Merrily We Roll Along (2025)

IMDb plot summary: Spanning three decades, the turbulent relationship between a composer and his two lifelong friends, a writer and a lyricist and playwright.

Directed by Maria Friedman. Stars Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez.

Merrily We Roll Along is a pro shot of the 2025 Stephen Sondheim musical following a group of artist friends who hit fame and begin to drift apart as a result. The gimmick here is that it is told in reverse chronological order, with the first scene showing that the friends have already fully severed ties and the final scene showing the night they first meet. I have only recently fallen in love with the show's cast album, and this clinches the deal, Merrily is SO GOOD. All three primary actors in this are incredible (easily my favorite thing Jonathan Groff's ever done). The decision to do multiple extremely close-up shots is very unusual for theatrical proshot, but it works great for small numbers. It feels out of place on the ensemble numbers, but Merrily is mostly an intimate show so it works more than it doesn't. I watched this at a time in my year when I was mourning a friend break-up, and looking at someone else's failing friendship in reverse order was surprisingly cathartic for me. It felt like I was being guided backward through my own friendship and learning how to let go of it while still remembering the good parts. This has become one of my favorite Sondheim scores, and I'm very glad that this particular cast has been captured on film, as I think they knock it out of the park.

How this entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Merrily We Roll Along (2025)

📊 Ranked #60/4161 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 99

beat Frances Ha (#2078 → #2079)

beat What Maisie Knew (#1039 → #1040)

beat The Mummy (#519 → #520)

beat That Thing You Do! (#259 → #260)

beat The Ring (#129 → #130)

beat Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (#64 → #65)

lost to WALL·E (held at #32)

lost to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (held at #48)

lost to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (held at #56)

beat Before Sunrise (#60 → #61)

lost to The Prince of Egypt (held at #58)

lost to The Cabin in the Woods (held at #59)