The 25 most iconic musicals in cinematic history

Singing in the Rain is the pinnacle of movie musicals. Gene Kelly plays a famous actor who falls in love with a regular girl. They dance in the streets, in the rain, on movie sets, and outside Hollywood. It's a blast of pure, unadulterated joy that rains down from the heavens like a thunderstorm, offering audiences a flood of good vibes, catchy songs, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O' Conner. 

La La Land might be the most 60s movie made in 2016. The fashion, the music, it all screams a certain time period. It's a delight to watch as a nostalgia piece, but it's also a great movie--romantic and melancholic and bursting at the seams with a love for all things Los Angeles. 

You may not have heard of The Young Girls of Rochefort. It wasn't a huge hit when it came out in 1967. That's a shame because it's a really great movie. It's a swirl of color that wafts off the screen and into our living rooms, our eyes, and our hearts. Do yourself a favor and check this one out ASAP! 

From one French town to another, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg helped turn Jacques Demy into a star (he would follow this classic up with the previously mentioned The Young Girls of Rochefort). It's easy to see why so many people fell for his muses and actors, and why so many people tear up at his endings. It's because Demy is the best to ever do it, full stop. No one has been able to top what he does here. 

West Side Story started as a play Off-Broadway. Then, it became a musical and something people all over the world could see. Now it's a movie by Steven Spielberg, and something fans of the original and newcomers alike can see. Even if you thought the first was a drag, you might find yourself drawn to Spielberg's direction. 

A Star is Born is a wonderful film in so many ways. A lot of that is because of the relationship between Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, but Sam Elliot deserves some credit as well. His final scene with Cooper will tear your heart out. For the first time in his career, we're looking at his eyes, not his mustache. 

What else do you call something with music, dancing, and romance? The musical offers backstage access to the greatest band of all time, while also tossing in a few comedic bits. Think: Get Back meets Duck Soup. 

It's hard to think of a better singer than Julie Andrews, who belts out "The hills are alive!" with such force you can actually see the mountains move. Songs like The Sound of Music and Do-re-mi have been stuck in my head since I was a child, so I had to include the film on our list. 

Fred Astaire wanted to make movies that would give people a way to forget about their troubles. As such, we got Top Hat. The greatest musical you've never seen, this RKO production doesn't make much sense when it comes to plot (something about mistaken identity?), but the dancing is so good it doesn't have to make sense. Nothing else matters once Astaire starts moving those feet. 

James Cagney may have been the king of gangsters, but he's never been better than as a fictional director. His picture takes up the final third of Busby Berkeley's picture, and nothing can top the sight of cabaret dancers twirling in a pool, shot from above. A truly magnificent moment. 

While on the subject of cabaret dancers, let's hop over to Berlin in 1931. In the movie that put Liza Minnelli on the map, a cabaret dancer meets a British academic and a German playboy--leading to a love triangle for the ages. It's Jules and Jim and some girl who won't stop talking. 

Grease is silly. It's dumb as can be. That being said, it's hard not to have fun watching John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John do their thing. 

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs manages to capture an essential element of kiddie entertainment: namely, the magic of another world. It's something Frank Churchill took into account when writing the score. Every song is more than a song; it's a part of the atmosphere. 

You can cast Judy Garland in anything and we'll watch it, but this 1944 musical about a girl looking for love is one of our faves. Our heart skips a beat every time she sings Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. It's so darn cute. 

Though it wasn't considered a musical on its release, plenty of people have come around to accepting Once for what it is. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova fall in love, write songs and perform in pubs. Sure, there's no dancing. There isn't even a lot of music. But all the songs are a reflection of what's happening on screen. Plus, who can deny the rhythm of John Carney's script? 

Remember when Prince was a huge star? Purple Rain is a great example of why. Albert Magnoli's film is a great showcase for Prince's charisma and his incredible performance. The movie also has some MTV-style editing, and a number of songs that are 1,000 times better than today's music. 

Imagine someone scoring 50 points, then air balling the game-winner. That's My Fair Lady in a nut-shell: a near-perfect musical that sees Audrey Hepburn sparkling like diamonds for three hours until she settles for misogynistic pig. Hey, 50 points are still 50 points. 

2021 is for musicals what every year is for Michael Meyers. Just when you think they're dead, they come back to life. Cyrano, West Side Story, and Tick, Tick...Boom! were all terrific, but In the Heights was on another level. This pastiche of a neighborhood in Manhattan was so good my goosebumps decided to join in on the dancing. Like the best musicals, you don't just watch it; you feel it, fall into it, and let the music take you away... 

Technically, Nashville doesn't have any dancing or belting. However, since it does have a number of original songs, it still counts. Also, we wanted to include it on our list because it's great--one of Altman's best, which is saying something. 

Movie buffs have been arguing for ages that 1999 was the greatest, most revolutionary year in movies since 1984. I agree. But what bothers me is that Trey Parker and Matt Stone's musical is left out of the conversation. Given that it's the best film of '99, you'd think it would get a little more respect, right? 

Gene Wilder is the best. He is a great actor, the kind of performer who can turn a creepy chocolatier into a lovely raconteur. Usually, you wouldn't want your kids anywhere near a guy who offers them candy, but Wilder is an exception. 

Is Jean Renoir's musical too much of everything? Of course, it is! But if that's a crime, throw the book at us. Renoir packs more dancers, stars, colors, and subplots into 90 minutes than most directors do in their entire career, and it's an absolute delight. You've seen movies about Moulin Rouge before, but not like this. 

Julie Andrews plays another nanny in this Disney sing-along, which feels like an experiment in how close to sappy you can get without being sappy. Somehow songs like Feed the Birds and Spoonful of Sugar aren't sappy at all. Only Andrews could sing about medicine without giving you a headache. 

Bob Fosse's version of 8 1/2 is just as personal as Federico Fellini's, with just as many tears. It takes us behind the scenes of Fosse's career, drug addiction, and sexual obsession through the prism of his next stage play, a story of his life. Everything culminates in a rendition of Bye Bye Love that will knock your socks off. Who knew death could be so catchy? 

No musical list is complete without a picture of Garland singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow.