Yahoo News 'Um, can we stop turning movies into musicals?'
Wonka, Mean Girls, The Colour Purple... it seems that movie musicals have burst onto our cinema screens this year without us even expecting it. Seriously, were any of these films marketed as musicals? As I sat in my cinema seat in anticipation, only for a song and a dance to break out of nowhere, I had a one major thought: Not every movie needs to be a musical.
Whether it's Timothée Chalamet's portrayal of young chocolatier, Willy Wonka, or Reneé Rap's updated depiction of the iconic Regina George, we've seen some much-loved movies and characters turned into all-singing, all-dancing versions for the big screen, leaving some movie-goers overjoyed and others, a little bit confused.
For Wonka, I was surprised to see Timothée dusting off his vocal cords (side note: is that a thing?) and dancing away for the film, not least because it wasn't advertised as a musical. Even so, I loved it. It was a fun twist on the beloved classic and the songs were not only catchy, but added to the narrative (I'm not ashamed to say that 'You've Never Had Chocolate Like This' is probably going to be on my Spotify Wrapped this year, too.)
As for Mean Girls, you’d be forgiven if you thought butter was a carb – and if you didn't know it would be stuffed full of singing and dancing. And yes, while Reneé stunned as Regina with her powerhouse vocals, other tracks fell flat (as did the some of the Gen Z-ified takes on high school, friendships and fashion.) It paid homage to the original while standing alone, thanks to the ensemble cast, but it wasn't my favourite.
Now, a musical version of The Colour Purple is coming to cinemas on 26th January. Considering the heavy and traumatic themes, a few eyebrows have raised, including my own. Yes, it undoubtedly feels heartfelt, moving and inspiring, and the ensemble cast, led by Fantasia Barrino, Halle Bailey, Danielle Brooks and Taraji P. Henson, wowed me. But did it need to be given the musical treatment?
The movie, much like the book by Alice Walker and Steven Spielberg's 1985 iteration, deals with incredibly tough topics such as Black pain and suffering, rape, child pregnancy, racism, abuse and many more. Albeit moving – and with a powerful overarching message – it's questionable whether the heavy themes had to be manufactured into a musical.
Don't get me wrong, some of the film was truly incredible. Fantasia's ballad 'I'm Here' left me in literal floods of tears, as it narrated her character Cecile's feelings of finally feeling free and beautiful after years of abuse and pain. Plus, the song 'The Colour Purple' ended the movie on a genuinely moving note.
But, other than those two tracks, none stood out to me, and it felt as though they rushed through the narrative rather than giving diligence to the themes. For example, Cecile and Shug Avery's romance was given little depth besides the dreamy musical numbers, and one kiss between the two, which might be frustrating for queer audiences wanting more exploration of their relationship in this version.
Another huge question here is why are movies not being advertised as musicals if they are? Paramount's president of global marketing and distribution, Marc Weinstock, shared about Mean Girls: "We didn’t want to run out and say it’s a musical because people tend to treat musicals differently.
"This movie is a broad comedy with music. Yes, it could be considered a musical but it appeals to a larger audience. You can see in [trailers for] Wonka and The Color Purple, they don’t say musical either. We have a musical note on the title, so there are hints to it without being overbearing.
"To start off saying musical, musical, musical, you have the potential to turn off audiences. I want everyone to be equally excited," he continued. So, I understand the sentiment: they don't want to turn off audiences who aren't fans of musicals. But, is it any better to somewhat trick them into watching something they might not enjoy?
Personally, I love a movie musical, with The Greatest Showman, Mamma Mia and Grease being some of my favourites. While Wonka is a nice addition to the roster, adding songs and dances often feels like a gimmicky, unnecessary change to a story that otherwise doesn't need it.
Still, are any of these movies bad? Not at all. They have incredibly talented performers (I'm still annoyed about Fantasia's Oscars snub, TBH), great storylines and catchy songs, but two things can be true at the same time: You can enjoy a film, its cast and story while admitting that it just didn't need to a musical.
Wonka and Mean Girls are in cinemas now. The Colour Purple is in cinemas on 26th January.
You Might Also Like
