Musical Movies that Men Will Enjoy

First up is Sweeney Todd, a movie about a deranged barber who is hell-bent on getting revenge against the judge who stole his woman and wrecked his life. Picture Hannibal Lector in the middle of Nightmare Before Christmas and you pretty much have the right idea. Johnny Depp plays Sweeney Todd, a character so epic that he has Helena Bonham Carter's character fawning after him while he sings a song to his glistening razors. And wait a second, is that who I think it is? The guy who plays Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen, has a role in the movie too.

The good news is that women also love this movie. It contains a tragically lush love story, sweeping melody lines, and violence, yes, but violence done in the name of love. ::swoon:: Who knows, you may even score extra points by showing you can enjoy the high culture of musical theater.

So when your next date night rolls around and the last thing you want to do is watch another cheesy romantic comedy (I mean, there's only so much shirtless Matthew McConaughey a straight guy can handle), do yourself a favor and remember to check out Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

The premise of Stomp is simple: a bunch of performers use regular objects to make a choreographed drum routine. No matter if the "instrument" is a broom, bucket, or lighter, the final product is jaw-dropping. For a while their work was even used in advertising (I remember a Gap commercial a while back used them).

WARNING: As you can maybe guess, there is no plot or lyrics in Stomp. Every song feels different because the show is filled with surprises (think rain falling down onto giant barrels or musicians swinging on harnesses) but only check this film out if you're a fan of some quality drumming.

Written and directed by none other than Trey Parker (the same guy who brought you the musicals South Park and Team America), this low budget film is full of ridiculous humor. As the back of the box states, "While searching for gold and love in the Colorado Territory, [Alfred Packer] and his companions lost their way and resorted to unthinkable horrors, including toe-tapping songs!"

Basically this movie is South Park meets Oklahoma meets the horror genre. If that's your cup of tea then you're going to love this find.

A television series snuck onto this list of musical movies because the Conchords are just that brilliant. Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie play a version of themselves in the show, trying to succeed as musicians in New York City and calling themselves, "New Zealand's fourth most popular folk parody act." They are masters of deadpan dialogue, endearingly self-deprecating storylines, and witty song lyrics. Check out this youtube video for a little taste of what they offer:

If you're a fan of the Beatles then you'll be thrilled to know that every song in Across the Universe is from their discography. Still, the real brilliance of the movie is that the songs are re-contextualized into the tumultuous times of the 1960's. Even if you've never been passionate about listening to the Beatles, you'll feel captivated by the characters of this story and what they go through. The draft, wartime, revolution, art, love... all of it is covered in the span of the story.