The Ampersand’s Weekend Watchlist offers bingeable movie recommendations bundled into nifty little themes. Our recs for this weekend movie marathon: non-musical movies with unexpected but memorable singing moments.
Weekend Watchlist: 5 Movies with Memorable Song Breakouts
In last week’s edition of the Weekend Watchlist, we picked 5 movie scenes with great music, but we excluded scenes with actual singing. So for this week, we’re bringing you 5 non-musical movies with unexpected but memorable singing moments.
A word on our criteria: musicals, films about music, and concert scenes in movies are not included. Movie characters who are singers aren’t allowed (so, no airplane proposals to see here). Lip syncing is a no-no. And as usual, movies are limited to those currently available for streaming in the Philippines.
Truth Hurts and Dreaming of You in Someone Great (2019)
Someone Great is a fun, feminist romcom starring Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin) as Jenny, a woman dealing with the end of a nine-year relationship.
The movie boasts of a great soundtrack: there’s Lorde, Vampire Weekend, Mitski, Robyn, and many others. Also, the movie title is a reference to an LCD Soundsystem song. So it’s no surprise that we get not one, but two memorable singing scenes. The first is a walwal moment featuring Jenny as 100% that bitch day-drinking bourbon through a straw while singing and dancing in her underwear.
The second time Jenny breaks out into a song, she’s less drunk—but more #marupok. Her best friends Blair (Brittany Snow) and Erin (DeWanda Wise) share in the moment.
Where to watch: Netflix
Where Do Broken Hearts Go? in That Thing Called Tadhana (2015)
Another singing brokenhearted girl makes it to this list. This time, it’s Angelica Panganiban’s Mace desperately seeking where broken hearts go. Saan nga ba, Ate Whitney?
Mace breaks down just before the chorus, leaving Anthony (JM De Guzman) to pick up the mic and sing.
Where to watch: Netflix
Pocketful of Sunshine in Easy A (2010)
Before Emma Stone won an Oscar for her singing and acting in La La Land, she was belting out “Pocketful of Sunshine” in Easy A. Olive Penderghast walked so Mia Dolan could run.
Where to watch: Netflix
You Always Hurt the One You Love in Blue Valentine (2010)
Emma Stone’s La La Land co-star, Ryan Gosling was also showing his singing chops back in 2010. Blue Valentine is a heartbreaking film about a couple’s crumbling marriage. There are flashbacks, like this scene, to the times when Dean (Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) were younger, more hopeful, and happy.
A word of caution: “You Always Hurt the One You Love” pretty much sums up the film.
Available in: Amazon
A Thousand Miles in White Chicks (2004)
The first few tinkling notes of “A Thousand Miles” are instantly recognizable. This song was impossible to escape in the 2000s, that’s why it’s a bit dodgy when two white chicks didn’t know the words to the song. (“You know I’d walk a thousand miles if I could just see you tomorrow—tonight! TONIGHT!”)
Of course, these white chicks are actually black FBI agents working on a case. It’s funny how their cover was almost blown not by the build of their bodies or the ashiness of their foundation, but by how they couldn’t sing along to Vanessa Carlton.
Where to watch: Netflix
Honorable Mention: Can’t Take My Eyes Off You in 10 Things I Hate About You
We’ve already talked about 10 Things I Hate About You so we’re trying to not put it in this list. It is, however, most worthy.
Where to watch: YouTube Movies
Patriz Biliran and Regina Peñarroyo co-run The Ampersand and write blog articles in their free time.
