The Ultimate Movie Musicals Bracket - Round One, Day Ten
How *kind* of you to let me come.
How far is Judy Garland going to get in the Ultimate Movie Musicals bracket? She’s already cropped up, and is going to do so again multiple times in today’s set of matchups. But she’s not the only beloved actress showing up in multiple films today. Ready to dive in? Let’s go!
(8) My Fair Lady vs. (57) Spirited: I am a Christmas Carol purist, which here means that I am exhausted with gimmicky adaptation after gimmicky adaptation. You know the thing about Dickens’ classic novella is that it’s a classic for a reason. Don’t add music to it! Don’t modernize it! Be faithful to it! I’m not the biggest fan of My Fair Lady, but it has some of the most beautiful songs in Broadway history. And it’s a more enjoyable adaptation than the very smug Spirited. Vote for Eliza.
My Fair Lady
Spirited
(25) Summer Stock vs. (40) Funny Face: Summer Stock is not the best film Judy Garland ever made, or the best Gene Kelly ever made. It’s not even the best they made together. (That would be The Pirate.) But it does feature one of Garland’s best numbers, one of the very last she did for MGM. It’s “Get Happy”, which you can watch below. And then vote for the film. Audrey Hepburn is already going to move on…I hope.
How do you vote?
Summer Stock
Funny Face
(9) School of Rock vs. (56) Dancer in the Dark: Jack Black is one of a growing line of actors and actresses who should have won Oscars for comedic roles. It would have been a long shot for Black to get an Oscar nomination for School of Rock, but it also would have been roundly deserved. You can vote for the bleakness of Lars Von Trier today, or you can rock out with the kids. I think we all know what to do.
School of Rock
Dancer in the Dark
(24) Easter Parade vs. (41) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: As a whole film, I would say I prefer Easter Parade to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. But I cannot deny that “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” is a hell of a musical sequence. If you end up sticking with Marilyn Monroe for that reason alone, I’ll get it! That said, I will stick with the Easter Parade for now.
What do you all think?
Easter Parade
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
[taps mic] SCHOOL OF ROCK? Great movie. Also not a musical.
Man, School of Rock is SUCH a good movie. I recommend it to everyone. Arguably the best use to date of Jack Black’s particular persona (which typically works better in supporting roles) and the script is so tight.