Most of my favorite musical movie moments come from movies in my top 10 or top 20, but every year I seem to come across at least one standout moment from a movie that’s otherwise forgettable.
Last year it was Jenny Slate’s sublime performance of ‘Suddenly Seymour‘ in the streaming romcom I Want You Back. This year it’s a scene from the Jennifer Lawrence sex comedy No Hard Feelings.
Writer-director Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers is another movie with multiple memorable musical moments.
The obvious pick might be Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s ‘The Power of Love,’ which bookends the film and scores one of last year’s most powerful and poignant endings. Or Blur’s ‘Death of a Party,’ used to great effect during a pivotal nightclub sequence.
But I’m going with the Pet Shop Boys cover of ‘Always On My Mind,’ which soundtracks yet another incredibly moving scene.
Wes Anderson has always made wonderful use of music in his movies, whether it’s the memorable scores by Alexandre Desplat and Mark Mothersbaugh or needle drops of 60s pop and rock songs.
But before last year’s Asteroid City I can’t recall another live-action Anderson movie that features a song performed by the actual characters (I’m in danger of losing my Wes Anderson Fan Club membership if I’m forgetting something here).
A few of my ‘musical movie moments’ picks this week come from films with more than one potential selection. Writer-director Sean Durkin’s The Iron Claw offered up two strong candidates.
The first comes when Mike Von Erich (Stanley Simmons), the youngest of four brothers in a family of professional wrestlers, plays a local gig with his band. Mike’s parents don’t support his musical aspirations, so his brothers help him sneak out of the house to make it to the party.
As February approaches, it’s time for my blog to shift into movie mode and recap my 2023 film year. Over the next several weeks I will give out my personal Oscars for acting and direction and count down my favorite films of the year.
But first, I’m dedicating a week to five of my favorite musical moments in last year’s films.
Meet Me In Montauk 