One of the most anticipated movie musicals in years, “Wicked,” swoops into theaters this week. It’s not just delightful, it’s directed by someone who grew up in the Bay Area, Jon M. Chu.
The Palo Alto native and “Crazy Rich Asians” director is no stranger to big-screen musicals. He helmed 2021’s woefully neglected “In the Heights,” which unfortunately made a big thud at the box office perhaps because it was released when moviegoers were reticent about returning to crowded places due to the pandemic.
To celebrate the Nov. 22 release of the first film in the two-part “Wicked,” here are some recommended movie musicals (all are streaming on various platforms) along with a review of this week’s big release.
“The Wizard of Oz” (1939): Yes, you’ve probably seen the Judy Garland classic countless times, but it’s worth a timely viewing again now, to help you enjoy “Wicked” even more. Unlike dated musicals (“The King and I”—yikes!), director Victor Fleming’s film remains fresh and in touch in the 21st century. Its archetypical songbook has been handed down generation after generation. Many of us can repeat 80 percent of the lyrics verbatim. Name another musical that can lay claim to that! Then there’s the great cast: Garland, Ray Bolger as The Scarecrow, Jack Haley as The Tin Man, Bert Lahr as The Cowardly Lion, Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West and the unforgettable (and prolific) Terry as Toto. Throw in some evil winged monkeys, a yellow brick road and a tornado, and it’s no wonder it remains one of the most cherished movies of all time.
“Sing Street” (2016): Every film in John Carney’s crowd-pleasing canon (“Once,” “Begin Again,” “Flora and Son”) celebrates ordinary people who create beautiful music. “Sing Street,” a charmer through and through and the best of the bunch, is as heartwarming as it is nostalgic and hilarious. This bit of exuberant joyfulness offers a New Wave-aspiring band made up mostly of lads stuck in a conservative religious school in 1980s Dublin. Ringleader Cosmo (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) formed the band as a means to impress a street-smart girl (Lucy Boynton), and it works. “Sing Street,” which didn’t whistle a happy tune at American box offices, more than deserves an upbeat rental shelf life. Filled with so much buoyant energy, it’s utterly irresistible, as is the great soundtrack, which mixes oldies (Duran Duran) with original tunes, including “Drive It Like You Stole It.” If that doesn’t make you want to get up and dance while watching, nothing will.
“Rocketman” (2019): The lives and careers of queer music icons Freddie Mercury and Elton John got turned into biopics, both box office hits. Which was better? Director Bryan Singer’s more traditionally told “Bohemian Rhapsody” featuring Rami Malek’s Oscar-winning turn as the mercurial Mercury or director Dexter Fletcher’s more adventurous overview of John’s rocky road to success, excess and recovery? “Rocketman” is better by a long shot, and not just because it has big Broadway style and is a marvel of crisp editing and unflagging energy. Taron Egerton, a human lightning bolt in every scene, makes it soar; it’s hard to believe that his greatest-showman-on-earth performance got passed over for an Oscar nomination. Bollocks to that! Egerton sings his heart out in a film that captures the spirit of Elton John and the battles brewing within him.
“The Color Purple” (2023): Alice Walker’s classic 1982 novel about the indomitable Celie, a Georgia girl (and woman) who triumphs over horrific abuse and adversity has served as inspiration both onscreen and onstage. Steven Spielberg turned the novel into an Oscar-nominated 1985 drama, and in 2005, it debuted on Broadway as a musical; a revival of the musical was a Tony Award winner. Director Blitz Bazawule and Oakland-born screenwriter Marcus Gardley base this most recent movie on the musical, and it’s packed with powerhouse performers: Colman Domingo as the abusive Mister, Fantasia Barrino as the shy Celie, Danielle Brooks as the spirited Sofia and Taraji P. Henson as the showboating Shug Avery. “The Color Purple” hits the right dramatic and emotional notes and is most memorable for standout musical numbers “What About Love” with Barrino and Henson, “I’m Here” with Barrino, and the incredibly moving and liberating last act.
“Wicked”: The inspired casting of pop singer Ariana Grande with versatile Tony-winning Cynthia Erivo (she won playing Celie on Broadway) and I-can-do-anything actor Jonathan Bailey create pure magic in Chu’s grandiose, magnificent cinematic version of the beloved musical. (The theater phenom, as many in the Bay Area know, got its sea legs in San Francisco before hopping on its Broadway broom.) Chu stages everything on a grand scale but keeps the emotion and intimacy intact. Based on Gregory Maguire’s origin tale, “Wicked” spills the tea about how the green and bullied Elphaba (Erivo) turned into a feared witch in Oz and, contrarily, what conspired to make Glinda (Grande) so annoyingly good and perky. What if the fairy tale we’ve fallen for (like a house on a witch!) overlooked critical background info? We get it in this massively entertaining film, the first of two parts, which ends with the song “Defying Gravity.” The year-long intermission resumes Nov. 21, 2025 when the second film flies into theaters. This “Wicked” briefly suffers from a pacing problem when Elphaba and Glinda hit Oz, and a couple supporting players prove they’re better actors than singers. But Bailey as the prince everyone has a crush on belts it out of the park. If you’re taking the family to the movies this holiday season, “Wicked” can’t be beat.
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