10 great musicals for those who don’t like musicals, according to Reddit

Few genres are as divisive as the musical. This can be confusing or disappointing to those who are fans of the genre, but taking a step or two back it’s pretty easy to see where some music naysayers might be coming from. At least for traditional musicals, it can take some time to get used to people starting to sing. A bunch of old musicals are also very long and can be exhausting to watch. And for those who aren’t crazy about historical settings or romantic stories, these are things that are often associated with old-school musicals.

But that hasn’t stopped people from wanting to give the genre a shot, even if their instinctive reaction to some musicals didn’t inspire much hope. That’s why you can find various threads (especially on Reddit) where people who are admittedly not music fans are looking for advice on how to best get to know the genre. For those who have tried the classics and weren’t crazy about them, it may be that these less traditional and wilder musical films end up doing the trick.

10 South Park: Bigger Longer Uncut (1999)

The South Park well known and appreciated for its timeliness and surprisingly good predictions, some may be reluctant to watch a part of a franchise that is over 20 years old. However, those same people would have missed out on one of the best animated musical films of all time: the 1999 film. South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut.

Its story revolves around a war that almost ended in peace, largely due to children from the titular city sneaking into a Canadian movie filled with profanity. For everyone who liked Book of Mormon, South Park The film has a similar mix of satire, crude humor, and surprisingly catchy songs, and the profanity (and animation) sets it apart from most musicals.

9 “Singing Street” (2016)

Those who don’t like romantic comedies or musicals may find themselves doubly disappointed. Sing Street. Basically, it’s a coming-of-age story about a boy who wants to do his best to impress the girl he likes, which ends up starting a band even if he didn’t have much experience with it. before.

It was one of the most quoted movies on the previously mentioned Reddit thread, and it’s understandable why. It’s a relatively modern film, it’s fast-paced, contains a lot of humor, and also takes place in the 1980s, which is the decade that has recently become popular for study in pop culture. It’s a great movie with great music and something of a modern classic.

8 “Phantom of Paradise” (1974)

A strange, unsettling, goofy and messy fantasy horror film that also happens to be a musical. Paradise ghost strange would be an understatement. It’s like a rock opera Faust, The Picture of Dorian GreyAnd Phantom of the Opera all at once, which makes it a lot to process.

But here’s how Brian De Palma films are often like this, especially in the director’s early years. Paradise ghost it’s an assault on the senses, but it’s mesmerizing when viewed in the right mood and quite unlike any other genre-busting musical.

7 “Katakuri Happiness” (2001)

Takashi Miike is one of the greatest Japanese directors working today and has a career full of weird films. Some of them are very unsettling, some are very hilarious, and some even manage to be a little unsettling, but at the same time (painfully) funny.

Despite the presence of zombies, Happy Katakuri is one of Miike’s softest films, and also one of the least violent. The plot revolves around a hapless family who open a guest house in the mountains, only to find that their patrons keep dying under mysterious circumstances and keep coming back from the grave in undead form. In between black comedy and zombie shenanigans, it also finds time to be musical and parody. Sounds of music. It’s unusual, but in a good way.

6 “West Side Story” (1961)

Of all the famous musicals produced in the 1950s and 1960s, West Side Story considered one of the easiest to watch thanks to its high-stakes storyline. It adapts freely Romeo and Julietthough in this case the story follows two warring street gangs and a doomed romance that develops between two people on opposite sides of the conflict.

The 1961 adaptation was a huge Oscar winner, although some discussion on Reddit suggests a revamped 2021 adaptation (director Steven Spielberg) better. Either way, the songs are iconic and the story is gripping enough that everyone can find something to invest in here, even those who don’t usually like to sing and dance in their films.

5 ‘Doctor. Horrible’ Blog for Singing (2008)

Best in Doctor Terrible Blog for those who aren’t music lovers, it’s the fact that it’s much shorter than most musicals. This 2008 internet miniseries/short film is only about three-quarters of an hour long and follows a wannabe supervillain and a superhero fighting for the same woman.

It’s silly and light-hearted, but not without more serious moments, and its low-budget feel, fast pace, and goofy comedy bits make it easy to watch. It was written and directed Joss Whedonwhose other musical work is a season 6 episode Buffy the Vampire Slayer titled “Once More, With Feeling” was also highly rated on Reddit.

4 “Shop of Horrors” (1986)

As the name suggests, Shop of Horrors it’s at least partly a horror movie, telling the story of a man-eating plant with plenty of humor and musical numbers. It’s a quirky mix of genres that ends up feeling remarkably well balanced, making it one of the best musicals released in the 1980s.

B movie fans who don’t like musicals can find Shop of Horrors to your liking, given that the musical version of the film was based on Roger Korman low-budget horror film of the same name. Watching both movies back-to-back, it’s clear that the songs contribute a lot to the storytelling and how well it all fits together (and, admittedly, the much-improved special effects - thanks to the bigger budget - also help).

3 ‘Once Upon a Time’ (2007)

Once this is a director’s film John Carneywhich also stood for 2016 Sing Street. This one is generally less comedic and focuses on older characters: two aspiring singer-songwriters meet and collaborate, finding it to be a success, which is naturally made a bit more complicated by the fact that they also begin to develop romantic feelings for each. another.

He got the same rating on Reddit as Sing Street, characterized by an emotional plot and the fact that the songs were performed live. It’s a simple and very effective film, creating a grounded and believable romance with the music that doesn’t come from people fantastically rushing into the song, making the songs more understandable to people who don’t like the musicals that do.

2 “Oh brother, where are you?” (2000)

Although Oh brother, where are you? not exactly a musical, it is still mentioned on Reddit as one that might appeal to those who don’t like musicals. This is a director’s film The Coen Brothers It takes place in the 1930s when three escaped prisoners go on a hunt for hidden treasure, all the while being hounded by the law.

It also acts as an unusual, updated take on Homer Odyssey, which gives the film a mythical feel despite being set in (somewhat) modern times. Like any Coen Brothers film, it’s visually pleasing to watch and is particularly well remembered for its Grammy-winning music.

1 “Repo! Genetic Opera’ (2008)

Repo! genetic opera is another cult classic musical featuring extreme content and graphic violence. Set in the middle of the 21st century, it has a plot about a society that depends on organ transplants and a brutal corporation that harvests organs that aren’t properly paid for.

This is uncompromising material, and for some, regardless of their attitude to musicals, this may be too much. But others who enjoy their musicals with a little more edginess than expected can also find plenty of entertainment with Repo! Genetic opera. And for horror fans interested in musicals, it has a chance to bridge the gap between two (usually) very different genres.