Best-Reviewed Musical/Music Films 2016

Music and movies have been intertwined since the early days, and these 2016 films helped continue that proud tradition through a combination of song-and-dance numbers, dutiful storytelling, and lighthearted humor.

The order of the list reflects the scores as of December 31, 2016, but the number displayed on the Adjusted Tomatometer may change as more reviews keep getting added after the end of the year.

#1

La La Land (2016)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#1
Adjusted Score: 114145%
Critics Consensus: La La Land breathes new life into a bygone genre with thrillingly assured direction, powerful performances, and an irresistible excess of heart.
Synopsis: Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) are drawn together by their common desire to do what they love. But... [More]
Directed By: Damien Chazelle

#2

Sing Street (2016)
Tomatometer icon 95%

#2
Adjusted Score: 105252%
Critics Consensus: Sing Street is a feel-good musical with huge heart and irresistible optimism, and its charming cast and hummable tunes help to elevate its familiar plotting.
Synopsis: In 1985, a Dublin teenager (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) forms a rock 'n' roll band to win the heart of an aspiring... [More]
Directed By: John Carney

#3
#3
Adjusted Score: 99075%
Critics Consensus: Florence Foster Jenkins makes poignant, crowd-pleasing dramedy out of its stranger-than-fiction tale -- and does its subject justice with a reliably terrific turn from star Meryl Streep.
Synopsis: In the 1940s, New York socialite Florence Foster Jenkins (Meryl Streep) dreams of becoming a great opera singer. Unfortunately, her... [More]
Directed By: Stephen Frears

#4

Born to Be Blue (2015)
Tomatometer icon 88%

#4
Adjusted Score: 93261%
Critics Consensus: Born to Be Blue benefits from a highlight-reel performance from Ethan Hawke and an impressionistic, non-hagiographic approach to Chet Baker's life and times.
Synopsis: In the late 1960s, jazz trumpeter Chet Baker (Ethan Hawke) begins a romance with an actress (Carmen Ejogo) while trying... [More]
Directed By: Robert Budreau

#5
Adjusted Score: 86836%
Critics Consensus: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping updates the rock mockumentary for the 21st century mainstream -- and hits many of its low-hanging targets with side-splitting impact.
Synopsis: Childhood friends Conner (Andy Samberg), Owen (Jorma Taccone) and Lawrence (Akiva Schaffer) found fame and fortune after forming the hip-hop... [More]