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When one hears the word “musical,” it’s probably going to conjure images of happy-go-lucky, predominantly family-friendly movies filled with dancing and singing. These qualities certainly apply to classic movie musicals from decades past, like those starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, popular Oscar winners like The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady, and even classic animated musicals from Disney, like Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.
It’s therefore safe to say that a good many musicals keep things G or perhaps PG-rated, but it’s inaccurate to say the genre as a whole is filled with nothing but squeaky-clean films. The following movie musicals demonstrate this well, as they’re all R-rated (or given equivalent ratings outside the U.S.; within the U.S., R-rated films are for people aged 17+). Not only that, but they’re also all good musicals worth watching for viewers who want something darker. They’re ranked below from great to greatest.
25 ‘Everyone Says I Love You’ (1996)
Not all R-rated movies are rated R equally, as movies like Everyone Says I Love You demonstrate. Truthfully, this mash-up of musical and rom-com is about as mild as R-rated movies get, as it was given that rating “for one use of strong language” that’s briefly heard in the lyrics of a rap song.
Otherwise, it’s all very clean, but it has that 17+ rating in the U.S., so it still counts. As for the film itself, it’s the sort of breezy movie with an all-star cast that you’d expect from Woody Allen in the 1990s, meaning fans of his will find a good amount to enjoy here, those anyone who isn’t won’t likely be converted from this one.
24 ‘Purple Rain’ (1984)
While it’s not the best movie of 1984 by any means, Purple Rain might well have the best soundtrack of 1984; possibly all time. It’s a movie that stars Prince and serves as a cinematic companion piece to his iconic album of the same name, with Purple Rain being an all-time great collection of pop/rock songs, and Purple Rain the movie being… alright.
Prince plays an ambitious young musician known only as “The Kid,” with the film following how he navigates the Minneapolis music scene in his attempts to become a star. It’s all fairly standard stuff, but is a little racier than most musicals, and does undeniably feature some of Prince’s best-ever tracks.
23 ‘Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical’ (2005)
In 1936, a movie called Reefer Madness (sometimes known as Tell Your Children) was released, and unexpectedly became a cult classic some years later. This was for totally unintended reasons, given Reefer Madness was supposed to be a hard-hitting cautionary tale about the dangers of smoking marijuana, but instead became hilarious because of how hysterical and overblown it all was.
This cult status eventually paved the way for a remake/parody of sorts in 2005; a movie with the rather self-explanatory title of Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical. It makes fun of the original and adds songs for good measure, being an enjoyable time for anyone who wants to take their ironic enjoyment of Reefer Madness to the next level.
22 ‘Repo! The Genetic Opera’ (2008)
Even if Repo! The Genetic Opera might not be the very best R-rated musical, it’s certainly up there with the most R-rated of all the R-rated musicals. It’s an exceedingly gory blend of sci-fi, horror, and musical, but kind of needs to be full-on in the blood and gore department, considering the plot revolves around organ repossession in a bleak future.
Repo! The Genetic Operaworks as an unconventional musical that might well appeal to those who don’t like the brighter, sunnier, more wholesome musicals out there. It’s unapologetically brutal and dark, but also has a decent amount of fun with its premise, and thankfully remembers to add in some unexpectedly catchy songs for good measure.
21 ‘Annette’ (2021)
As a showcase for the greatly talented Adam Driver, Annette is undeniably striking and bold. As a film, in the conventional sense, however, it’s very unlikely to appeal to everyone, because not only is Annette dark; it’s also deeply weird in a way that makes most movies that get labeled weird actually seem relatively normal.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to those familiar with past films by director Leos Carax, nor those who are fans of the music by the duo known as Sparks (Ron and Russell Mael), who wrote the screenplay for Annette. It’s a disturbing character study of one terrifying man and his equally terrifying child, playing out like a surreal psychological drama/horror film while also being a musical. It’s deeply strange, but also rather fascinating.
20 ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ (2007)
Continuing on the train of dark movie musicals, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is essentially a crime/horror movie with singing. The titular character (Johnny Depp) is a barber who’s also a serial killer, and his neighbor, Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) helps him dispose of the bodies of his victims by baking them into pies.
