The MoFo Top 100 Musicals Countdown

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2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ
La La Land
Wizard of Oz
Cabaret
Singin in the Rain
West Side Story
Beauty and the Beast
Lion King
Sound of Music
My Fair Lady
Grease
Hedwig
Little Shop of Horrors
Rock Horror Picture Show
Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Willy Wonka
Mary Poppins
All That Jazz
Nightmare Before Christmas
Blues Brothers
Dancer in the Dark

I'm 95% confident on this.



Another from my list blows in with Meet Me In St. Louis, which I had a #5. It deserves to be that high for the Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas scene alone, which is just heartbreaking in all the right ways and, for a few years, this was a Christmas must. The Trolley Song is good too, it feels like it goes on a bit sometimes, but there's something about the drama in this which just works really well for me and that's why I like it so much. It has it drawbacks, virtually all films do let alone musicals, but it has so much goodwill with me that it carries me over them quite comfortabley more often than not. I don't think I've seen any of the others since my last visit.

I think that's 7 of my list so far. I usually only get to about 12-15 and I think I should reach that amount with this list, too.
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30
9lists125points
Moulin Rouge!
Director

Baz Luhrmann, 2001

Starring

Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent







29
8lists127points
The Music Man
Director

Morton DaCosta, 1962

Starring

Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett, Ron Howard





Trying Real Hard To Be The Shepherd
Watched both of these for the list, and felt both were pretty middle of the road unfortunately.



Trouble with a capital "T"
The Music Man...my number #1 on my ballot.


The Music Man (1962)

On my third watch of The Music Man, I experienced something that I hadn't really felt before...Besides all the colorful characters and witty songs and charming musical numbers, I got a sense of sadness to the music man Harold Hill (Robert Preston). Under his broad smile and can-do salesman ways, he has a dream and it's always about the band, he says so in the film while standing on the bridge and staring at the water below. There he sees in his mind's eye a magnificent marching band with him leading the way. He wants to be something more than he's been. Marion too has a dream to open herself up to the right man but she's too scared to live her life, so she seals herself off from the world, sequestered in the library. Her brother (Ronnie Howard) is also afraid to enter the world and has retreated by not talking to anyone. It takes Harold Hill coming to the town that doesn't believe in itself, to awaken them to the possibilities and the power of having a dream. And here I thought this was just a fun colorful movie, well it is! And it's so much more.



I watched The Music Man for a Hall of Fame back in 2019. It has since held the position of my least favorite movie ever. I attempted to watch Moulin Rouge many years ago, but couldn't get through it. I did not try again.

Seen: 34/72



I bought Moulin Rouge at a swap meet, liked it quite a bit, but haven't gotten around top it again because I felt like it gave me everything I wanted on the first go. Didn't vote for it, but roughly 8.5.



Wow, way too early for Moulin Rouge! as far as I'm concerned, BECAUSE IT'S MY #1! I saw it shortly after it came out on video and, although I think I found myself overwhelmed by it on a first watch, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by pretty much everything in it... set design, production values, the music, cinematography, its use of color, light and shadows, how frenetic it is! and of course, the performances and the songs. Everybody talks about Nicole Kidman, and she's great, but I was always captivated by Ewan McGregor's performance AND voice. I think I saw it two or three times that weekend. Bought the soundtrack shortly after as well, and still listen to it often. So yeah, I had hopes that this would crack the Top 20, but c'est la vie.

I haven't seen The Music Man.

Anyway, here's where I stand...


SEEN: 22/72
MY BALLOT: 8/25

My ballot  
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This is a crappy video transfer, but it's probably my favorite musical bit from Moulin Rouge!



The whole sequence is a masterclass in cinematography, and the use of light and shadows.



I've also only seen Moulin Rouge! once and I really liked it, and thought that was one of the last times (sorry) that Nicole Kidman looked great before she did whatever to her face. She and Ewan McGregor did a decent job on singing and the movie itself looked fantastic, plus the famous songs they sang were already almost guaranteed to hit the public with familarity. It was an entertaining job all the way around and I thought it was guaranteed to make the countdown. That said, I didn't vote for it.

The Music Man is one that I'm very familiar with, knowing many of the songs from it, but I've only seen parts of it. I'm very keen to watch it all the way through. It was one of my Mom's favorite musicals, and I love almost all the cast so there's that. But, alas, it did not make my list. I'm glad to see it here, though.

So far:
#1. On the Town #93 (list proper)
#6. Easter Parade #78 (list proper)
#8. Meet Me in St. Louis #33 (list proper)
#9 Yankee Doodle Dandy #32 (list proper)
#10. Gigi #85 (list proper)
#12. Calamity Jane #84 (list proper)
#14. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers #71 (list proper)
#18. The Muppet Movie #45 (list proper)
#25. Neptune's Daughter (one-pointer)
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I watched The Music Man for a Hall of Fame back in 2019. It has since held the position of my least favorite movie ever. I attempted to watch Moulin Rouge many years ago, but couldn't get through it. I did not try again.

Seen: 34/72
Have you liked anything that has appeared on this countdown?



Trouble with a capital "T"
Moulin Rouge...I liked what I saw, but unfortunately I hated what I heard. I tried twice to watch it and twice I walked away from it. I just can't gel the modern soundtrack with a period piece film, that's like ketchup on ice cream.



I have fond memories of Moulin' Rouge. It's probably shit, but I watched it young and swinged with it's very out-there style and game cast. Doesn't hurt that Kidman is... a whole lotta woman in it either.

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Have you liked anything that has appeared on this countdown?
Obviously, yes.

Nine of the movies from my ballot have shown up so far as well as a few that I considered, but didn’t vote for.

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