The Ultimate Movie Musicals Bracket - Round One, Day Twelve
Here I go again...
One thing I love about movie musicals is that even if they all have in common the idea of characters bursting into song and dance, their plots can cover everything from Depression-era orphans to laid-back rock stars hanging out to a trio of women…doing whatever the hell the characters in Mamma Mia! do.
And good thing that all of the films I just referenced are up for a vote today in the matchups below, as we proceed in the first round of the Ultimate Movie Musicals Bracket. Let’s go!
(5) The Band Wagon vs. (60) Annie: There are many pieces of the 1982 adaptation of Annie that I like, from the presence of Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters to the very outrageous take on Miss Hannigan courtesy of Carol Burnett. But John Huston, brilliant filmmaker that he was, didn’t have the right energy for a big-budget, splashy musical. And even though I don’t quite love The Band Wagon, it’s got the right energy to win here.
How do you vote?
The Band Wagon
Annie
(28) A Hard Day’s Night vs. (37) Funny Girl: Nothing against Babs, but it’s got to be the Beatles. I voted against them for Help!, but I won’t do the same here. Go all-in for A Hard Day’s Night.
A Hard Day’s Night
Funny Girl
(12) On the Town vs. (53) Mamma Mia!: I alluded to it earlier in the round, but I did see the first Mamma Mia! in theaters, which is one of the rare cinematic experiences wherein it felt like time was moving backwards. I felt I could not escape the film. I know many people think it’s great (or campy or kitschy or all three of these things). I am not one of them. I am voting for On the Town. How about you?
On the Town
Mamma Mia!
(21) Yankee Doodle Dandy vs. (44) Hair: James Cagney was a hell of a performer, and by sheer force of will, he ought to vault over the long-haired anti-war hippies of Milos Forman’s adaptation of Hair. Their hair may be long and beautiful and down to there, but I say you should stick with Cagney as George M. Cohan.
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Hair
“Hair” has not aged well. Watch the 5th Dimension in “Summer of Soul” instead, which is stacked with great performances!
Annie vs. The Band Wagon was a very hard matchup. I like them both so much. I went with Annie at last for nostalgic reasons (and for Carol Burnett, who was brilliant!).