Breakups are hard–I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Whether you think your now-ex was supposed to be the love of your life, or you felt like it was just a fling that was destined to come crashing down, the end of any relationship can be painful and difficult.
So after you’ve had a terrible breakup, you might find yourself combing through your Google search history, riddled with days and days worth of “How To Get Over Her” or “The Girl He Told You Not to Worry About” or the classic “How to Win Them Back”.
And, at some point, you must admit to yourself that maybe it’s time to accept the fact that you aren’t together anymore, and you need to move on. But you can’t. Not yet, it’s too soon.
Right now, you just want to wallow in your own pain. You want to let the catharsis wash over you in the form of Taco Bell, Milkyways, stalking that person on the internet, and binge-watching anything that takes your mind off of it, or forces you to face it head-on.
Personally, after someone has torn my heart to shreds, I turn to my impossibly large collection of movie-musicals. Whether I need to cry my heart out or forget about my pain as a whole, watching other people sing and dance to the beat of their own problems never fails to boost me up.
So here’s a list I compiled of the top eight movie musicals that are totally binge-worthy after a breakup!
Chicago
Ah, Chicago: perhaps the ULTIMATE movie-musical to watch, after you have a not-so-amicable breakup. Filled with the amazing original score by the acclaimed Kander and Ebb, this musical oozes with sex-appeal through murderous exes, Fosse-style choreography and the ol’ Razzle Dazzle. It’s sure to empower you to follow your dreams, and never let some lousy significant other get in the way. Besides, karma’s gonna bite them in the a** anyway!
Mama Mia
If you’re looking for a feel good musical with intense relatability, there’s really no better option than Mama Mia! With an amazing sing-along worthy score written by Swedish pop sensation, ABBA, and a cast filled with some of the greatest stars out there (lookin’ at you, Meryl!), there’s really no way you can go wrong! So whether there’s that girl that you keep going back to, or the one that got away, songs like SOS and Winner Takes It All will speak to your very core.
You are the Dancing Queen! (Regardless of your gender lol)
Hedwig And The Angry Inch
If you’re feeling especially bitter about your breakup, this is the perfect movie to watch. With the punk-rock vibe in the songs, the brilliant cast, and a riveting plot, you’ll be jamming out to these songs in no time. Hedwig And The Angry Inch is a musical about accepting your past for what it is, and accepting the person that you’ve become because of that past, whether it be for better or worse.
And maybe there’s no mystical design, no cosmic lover preassigned.
Enchanted
Enchanted is one of those movies that will always put you in a better mood. Even though it’s about true love (which might be painful at first), it always reminds me that sometimes what you think you want in a romantic partner isn’t what you need. And just because that last person wasn’t right for you, doesn’t mean someone else won’t be! Maybe being apart is better. Maybe this is how you find your true love!!
It’s not enough to take the one you love for granted.
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
So that one frickin’ person who’s so “perfect”, “understanding” and “amazing” somehow is with the person you wanted. That one person everyone told you “not to worry about”, but you always just had a bad feeling about is now with your ex, and you probably want to scream. Check out this amazing movie musical and hear Neil Patrick Harris openly sing, with dark humor and satire, about the exact same problems you are facing!
All the birds are singing thAT YOU’RE GONNA DIE.
High School Musical Trilogy
On a lighter note, you might just need something to pick you back up! For me, there’s nothing better than feeling nostalgic about one of my favorite movie trilogies: High School Musical. Invite some friends over, order an insane amount of junk food, and forget about whoever hurt you. Together, you can bounce around and sing along to lyrics you’ve known by heart since middle school, and all negativity will naturally just float away. I promise.
THERE’S NOT A STAR IN HEAVEN THAT WE CAN’T REACH.
La La Land
If you’re ready to bawl your eyes out, La La Land is one of the best movies to watch. Filled with an award-winning score and cast, it was one of my favorite flicks of 2016 and is usually the kind of regeneration I need. La La Land is the movie that you need to watch when you feel like you’ve lost the love of your life, just to know that everything will be okay in the end. Things may not seem to be perfect, but you’re going to survive it.
But, I’m really feeling nothing. Or it could be LESS than nothing?
The Last Five Years
Sometimes, after a breakup, the only thing you can do is recount the entire relationship event by event. You play it in your head like a movie, and sometimes feel like it’s just a VHS tape that you can’t make yourself throw out. If you’re feeling like that, one of the most relatable movie musicals is The Last Five Years. You can watch the build up and downfall of a relationship, and see that you aren’t alone in the loss of your own relationship. Sometimes, the only thing that can comfort you is that knowing that others have felt what you’re feeling. Even though we don’t know you, WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK.
So whether you’re in the mood for accepting your pain, wallowing in your own sorrow, or leaving your troubles behind, watching a movie-musical might just be the cure (or at least some good medicine) for the breakage of your heart. So grab the popcorn, comfort food, your coziest blanket, and start tapping those toes!