Movie musicals have been a cinematic staple pretty much since sound was introduced. That’s actually a major plot point of one of the most beloved movie musicals of them all, Singin’ In The Rain. Reaching their apex in the ’60s, the movie musical saw a decline in subsequent decades until the early 2000s, when the one-two combo of Moulin Rouge! and Chicago (which won the Best Picture Oscar for 2002) proved that the movie musical was far from a relic of the past. Some truly incredible performances have come from movie musicals and today, we’ll be looking at some of the best ones since the turn of the century.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

6 Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables (2012)

     Distributed by Universal Pictures

Anne Hathaway only has about 20 minutes of screen time in this 160-minute movie, but she makes every second she’s onscreen count. About a quarter of that screentime is her big number, “I Dreamed A Dream.” The whole number is shot up close and personal, one of the few times Les Misérables’ awkward camera angles actually work as we see all of Hathaway’s heartbreak, all the emotional pain, and how truly broken down her Fantine is. Even the few times her voice wavers and cracks a little add to the performance, really underlining how far Fantine has fallen. It’s wonderful work and rightfully won Hathaway a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

5 Mike Faist - West Side Story (2021)

     Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

It’s rare for a remake of any film, let alone a Best Picture-winning one, to equal the original, but that’s exactly what Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake of West Side Story does. Of the differences between the two films, one of the more notable ones is the character of Riff, the leader of the Jets gang. Played by Russ Tamblyn in the 1961 film, Riff is alright, but doesn’t really stand out. In Spielberg’s version, it’s the complete opposite. Riff is one of the major standouts thanks to Mike Faist’s incredible performance. Faist’s Riff is honestly a tragic figure. Just watch the scene where he’s begging Tony (Ansel Elgort) to be there when the fight between the Sharks and Jets is supposed to go down. Faist truly makes you feel how strong the friendship between the two of them is. Faist is a true scene-stealer, impossible to take your eye off any time he’s onscreen.

4 Emma Stone - La La Land (2016)

     Distributed by Lionsgate

La La Land tells the story of an aspiring musician named Sebastian, played by Ryan Gosling, and an aspiring actress named Mia, played by Emma Stone, who fall in love while trying to make their dreams come true in Los Angeles. Both Gosling and Stone are wonderful, but Stone gets a few more highlights and stands out in all of them. Her biggest non-singing highlight comes when she and Sebastian discuss his plans to go on tour with a band that plays music he doesn’t care about. Stone is great here (and so is Gosling) as she can tell pretty quickly that this is not the dream of her partner and that he’ll be unhappy doing it. As far as the musical numbers go, Stone excels there, too. She perfectly captures the physical comedic moments during the “A Lovely Night” number and gets to display some great emotion during the “Audition” number. No challenge in this role is too great for Emma Stone. It’s a great performance.

3 Bradley Cooper - A Star Is Born (2018)

     Warner Bros. Pictures

A Star is Born has been remade again and again, with the story remaining the same every time. An established male star discovers a young, female ingénue whose fame surpasses his own while he descends into alcoholism. In the 2018 version of the story, the male star is a country rock singer named Jackson Maine, played by Bradley Cooper (who also directed the film) and the young female ingénue, named Ally, is played by Lady Gaga. Both of them give great performances, but Cooper is a hair stronger. He’s perfectly believable as a rock star and even brings some likeability and warmth to the character. His chemistry with Gaga is great and the love he has for her is so palpable. Their Oscar-winning duet, “Shallow,” is sung perfectly by both, but it’s the moment right before when Cooper’s trying to convince Gaga to sing it on stage with him that’s great, too. Every choice Cooper makes works, and it really hits hard when this version of Jackson Maine meets his demise. It’s powerful work by Cooper, whose singing is also quite good.

2 Andrew Garfield - Tick, Tick… Boom! (2021)

     Netflix

This 2021 film, directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is based on Jonathan Larson’s semi-autobiographical musical of the same name. Larson is played by Andrew Garfield, in his first ever musical role, and to say Garfield nails it is an understatement. The plot of the movie revolves around Larson struggling to make it in the theater industry as he works tirelessly on his newest play. Garfield is giving 200 percent to the performance, firing on all cylinders at all times. Larson runs through a large gamut of emotions, from feelings of failure, tired desperation, and even a little humor during some of the musical numbers. Whatever the role needs, Garfield delivers. His performance of the song “Why” is heartbreakingly wonderful. He even gets a wonderful moment in the “Come To Your Senses” number, a song he doesn’t even sing. That comes when Vanessa Hudgens sings the song, but all Garfield can see is Alexandra Shipp singing it, since her character was the inspiration for the song in the first place. His reaction the first time he sees her says so much. It’s not an exaggeration to claim this might be Garfield’s best performance so far.

1 Catherine Zeta-Jones - Chicago (2002)

     Miramax Films

Catherine Zeta-Jones was originally offered the role of Roxy Hart (which eventually went to Renee Zellweger), but she insisted on playing Velma Kelly solely so she could sing “All That Jazz.” One Best Supporting Actress trophy later leaves no doubt that Zeta-Jones made the right call. Every choice Zeta-Jones makes, no matter how big or small, is perfect. Sultry, fearless, ice-cold, all elements that Zeta-Jones brings memorably to life. Her singing is beyond incredible. Listening to it would make anyone think Zeta-Jones has been doing musicals all her life. So how does she do in the one song she so desperately wanted to do? She performs it with enough energy to power an entire country for the next century, even the little smile she gives at the end when the police come to arrest her says, “come and get me if you can.” There’s literally no flaws to this performance, and it very deservingly earns its placement as the best performance in a 21st century movie musical.