cement their position as some of the best satirists of the modern era.
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2. ‘Inside Llewyn Davis' (2013)
Joel and Ethan Coen came swinging out of the gate with Inside Llewyn Davis. Oscar Isaac plays the titular folk singer in 1960s Greenwich Village, a perennially down-on-his-luck drifter who wanders his personal purgatory of non-fame after the suicide of his musical partner. It includes both earnest covers of old folk songs and incredible original pieces.
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1. ‘Song to Song' (2017)
The ever-enigmatic Terrence Malick takes his dreamy, moody and unique style to the music scene of Austin, Texas in Song to Song. Masterfully threading the lives of four figures in the industry—Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Natalie Portman and Michael Fassbender—we get a point-of-view look at this particular life, including footage shot during South by Southwest.
