The Music Man Review

This review comes from my Letterboxd profile, where I write about all of the movies I watch.

Okay, fine, this movie isn't an objectively perfect film in any way. I'll agree with the vast majority of people that the pacing starts to drag in the second half from what the first half set itself up to be, there are one or two songs that feel a smidge out of place, there are definitely a few dated aspects to this movie's plot (although not enough to feel like it harms the story at all), and the ending scene feels a little too over-the-top to feel believable even if it is the best ending a musical like this could have hoped for. That being said, I don't care. This movie excited me in a way that I haven't felt excited about in a while. I'm a theater kid, I've missed theater since quarantine started, I didn't remember how excited I got about it after a while. This is the first time I've been euphorically excited about musical theater since my school's production of Urinetown was canceled last spring. Meaning, this is the first time I've been euphorically excited about a musical since I was last involved in one. This is not a musical that was adapted into a movie, or even a movie musical. This is a musical in movie format, through and through. The choreography, set design, and character work is often captured in wide shots that capture the entire set, much like a real musical would allow you to see the entire set as everything happens at once, and as my mom pointed out, there are even moments where the lighting makes it seem like the stage lights are going out. I've never seen a movie fully embrace the format of a musical like The Music Man did, but my god, was it engaging all the way through.

Those performances and songs are something special, man. This movie absolutely deserved its Oscar for Best Original Score because, even though one or two songs feel out of place, as I said, the majority of the songs in here are instantly catchy, completely memorable, and an absolute joy to watch. You better believe I'm gonna be practicing "Marian the Librarian" on my own time as a song for my own musical audition roster because oh, my god, the musicality of that song and the choreography of the scene make it my personal favorite number of the entire show (even if, in context, it does come off as somewhat dated). That's not the only song I adored in this musical, though -- in the first half an hour alone, the choreography, musicality, lyrics, and performances of "Rock Island" "Iowa Stubborn," "Ya Got Trouble," "Piano Lesson/If You Don't Mind Me Saying," and "Goodnight my Someone" made me excited, euphoric, emotional, and choked-up with how absolutely phenomenal they were and how well the musicality of the songs tied into the characters and settings of the show itself and my god, it's so brilliantly thought out. Every piece of music here feels connected to the story itself, and that's what the best musicals are always able to do so brilliantly.

Of course, though, despite all of the performances being phenomenal, there's no way in hell I would even think about not shouting out the one, the only, the late, the great Robert Preston. Apparently, Jack L. Warner wanted a bigger name attached to this musical (much like all of the musicals under his name) and pretty much everyone around him told him he would be a fool to cast anyone else than the man who brought the role to life on stage, and that was clearly the right decision to make in the end. Preston was absolutely phenomenal in this musical, giving just the right energy, charisma, likability, and intrigue to the rather mysterious and complicated title character. Throughout the film, his true intentions feel meddled, as the audience is just as swindled as the people in this film about how genuine he truly is as a salesman. This exploration truly makes him a fascinating character, and Preston's performance is what brings that outward charisma to life and makes us question how genuine his intentions are. He's the only one I can ever see play this part, and I'm so happy his performance was forever memorialized in this film.

All in all, The Music Man may not be an absolutely perfect film, with its pacing with certain scenes and songs sometimes seeming slow and certain aspects not holding up as well today, but it made me excited about musical theater again for the first time in over a year, and for that, I can't give it enough praise. The performances, music, and choreography are possibly some of the best I've ever seen in a musical, and this is the perfect kind of film that can serve as an escape while also having a genuinely good story behind it. I can't recommend this film enough if you need a musical pick me up during these absolutely insane times.

Letter Grade: A+