There is a string of dark comedy throughout the film that can mildly lessen the impact of its more brutal scenes, but it’s nevertheless unafraid to get very bloody and savage. It’s a strong adaptation of the stage show of the same name by Stephen Sondheim, and easy to recommend to anyone who’s a fan of both horror and musical movies.
19 ‘Dicks: The Musical’ (2023)
In all honesty, it would be absolutely shocking if a movie called Dicks: The Musical was released and not given an R-rating… it might be even more shocking than any of the humor found here. And that’s saying something, because Dicks: The Musical is undeniably crude, silly, and over-the-top.
The plot follows two businessmen who discover they’re actually twin brothers, and then set about switching places in their lives all for the purpose of reuniting their parents. It’s packed with profanity and crude sexual humor, as you’d expect from a movie called Dicks: The Musical, and is overall shaping up to be one of 2023’s boldest and potentially most divisive films.
18 ‘8 Mile’ (2002)
It could be a stretch to label 8 Mile as a musical in the traditional sense, but it devotes much of its time to music and features undeniably memorable music numbers. What Purple Rain was for Prince, 8 Mile sort of is for Eminem, with the rapper playing a character with similarities to his own life, and finds himself trying to become a prominent figure within the music world.
In tackling an underdog narrative, 8 Mile’s fairly conventional, but it certainly satisfies while building to an effective climax. Eminem might not be the most technically skilled actor, but he does undeniably play himself well, and the film is ultimately at its strongest when it focuses on the rap/music side of things.
17 ‘Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story’ (2007)
Standing as one of the best parody movies of all time, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story tears into the music biopic genre with ruthless efficiency. That it manages to do this while also having some surprisingly great music – more or less working as a musical of sorts – is just icing on the cake.
John C. Reilly stars as the title character and gives one of the funniest lead performances of the 21st century so far, with his life story following all the familiar biopic beats and making fun of them all the while. Walk Hard’s a great blend of silly and smart comedy, making it an overall winner for those looking for crudely funny movies that put music front and center.
16 ‘Fame’ (1980)
Fame is a sprawling musical that follows a large group of teenagers who are all involved with the performing arts at a New York City high school. Given the ambitious scope, no one finds themselves wrapped up in a super complex narrative or anything, but the cast of characters still remains interesting.
Even if the narrative might feel simple, it’s the style and music that’s given Fame its fame. It delivers everything you’d expect a musical with a little more edge than the genre at its most traditional does, and so works fairly well overall for those into this kind of thing.
15 ‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’ (1982)
Regarded as one of Dolly Parton’s best-known movies, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas joins the ranks of Dicks: The Musical as a movie musical with a slightly alarming title. Parton’s character and Burt Reynolds’s join forces to stop the titular whorehouse from being closed down, as it’s been targeted by a television personality who wants to do an exposé on it.
It’s not too graphic in terms of content, but is still R-rated because of some scenes and the overall subject matter. The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas was also a huge movie for its time, being one of the highest earners of the 1980s as far as musicals are concerned.
14 ‘Wild Rose’ (2018)
Some years before prominent roles in unsettling 2020s movies like Men and I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Jessie Buckley shone in the lead role of Wild Rose. It’s a movie that centers on a fictional musician named Rose-Lynn Harlan, and follows her attempts to become a country music star in Nashville.
Challenges arise, however, due to Rose-Lynn Harlan being recently released from prison, and also having to be a single mother to two young children. Wild Rose was well-liked by most who saw it, but feels a little underrated overall, being something of a hidden gem that may well continue to pick up steam and fans as the years go on.
13 ‘Waiting for Guffman’ (1996)
When it comes to mockumentary films, you can’t really go wrong with most of the ones that are directed by and/or star Christopher Guest. Concerning Waiting for Guffman, he did both those roles here, as well as co-writing the screenplay with co-star Eugene Levy.
Waiting for Guffman’s setting is Blaine, Missouri, with the premise involving an ambitious theater director trying to put on a huge show to celebrate the town’s 150th anniversary. It’s a great premise for – and excuse to – present plenty of hilarious scenes as well as amusing musical numbers, with it being both a celebration and gentle parody of theater.
12 ‘Nashville’ (1975)
Of all the notable films Robert Altman made during his career (and there were many), Nashville is commonly regarded as one of his absolute best. It’s easy to describe it with words like “sprawling” and “ambitious,” given Nashville runs for two hours and 40 minutes while having a gigantic cast filled with recognizable actors.
