Overview
A charming con man discovers that winning hearts is more challenging than swindling wallets.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- exuberant
- nostalgic
- family movie night
- classic musical afternoon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an energetic, culturally significant classic musical whose American nostalgia and Robert Preston's commanding performance overcome its deliberately cornball style.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The River City band, parade, and ensemble numbers make collective performance the film's central visual and emotional payoff.
Harold Hill begins by exploiting townspeople through a fabricated music scheme but develops genuine attachments and a capacity for change.
River City's citizens, salesmen, parades, libraries, and town politics create an affectionate early-century Midwestern social landscape.
Harold's patter songs and fast-talking pitches repeatedly stage persuasion as musical entertainment and social control.
Films like The Music Man, and why
Hello, Dolly!
classic American movie musical with romantic comedy, small-town nostalgia, charismatic theatrical performance, and communal transformation
Guys and Dolls
period musical comedy built around an exuberant con artist, romance, spectacle, and a warmly nostalgic American setting
Mame
Broadway-derived musical with witty romance, lively ensemble numbers, and an outsider reshaping a conservative community
Movie Details
- Director
- Morton DaCosta
- Release Date
- 1962-06-19
- Runtime
- 151 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (202)
Cast
- Robert Preston
- Shirley Jones
- Buddy Hackett
- Ron Howard
- Hermione Gingold
- Paul Ford
- Pert Kelton
- Timmy Everett
- Susan Luckey
- Peggy Mondo
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Music Man about?
- A dazzling traveling swindler brings a marching-band dream to River City and finds himself transformed by the community he meant to exploit.
- What is The Music Man like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Music Man as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Music Man violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Music Man.
- What did critics think of The Music Man?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an energetic, culturally significant classic musical whose American nostalgia and Robert Preston's commanding performance overcome its deliberately cornball style.
- Which films are like The Music Man?
- Films with a similar feel include Hello, Dolly!, Guys and Dolls, and Mame.
- How long is The Music Man?
- The Music Man runs 151 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Music Man?
- In United States, The Music Man is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube.
