Rolling Stone
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There are few things more exhilarating than grabbing the mic at a karaoke night at a bar and tearing into a classic song. Maybe you’re several cocktails into your evening’s escapades, maybe you’re just punch-drunk on life, but either way, a good time is had by all. Or at least some. So naturally, the movies are smart enough to use a karaoke night out as a way of letting someone’s inner Sinatra have a moment in the spotlight. As the recent standout sequence in Project Hail Mary proves, you can always win audiences over with an excellent rendition of a Harry Styles hit. (Who knew Sandra Hüller had such incredible pipes?)
In honor of that movie’s “Sign of the Times” showstopper, here’s a selection of our favorite karaoke movie scenes. A word about our methodology: We did not count scenes where people are just drunk at a bar holding a microphone (sorry, 27 Dresses, Marriage Story, and Top Gun). We did not count scenes where someone is testing an early-prototype karaoke machine at a Brookstone by singing “Surrey With the Fringe on Top” IN FRONT OF IRA! (sorry, Harry Burns). We did not include this scene in Aftersun because it is just too damn sad. We did include the “In Dreams” scene in Blue Velvet because we love David Lynch and we make the rules.
Warm up your vocal cords, folks — here goes.
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‘Like Father’ (2018)
Image Credit: Cara Howe / Netflix From teen-detective shows to canned mom-coms to your opinion of Dax Shephard, Kristen Bell can improve almost anything. Unfortunately, that superpower didn’t extend to this Netflix dramedy, in which she stars as a girlboss workaholic who’s dumped at the altar and ends up on her honeymoon cruise with her estranged father, Harry (Kelsey Grammer). The movie leaves many unanswered questions — Why aren’t they more grossed out by people thinking they’re married? Did anyone do a chemistry read between Bell and Grammer before greenlighting this movie? Is this just an extended ad for Royal Caribbean? — but its saving grace is the duo’s dedication to karaoke. On their first day on the ship, they find out there’s a karaoke contest on the final night, and after winning access to a private lounge in a newlyweds game (it’s icky, don’t ask) they practice their seaworthy song, Styx’s “Come Sail Away.” From choreographed moves to harmonized duetting to calling their friends onstage during a particularly long instrumental, it’s a master class in karaoke showmanship. Just maybe skip the rest of the movie. —Elisabeth Garber-Paul
