Only Two Musicals Have A Near-Perfect Score On Metacritic

“If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.” It’s a phrase we may have all used before, or at least something of the spirit behind it, when we talk about films of a certain genre. You might think, if you’re not a fan of horror films, that if you’ve only seen one slasher film, you know how they all work. And if you only see one feel-good romantic comedy, you might think you don’t need to watch more because of the familiarity of the tropes. But arguably few genres are treated this way, and so unfairly, as the musical. While so many moviegoers can suspend their disbelief to watch a superhero movie or something, they have a hard time getting over the image of people breaking into song to express their emotions. But the truth is that every genre has its notable entries and its failures. Not all musicals are perfect, or nearly so, but many of them can not only make an impact on audiences of all ages, but they can also work in any medium.

It could also be rightly said that moviegoers who are also critical are both the most forgiving and toughest viewers of musicals. When someone criticizes the very concept of a musical on social media, it’s often the critics who step in to defend the genre from haters. But conversely, those same critics have seen many of the genre’s presumed classics, making newer musicals like “La La Land” or “The Greatest Showman” even harder to sell because of the way they the impression of referring to better references or more memorable moments. movies. As such, it’s no surprise that when you visit Metacritic to see the highest-rated musicals of all time, two things are true: first, no musicals has a perfect 100 on the site; and second, the two musicals that come closest to 100 are both elder statesmen of the genre.

Let’s talk about each of these two musicals. One of them, seen above, is among the greatest of all films, “Singin’ in the Rain.” The other, as noted earlier in this article, isn’t even a live-action film, but the 1940 animated film “Pinocchio.”

When you think about it for even a second or two, it’s no surprise that on Metacritic page of the highest-ranked musicals, five of the best Seven titles come from Walt Disney Animation Studios. (If there’s anything we can quibble about, it’s that the 1940 film “Fantasia” is one of these five animated entries. It’s an excellent film, but not a musical in the traditional sense. since no one actually sings in its entirety.) Long before Disney hired Alan Menken and Howard Ashman to write the songs for its adaptation of “The Little Mermaid,” the studio insisted on merging the songs with the tales of fairies that its animators adapted. The 1940 film “Pinocchio,” arguably the best animated film Disney ever made, not only uses songs to tell Carlo Collodi’s story of a little wooden boy who goes on an intense journey to become a real boy for his creator and father Geppetto. The film also opens with “When You Wish Upon a Star,” a song so iconic it’s literally the studio anthem.

(First fun fact: “When You Wish Upon a Star,” unsurprisingly, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Second fun fact: “When You Wish Upon a Star” was the first Disney song to even be appointed for this category, which means that “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was snubbed in 1937.)

Now, to be fair, none of the other songs in “Pinocchio” come close to matching “When You Wish Upon a Star,” which is effective both in distilling the dreams and hopes of the film’s characters and as a chorus. haunting as it was originally. performed by Cliff Edwards (who played Jiminy Cricket). The film as a whole has a fascinating approach to its storytelling; yes, you may remember how Pinocchio has to face villains like the greedy Stromboli or the terrifying Monstro the whale. But the 90-minute film spends its first half hour in Geppetto’s workshop, where we meet the kindly old woodcarver, his cat Figaro, his fish Cleo, and ultimately the anthropomorphized Pinocchio himself. Once the film leaves the workshop and Pinocchio meets all kinds of characters, we hear songs like “Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee (An Actor’s Life For Me)” and “I’ve Got No Strings”, which are bouncy and optimistic numbers. . In fact, only “When You Wish Upon a Star” is anything like a ballad; the other four songs (and covers) are fast and very catchy melodies, even today.

Also, in case you’re curious, there are 17 reviews of the film captured on its Metacritic site. page. Remember that on Metacritic, not only does the site collect fewer reviews than its competitors, but it also groups reviews based on a rating assigned by star or number (or it assigns one based on content of the opinion). So even though this movie has a 99 on the website, it has a few reviews (gasp!) even below 90 out of 100. One of those reviews suggests that “Pinocchio” isn’t even in “the Upper Echelon” from Disney Classics, but look, we all mess up from time to time. Even the reviews aren’t perfect.

For this writer’s money, there is no better movie than “Singin’ in the Rain.” We’re not just talking about musicals here, but movies in general. It is absolutely East the best musical film of all time, but it also deserves to be considered the greatest film of all time. Set in 1952, the film is technically a period piece in itself, set in the late 1920s, the era when Hollywood was making the difficult transition from silent to talkies. The film’s main character, the charming and refined Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly), is a former stuntman who is more than happy to show off his singing and dancing skills once the sound hits Los Angeles, especially that he realized that the kinds of pictures he makes (vaguely adventurous tales of bravery and romance) are no longer as creatively exciting as they used to be. (The first line of this article is a direct quote from the film that lights a spark beneath Don.) Although Don is ready for the sound age, his obnoxious blonde co-star Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) is not. , largely thanks to her. voice and behavior of nails on a chalkboard. Meanwhile, Don falls in love with Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), a dancer who aspires to stardom. (If any part of this overall storyline reminds you of Damien Chazelle’s film “Babylon,” that’s not accidental, especially considering the way that film quotes it in its final moments.)

“Singin’ in the Rain” is one of the great cinematic joys of all time, the kind of movie that fills you with positivity and good feelings without feeling forced or fake. The film walks a careful tightrope between honoring the film industry’s past while mercilessly mocking Hollywood. Kelly and her male co-star Donald O’Connor (as Don’s best friend Cosmo) are both absolutely delightful, dancing alone or together; the title sequence, which comes as Don realizes the depth of his love for Kathy, is also one of the most iconic in cinema history. So it’s absolutely no surprise that the film has a 99 score on Metacritic, also based on 17 reviews. Like “Pinocchio,” the film has a few reviews with scores below 100, but only three, including a period-specific article from Bosley Crowther of the New York Times. (As Bosley has many years of experience, we’ll forgive his implication that the film’s script is hacky, which is definitely a catch.)

The fact that two films so disparate, not only because they were presented in different mediums but also because of the distinct stories told, can rank so high on Metacritic’s list of musicals should serve as a reminder: this does not Just because you’ve seen one doesn’t mean it isn’t. That doesn’t mean you’ve seen them all. It’s quite the opposite. Yes, in a musical you will see someone start to sing and/or dance to communicate how they feel, but the context of these actions is often very different. All you need to enjoy these films, to truly appreciate them, is to completely suspend your disbelief.