Bohemian Rhapsody, based on the life of Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the British rock band, Queen, has come in for flak due to the way it has dealt with Mercury’s sexuality. One thing, however, that everyone agrees on is the fantastic music — that Live Aid recreation was extraordinary. From ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘We are the Champions’ to ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘Killer Queen’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, there is a thrill of listening to these anthems on the screen. Rami Malek, who plays Mercury in the movie, has done a phenomenal job. The lyrics on the screen in karaoke mode are an invitation to sing along, and if you are watching the movie with friends, so much the better.
That is not to say that all music biopics encourage one to sing along. One can definitely not sing ‘Roadhouse Blues’ with Val Kilmer’s Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors (1991). Even movies inspired by the music of legends (Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There based on Bob Dylan’s music comes to mind) or rockumentaries (can anyone sing along with Robert Plant on ‘Immigrant Song’ in The Song Remains the Same (1976)?) does not call for singing out loud.
Thank you for the music
Musicals are a natural fit with The Sound of Music (1965) sing-alongs becoming an international phenomenon. Phyllida Lloyd’s Mamma Mia! (2008), is a jukebox romantic comedy based on the eponymous musical. Featuring songs by the Swedish pop group ABBA, Mamma Mia! is set in a charming Greek island. The bright, cheerful movie tells the story of bride-to-be Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) choosing a rather unconventional route to finding her father. Meryl Streep plays Sophie’s mum, Donna, who comes face-to-face with her former lovers, played by Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård.
All the 21 songs in the movie, including ‘Honey, Honey’, ‘Money, Money, Money’, ‘Chiquitita’, ‘Dancing Queen’ ‘Super Trouper’ ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!’ ‘Voulez-Vous’ and ‘Does Your Mother Know’ beg for the audience to join in. And there is a special joy of hearing Brosnan belt out ‘SOS’ with Streep.
While Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous (2000) was the story of a teenage journalist covering a rock band for Rolling Stone, and featured some super bands in the soundtrack, including The Who and Led Zeppelin, it is Adam Shankman’s Rock of Ages (2012), which wins hands down on the sing-along stakes.
Described as a jukebox romantic comedy like Mamma Mia! the movie tells the story of a small-town girl coming to make her fortune in LA. Alec Baldwin as the owner of the club The Bourbon Room, and Russell Brand as his right-hand man are a hoot, as are Bryan Cranston as the mayor and Catherine Zeta-Jones as his uptight wife who hates rock-and-roll. However, Tom Cruise as the spaced-out rockstar Stacee Jaxx is a revelation, and his rendition of ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’ and ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ is electric. Set in 1987, Rock of Ages is also based on a musical and features some of the best music from the era.
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John starrer Grease (1978), based on the 1971 musical, is an idealised version of 1950s American high school life — the racy lyrics of ‘Greased Lightnin’ and that utterly creepy Vince Fontaine spiking Marty’s drink notwithstanding. The ice-creams, dating, dance-off and the race resonated with youngsters all over, and incidentally, when the movie showed in Sangeet in Secunderabad, and its sequel in Plaza in Bengaluru, there were people dancing in the aisles! The movie celebrated its 40th birthday this year with sing-alongs.
Nick Broomfield’s Whitney: Can I be Me (2017) on the troubled soul singer is not an invitation to try for the high notes of ‘I will Always Love You’ and nor is Asif Kapadia’s Amy a chance to tear ‘Rehab’ apart. On the other hand, one can respectfully and affectionately sing ‘Billie Jean’ or ‘Beat It’ with This is it, the documentary on Michael Jackson’s preparation for his biggest tour, which was cancelled when the singer passed away 18 days before on June 25, 2009.
There are apparently movies based on the lives of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and Elvis Presley in the works, which will all provide anthems galore (Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?) and till they are out, we can murmur to “Galileo, Galileo Figaro Magnifico.”
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