It’s important to note that many of the world’s greatest love stories are in fact tragedies. While the romance in masterpieces such as “West Side Story,” “Les Miserables” and “Moulin Rouge” bring a tear to the eye, their tragic endings bring even more. If not even death scenes could ruin your romantic mood, these movies are perfect.
Even when everyone survives, a lot of Broadway’s sweetest love stories don’t have very lovely endings. A wonderful example of this is Jason Robert Brown’s cult classic “The Last Five Years,” which has a film version premiering in theaters across America this Valentine’s Day. While it is a wonderful story about love, life and all the resulting twists and turns, it’s also very much a story about heartbreak – the “fairy-tale relationship” featured in the movie is far from successful. “The Last Five Years” isn’t the only musical movie to end with heartbreak, as many favorites such as “The Fantasticks” and “Once” spend the entire movie building up a beautiful romance only to shatter it before the credits roll.
Before you get too depressed, there are also plenty of musical movies to say love conquers all. Cute movies such as “Hello, Dolly!” and “Guys and Dolls” not only entertain their viewers with wonderful songs and acting but also feature the satisfying romantic ending all lovebirds crave. If these are a bit too corny for your taste, other movies like “Rent” and “Footloose” provide a somewhat more realistic portrayal of love while still ending on a satisfyingly romantic note.
So this Valentine’s Day when you and your true love are looking for a movie to put you in a romantic mood, know that musicals are a wonderful choice as long as you are careful. As long as there has been romance, there have been heartbreaks, and Broadway portrays both.