There are too many people in this movie to list them all, but some of the biggest names include Ned Beatty, Keith Carradine, Karen Black, Shelley Duvall, Scott Glenn, and even Jeff Goldblum. It’s an epic that successfully provides an insight into the music scene in the titular city, and stands to this day as quite a remarkable filmmaking achievement.
11 ‘Once’ (2007)
Once is wonderfully simple and pure, telling a small-scale story remarkably well, and in a manner that proves hard to resist. It runs for just 85 minutes and predominantly focuses on just two characters, perhaps making it the polar opposite of the aforementioned Nashville.
Those two characters are a man and a woman who both dream of becoming famous musicians one day, and strike up a relationship because of their shared interests. It’s tender and charmingly direct, with the director behind it – John Carney – going on to make other sweet and entertaining movies about love and music like 2013’s Begin Again and 2016’s Sing Street.
10 ‘Pink Floyd: The Wall’ (1982)
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Even more than four decades on from its release, there’s still nothing else out there quite like 1982’s Pink Floyd: The Wall. It’s a visually dazzling adaption of Pink Floyd’s iconic 1979 album The Wall, which, as a concept album, told a loose story about a troubled rockstar, his tragic past, and his slow descent into a despairing state of mind.
It takes what was a fairly vague narrative and makes things more explicit and clear, thanks to its blend of live-action footage and surreal animation. It’s a must-watch film for anyone who considers themselves a fan of Pink Floyd, and also stands as one of the darkest and most intense music-related movies of all time.
9 ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ (1984)
Movies don’t get much funnier or more quotable than 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap. It’s a mockumentary about a fictional band – Spinal Tap – and their disastrous U.S. tour that’s all captured by a documentary crew, with every scene making their perilous journey through the States that much more tragically hilarious.
It packs so many jokes into a relatively tight runtime, and easily stands as one of the funniest movies of the 1980s. As for that R-rating? It’s certainly not on the stronger side of such a rating, considering it’s really only some salty language and a little crude humor here and there that gets This Is Spinal Tap to the realm of R.
8 ‘8 Women’ (2002)
Speaking of barely deserved R-ratings, it’s genuinely baffling why the French comedy/thriller/mystery/musical movie 8 Women has an R-rating. The MPAA’s reason was a rather vague “Rated R for some sexual content,” but there aren’t any graphic scenes of sex or nudity; nothing more than what was seen in the PG-13 Titanic, for instance (and that one also had a great deal more violence/peril).
Anyway, people shouldn’t be frightened or concerned by the R-rating here, because 8 Women is a breezy watch and proves to be a great deal of fun. It successfully blends many unexpected genres and tackles them all well, and is also a showcase for eight great French actresses – including the likes of Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, and Emmanuelle Béart – all of whom get at least one chance to shine here.
7 ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ (1975)
Though it might not feel quite as scandalous or proactive now as it would’ve in the mid-1970s, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is still pretty out there and worthy of an R-rating. It deals with some fairly adult/sexual content, and even though it’s not hugely graphic, it’s still a far cry from the sorts of epic/romantic/family-friendly musicals that were more popular in the 1950s and (especially) the 1960s.
It’s about a fateful trip taken by Brad and Janet, and what happens when they wind up at a mansion where the infamous Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) lives. Catchy music, societal taboos, sci-fi shenanigans, and tragedies ensue, all making for a wonderfully wild and undeniably unique musical experience.
6 ‘Rocketman’ (2019)
After 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody, some viewers were left bewildered that a movie about Freddie Mercury’s notoriously sex, drugs, and rock & roll heavy life got watered down and made into a PG-13 movie. Its co-director (complicated story), Dexter Fletcher, thankfully made a more faithful music biopic the following year, with Rocketman, a more warts-and-all take on the life of a rock star, in this case focusing on Elton John.
Unlike Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman is also more outwardly a musical, with numerous sequences that feel fantastical and outside the realm of where most (more grounded) music biopics go. It’s not too shocking with its R-rated content, but has an appropriate amount of detail when it comes to the sex and drugs part of Elton John’s life, and the stuff to do with the rock & roll is a good deal of fun, too, which helps.
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