ROTTEN TOMATOES: The Play's the Thing

The Play's the Thing

August 18, 2008

Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats: the countdown is about to begin. We at RT have raised the curtain on "The Play's the Thing," a list of the 25 best-reviewed films about life in and around the theater!

We pored over the reviews to compile a countdown that showcases the best in theatrical cinema, from Broadway to Blaine, MO. Our countdown has it all, from backstage drama (All that Jazz, Bullets over Broadway) to the complexities of writing for the stage (Shakespeare in Love, The Lives of Others), from actors acting out (Opening Night) to theater life as a metaphor for turbulent times (Cabaret, Farewell My Concubine).

As with previous lists, every movie on this list has 20 reviews or more to ensure there was some critical weight behind each entry. And we utilized a system that is weighted counting both Tomatometer and number of reviews.

Without further ado, break a leg and check out "The Play's the Thing!"

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(1-20 of 25 posts) | Reply

godot2 writes:
on Aug 18 2008 02:30 PM

Major runner up - THE DRESSER - Tom Courtney and Albert Finney play well off each other as the dresser who props the eccentric actor up in a small theatre group touring Britain during the war. Both deserved there oscar nominations. Needs to be released on DVD badly!

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nathanpoitras writes:
on Aug 18 2008 03:36 PM

All About Eve is probably the best title on the list, but how is To Be Or Not To Be not on there? The original Lubitsch version, not the Mel Brooks one.

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vitajex writes:
on Aug 18 2008 04:32 PM

I liked the Australian comedy "Cosi". It's sort of like "Waiting for Guffman" set in a mental institution...

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toneelschrijver writes:
on Aug 18 2008 11:45 PM

Lubitsch's To Be or Not To Be has a 100% score and 26 reviews, so according to the list maker's own rules it should have been included... The excellent The Dresser has a mere 12 reviews. (There recently was a similar tiff about a list of Shakespeare movies.)

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Desiree writes:
on Aug 19 2008 08:42 AM

I know it wasn't critically well received, but the "theater" movie I can watch over and over again and laugh uproariously every time is Noises Off. I don't ever expect it to make this kind of list, just wanted to mention it here.

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toneelschrijver writes:
on Aug 19 2008 10:16 AM

Actually, "The Dresser" is quite readily available on DVD, both in US and UK versions, so I honestly don't know what Godot2 is grumbling about. Also, I'd like to add that I really enjoyed Richard Eyre's "Stage Beauty" from 2004, with dresser Claire Danes, effeminate Desdemona performing cross-dresser Billy Cruddup and Rupert Everett as a hilarious and very camp King Charles II. Not to mention the anachronistic bit of macho, Marlon Brando style method acting towards the end.

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adkboomer writes:
on Aug 19 2008 01:35 PM

Nice list....I would definitely add Tim Robbins' ensemble period piece "The Cradle will Rock". While the events of the film explore the death of Vaudeville and communist hunting in the Works Progress Administration the narrative structure is intertwined with a play written by an aspiring scribe played by Hank Azaria. This is one of my favorite movies, and features an amazing cast...Bill Murray, Joan and John Cusack, Ruben Blades, Cary Elwes, Philip Baker Hall, and even Jack Black and KG from Tenacious D get in on the fun. If you haven't seen this movie...do it.

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adkboomer writes:
on Aug 19 2008 04:47 PM

wow...out of curiosity I went to check the tomatometer for "Cradle" and was surprised to see that despite a decent rating (63 and 71 from Top Critics) the film received some VERY harsh criticism, including being "bloated and self-important" and "easily one of the worst movies in recent memory". OUCH

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gambit37 writes:
on Aug 19 2008 09:17 PM

I want to add my voice concerning the absence of "To Be or not to Be." What gives RT?

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gambit37 writes:
on Aug 19 2008 09:36 PM

Also, I was hoping Chaplin's "Limelight" would be on the list.

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agniyo writes:
on Aug 20 2008 12:13 AM

"Noises Off"?

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PunchyDiego writes:
on Aug 20 2008 08:50 AM

There's another movie about the theater coming out around the same time as Hamlet 2. It's called Never Say Macbeth. It looks like it's a comedy about the curse of Macbeth and theater superstitions - www.neversaymacbeth.com. I saw that it comes out August 26th.

(Reply to this)

Endless River writes:
on Aug 20 2008 05:47 PM

And "Singin' in the Rain" misses the cut. What a joke...

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beckca writes:
on Aug 21 2008 07:06 AM

Another good movie about the theatre that unfortunately didn't do all that well at the box office, but did get Annette Benning an Oscar nom, was Being Julia. Wonderful movie.

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mrxerox writes:
on Aug 21 2008 07:32 AM

I think if The Lives of Others and Chicago can be considered movies about the stage, then Moulin Rouge deserves a spot too.

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devildevine writes:
on Aug 21 2008 01:00 PM

Good list... Sure I wish that osme others had been included, but I'm happy with all that were. I only wish that Vanya was a little higher, as I loved it.

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tallactordude writes:
on Aug 21 2008 07:57 PM

In reply to this comment (#1993862)
Actually, "Singin' in the Rain" is about the movies, not about the theatre. It would absolutely belong in a list of great movies about the movies, but not movies about the theatre.

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tallactordude writes:
on Aug 21 2008 08:01 PM

In reply to this comment (#1993862)
Also, I'm very surprised that the classic film "A Double Life" isn't on the list. Ronald Colman's Oscar-winning performance alone should qualify this film for one of the best theatre films ever made.

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mcclainx writes:
on Aug 22 2008 09:57 AM

I think the list is so-so. Though, Lives of Others was fantastic, I wouldn't necessarily say it was a film about the theatre. Would have loved to have seen "A Midwinter's Tale" and "All That Jazz" on the list. And yes, "The Dresser".

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