Best English Music Movies of All Time

Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly · 103 min · Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

1927 Hollywood. Monumental Pictures' biggest stars, glamorous on-screen couple Lina Lamont and Don Lockwood, are also an off-screen couple if the trade papers and gossip columns are to be believed. Both perpetuate the public perception if only to please their adoring fans and bring people into the movie theaters. In reality, Don barely tolerates her, while Lina, despite thinking Don beneath her, simplemindedly believes what she sees on screen in order to bolster her own stardom and sense of self-importance. R.F. Simpson, Monumental's head, dismisses what he thinks is a flash in the pan: talking pictures. It isn't until The Jazz Singer (1927) becomes a bona fide hit which results in all the movie theaters installing sound equipment that R.F. knows Monumental, most specifically in the form of Don and Lina, have to jump on the talking picture bandwagon, despite no one at the studio knowing anything about the technology. Musician Cosmo Brown, Don's best friend, gets hired as Monumental's ideas man and musical director. And by this time, Don has secretly started dating Kathy Selden, a chorus girl who is trying to make it big in pictures herself. Don and Kathy's relationship is despite their less than friendly initial meeting. Cosmo and Kathy help Don, who had worked his way up through the movie ranks to stardom, try make the leap to talking picture stardom, with Kathy following along the way. However, they have to overcome the technological issues. But the bigger problem is Lina, who will do anything to ensure she also makes the successful leap into talking pictures, despite her own inabilities and at anyone and everyone else's expense if they get in her way, especially Kathy as Don's off screen girlfriend and possibly his new talking picture leading lady.

Cast: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds

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AI verdict: Based on aggregated scores (8.3/10 on IMDb (282,203 votes), 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, 99/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.

Billy Wilder · 121 min · Mirisch Company

After two Chicago musicians, Joe and Jerry, witness the the St. Valentine's Day massacre, they want to get out of town and get away from the gangster responsible, Spats Colombo. They're desperate to get a gig out of town but the only job they know of is in an all-girl band heading to Florida. They show up at the train station as Josephine and Daphne, the replacement saxophone and bass players. They certainly enjoy being around the girls, especially Sugar Kane Kowalczyk who sings and plays the ukulele. Joe in particular sets out to woo her while Jerry/Daphne is wooed by a millionaire, Osgood Fielding III. Mayhem ensues as the two men try to keep their true identities hidden and Spats Colombo and his crew show up for a meeting with several other crime lords.

Cast: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon

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AI verdict: Based on aggregated scores (8.2/10 on IMDb (304,528 votes), 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, 98/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.

Damien Chazelle · 106 min · Bold Films / Blumhouse Productions / Right of Way Films

Nineteen year old Andrew Niemann wants to be the greatest jazz drummer in the world, in a league with Buddy Rich. This goal is despite not coming from a pedigree of greatest, musical or otherwise, with Jim, his high school teacher father, being a failed writer. Andrew is starting his first year at Shaffer Conservatory of Music, the best music school in the United States. At Shaffer, being the best means being accepted to study under Terence Fletcher and being asked to play in his studio band, which represents the school at jazz competitions. Based on their less than positive first meeting, Andrew is surprised that Fletcher asks him to join the band, albeit in the alternate drummer position which he is more than happy to do initially. Andrew quickly learns that Fletcher operates on fear and intimidation, never settling for what he considers less than the best each and every time. Being the best in Fletcher's mind does not only entail playing well, but knowing that you're playing well and if not what you're doing wrong. His modus operandi creates an atmosphere of fear and of every man or woman for him/herself within the band. Regardless, Andrew works hard to be the best. He has to figure out his life priorities and what he is willing to sacrifice to be the best. The other question becomes how much emotional abuse he will endure by Fletcher to reach that greatness, which he may believe he can only achieve with the avenues opened up by Fletcher.

Cast: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist

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AI verdict: Based on aggregated scores (8.5/10 on IMDb (1,134,459 votes), 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 89/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.

Milos Forman · 160 min · The Saul Zaentz Company

Antonio Salieri believes that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's music is divine and miraculous. He wishes he was himself as good a musician as Mozart so that he can praise the Lord through composing. He began his career as a devout man who believes his success and talent as a composer are God's rewards for his piety. He's also content as the respected, financially well-off, court composer of Austrian Emperor Joseph II. But he's shocked to learn that Mozart is such a vulgar creature, and can't understand why God favored Mozart to be his instrument. Salieri's envy has made him an enemy of God whose greatness was evident in Mozart. He is ready to take revenge against God and Mozart for his own musical mediocrity.

Cast: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge

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AI verdict: Based on aggregated scores (8.4/10 on IMDb (465,171 votes), 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, 87/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.

Lee Kirk · 116 min · Live Nation Studios / Process Media

Three buddies drive cross-country in a van, causing mayhem and mischief while racing to LA for their big break: opening for Green Day on New Year's Eve.

Cast: Mason Thames, Kylr Coffman, Ryan Foust

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AI verdict: Too early for a meaningful verdict — check back as ratings data comes in via the site's daily refresh.

Jon M. Chu · 160 min · Universal Pictures

A vivid reimagining of the classic The Wizard of Oz, Wicked spotlights the untold stories of Oz's most famous (or infamous) characters, namely the Wicked Witch of the West and her unlikely friend, Glinda the Good Witch. The show follows green-skinned star Elphaba from birth to college and through the life-changing events which eventually label her "wicked," introducing spoiled rich girl Glinda, local prince and heartthrob Fiyero and even the Wizard of Oz himself, a troubled man very unlike the one you may remember. As Elphaba, a passionate political activist if there ever was one, fights injustice and seeks to undo the mistakes of the past, dark secrets and personal tragedies shape the history of Oz, paying homage to the classic Wizard of Oz story while simultaneously changing fans' understanding of it forever. A cautionary tale about love, friendship and trust, Wicked effortlessly reveals that there are indeed two sides to every story.

Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh

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Box office: $701 million worldwide

AI verdict: Wicked's 88% RT score and $701M gross prove that splitting a beloved musical into two films can work when the performances — especially Erivo's — carry the emotional weight.