None of these films are musicals in the classic sense, but music and dance figure prominently in all of them. Ready for a 1980’s binge watch?
Fame (R, 4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $2.99 to rent in SD / $3.99 in HD, $9.99 to own in SD / $12.99 in HD)
At the New York City High School for the Performing Arts, students get specialized training that often leads to success as actors, singers, etc.
This movie follows four students from the time when they audition to get into the school, through graduation.
They are the brazen Coco Hernandez, shy Doris Finsecker, sensitive gay Montgomery MacNeil, and brash, abrasive Raul Garcia.
– Written by Reid Gagle, IMDB
Purple Rain (R, 4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $2.99 to rent in SD / $3.99 in HD, $9.99 to own in SD / $12.99 in HD)
A young man with a talent for music has begun a career with much promise.
He meets an aspiring singer, Apollonia, and finds that talent alone isn’t all that he needs.
A complicated tale of his repeating his father’s self destructive behavior, losing Apollonia to another singer (Morris Day), and his coming to grips with his own connection to other people ensues.
– Written by John Vogel, IMDB
Flashdance (R, 4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $2.99 to rent in SD / $3.99 in HD, $9.99 to own in SD / $13.99 in HD)
Alex Owens is a female dynamo: steel worker by day, exotic dancer by night.
Her dream is to get into a real dance company though, and with encouragement from her boss/boyfriend, she may get her chance.
The city of Pittsburgh co-stars. What a feeling!
– Written by Stewart M. Clamen, IMDB
Footloose (R, 4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $2.99 to rent in SD / $3.99 in HD, $9.99 to own in SD / $13.99 in HD)
Classic tale of teenage rebellion and repression features a delightful combination of dance choreography and realistic and touching performances. When teenager Ren McCormack and his family move from big-city Chicago to a small Midwestern town, he’s in for a real case of culture shock. Though he tries hard to fit in, the streetwise Ren can’t quite believe he’s living in a place where rock music and dancing are illegal.
Ren and his classmates want to do away with this ordinance, especially since the senior prom is around the corner, but only Ren has the courage to initiate a battle to abolish the outmoded ban and revitalize the spirit of the repressed townspeople. Fast-paced drama is filled with such now-famous hit songs as the title track and “Let’s Hear It for the Boy”.
– Written by Anonymous, IMDB
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