Movie musicals are having a moment — good, bad and confusing

Movie musicals are having a moment. Even if they’re not all great ones.

There are currently several musicals making the rounds in theaters and streaming online, with even more on the way. Here’s a look.

“Dear Evan Hansen”

Anticipation was high for the film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit about a high school senior’s journey of self-discovery and acceptance following the suicide of a fellow classmate.

Granted, that plot line is already a tough sell, but the musical comes with many devoted fans and accolades (the cast recording won a Grammy).

Then the film was screened at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this month — and the backlash began.

Critics’ reviews were not glowing, and some questioned the handling of the story’s sensitive premise.

And many balked at the decision to cast Ben Platt (Netflix’s “The Politician”) as the film’s lead, even though he originated the role on Broadway and won a Tony award for his performance.

Apparently, the beef is that Platt is now age 27 still playing a high-schooler. Hey, I still think John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John looked waaaay too old to play high schoolers in “Grease” — but that’s one of the most successful movie musicals of all time, so what?

Universal Pictures is now doing some quick damage control ahead of the film’s opening. The studio, producers and cast members hope the film will speak for itself (I haven’t seen it or the stage production).

One studio insider told Yahoo! Entertainment that executives “are deeply proud of ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ and the remarkable performances from the film’s talent. There is confidence on the Universal lot that general audiences will turn up to theaters well into the Fall.” (In theaters Friday, Sept. 24)

“Cinderella”

This is a lavish, robust re-telling of the classic fairy tale about an orphaned girl, her horrible stepmother and step-sisters, her Fairy Godmother (ahem, here it’s Fabulous Godmother, you’ll see why) and a handsome prince.

The film is very entertaining, and I think it deserves a much better rating on Rotten Tomatoes (an underwhelming 43 percent from critics and 64 percent audience score), but oh well. I thought it was a lot of fun.

It uses modern or classic pop songs in its score (such as Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation,” Madonna’s “Material Girl” or Queen’s “Somebody to Love”).

And it has a diverse and game cast with the gorgeous Camila Cabello as Cinderella, newcomer (but sure to be a star) Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Robert, the hilarious Billy Porter (”Pose”) as the Fabulous Godmother, Idina Menzel as the stepmother and Pierce Brosnan and Minnie Driver as the King and Queen.

This new version also incorporates themes of female empowerment, gender equality, diversity and that ever universal one — staying true to yourself. (Now streaming on Amazon Prime)

“Everybody’s Talking About Jamie”

Another film adaptation of a stage production, this one based on a real-life story of a 16-year-old boy in Sheffield, England, who overcomes harsh obstacles and discrimination to follow his dream of becoming a drag queen.

It’s also a breezy, entertaining tale that’s filled with energetic choreography, funny characters, vibrant songs and an uplifting message. It’s sweet and touching without being manipulative — the perfectly flawed characters and earnest performers earn our emotional investment.

Max Harwood absolutely shines as the titular, flamboyant Jamie New, who tries to navigate confusing high school life with his bestie, Pritti (Lauren Patel), and his loving mother (Sarah Lancashire) showing true support. He soon becomes friends with local drag legend Miss Loco Chanelle (Richard E. Grant), who mentors him toward his debut stage performance.

But Jamie also has to contend with an unsupportive, uncaring father and woefully ignorant school peers and teachers, who balk at his proclamation to wear a dress to the school prom. Like that’s the end of the world! (Now streaming on Amazon Prime)

“Annette”

Adam Driver stars as a stand-up comedian who falls in love with and marries an acclaimed opera singer (Marion Cotillard). But their relationship changes when his career begins to falter and they have their first child.

The film has an original screenplay and music and songs by avant garde rock duo Sparks. It premiered in May at the prestigious Canne Film Festival in France to wildly mixed reviews, and for good reason. It’s certainly an odd, sometimes baffling and maddening creation.

It’s definitely ambitious, and Driver is whole-heartedly all-in as a morally questionable father, who discovers after the death of his wife that their child has an exceptional singing ability at age 2. So what does he do? Takes her on a world tour, of course.

I at first thought the film was going to be a marvel, but that quickly diminished the more confounding it got. For instance, the couple’s child, the titular Annette, is played (mostly) by a creepy wooden puppet doll, the reason for which is never explained. And the whole tone is decidedly dark, even morose. The music also is just ... strange.

Overall, the film is a commentary on blind celebrity worship and what lengths some will go to achieve it. It’s certainly bold and daring. But prepare for weirdness. It took me several times to get all the way through it. (Now streaming on Amazon Prime)

Upcoming

On Nov. 19, Netflix will release “tick ... tick ... Boom!,” the directorial debut by Lin-Manuel Miranda (”Hamilton”), about a promising young theater composer (Andrew Garfield) who navigates love, friendship and the pressures of life as an artist in New York City as his 30th birthday approaches.

Around Christmastime, we can expect in theaters Steven Spielberg’s lavish update of “West Side Story,” which will either be great or a bomb, there will be no in-between, and “Cyrano,” a film adaptation of the 2018 stage musical about French novelist and playwright Cyrano de Bergerac, who has, ahem, body image issues. Peter Dinklage (”Games of Thrones”) reprises his stage role.

This story was originally published September 26, 2021 at 2:41 AM with the headline "Movie musicals are having a moment — good, bad and confusing."