Pluto TV just added 3 free movie musicals — including a new take on 'Mean Girls'

(Image credit: Pluto TV; Shutterstock) Movie musicals are the perfect balm for these unprecedented times. They're not all winners (far from it, usually), but even a bad musical is fun when you're watching it with friends.Every week, I shine a spotlight on some of the movies worth watching on the best free streaming services. Pluto TV added over 240 new movies in September, but you don't have to scroll through them all to find the good stuff. This week, I'm giving in to my worst grown-up theater kid impulses, and shouting out three movie musical adaptations I find myself revisiting again and again. Are they good? You be the judge. As for me, I'll continue gazing longingly at Renee Rapp, Anna Kendrick, and Gerard Butler — especially now that "Phantom of the Opera," "Mean Girls" and "Pitch Perfect" are streaming free on Pluto TV.Scroll on to learn more about why these iconic movie musicals deserve a spot on your watchlist, as well as a full list of everything new on Pluto TV this month.'Mean Girls' (2024) Mean Girls | Official Trailer (2024 Movie) - YouTube Watch On I've watched 2024's "Mean Girls" a normal amount of times. Reneé Rapp as Regina George is iconic, and I say that as someone who grew up watching the original "Mean Girls" obsessively thanks to a big fat teenage crush on Lindsay Lohan. The 2004 cult classic along with 2011's slightly less charming sequel "Mean Girls 2" were already available on the platform, but now you can see all three movies in the series.Plotwise, it's the same story as the first: Teenage wallflower Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) learns to navigate the jungle of American high school from the "helpful" tutelage of Regina George (Rapp), leader of a group of mean-spirited popular girls dubbed "The Plastics." They're practically high school royalty, and after their rancid vibes go a little too far, Cady teams up with other outcasts to blow up the Plastics from the inside out.Watch "Mean Girls" for free on Pluto TV now'Pitch Perfect' (2012) Pitch Perfect - Trailer (HD) - YouTube Watch On Jacob Wysocki is in "Pitch Perfect." That's a sentence that will awaken improv fans like sleeper agents while simultaneously meaning diddly squat to any readers not on the Dropout train. This movie exploded onto the scene in 2012 to make a cappella singing cool. As unnecessary as I find the sequels, the original is still fun to revisit. And, as with "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," it's fun to spot all the cameos you missed the first time around — like Freddie Stroma, aka Vigilante, as the dreamy DJ Anna Kendrick works with.Sign up to the weekly Tom's Streaming Guide to stay in the loop with the latest releases and top recommendations across your favorite streaming services. We’ve got you covered with a complete guide on what’s worth watching.She stars as Beca, a cynical new student at Barden University, dragged kicking and screaming into the world of competitive a cappella by Brittany Snow's Chloe, Rebel Wilson's Fat Amy, and the rest of the Barden Bellas. They're out to beat their long-time rivals, the Treblemakers (led by "Righteous Gemstones'" Adam DeVine) and finally win the Collegiate A Cappella Championship. The music is quintessential 2010s bops, packed with plenty of mash-ups that will get stuck in your head for days to come.Watch "Pitch Perfect" for free on Pluto TV now'The Phantom Of The Opera' (2004) The Phantom of the Opera (2004) Official Trailer - Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum Movie HD - YouTube Watch On Easily the most self-indulgent pick among the three (who am I kidding, this whole dang list is self-indulgent), "The Phantom of the Opera" is my favorite guilty pleasure movie musical adaptation. Is Gerard Butler the strongest Phantom performance I've ever seen? God now. But the whole vibe of the movie is so deeply rooted in 2000s nostalgia for me — easily the most emo rendition is recent memory — that I can't help but swoon alongside Emmy Rossum's Christine. She sings circles around the bunch, but Patrick Wilson of the "Insidious" and "Conjuring" franchises fame holds his own well enough as our lovable third wheel of the love triangle, Viscount Raoul.Andrew Lloyd Webber's other famous stage play, "The Phantom of the Opera" follows a young singer named Christine who becomes the obsession of the building's resident cryptid: the Phantom of the Opera. He poses as her angel of music, a helpful muse nudging her career along — until he nudges a chandelier onto another singer unfit for the lead role, in his opinion. 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Don't make the same mistake now that it's streaming for free on Pluto TVRoku just got 22 new free channels — here's what you can watch now Alyse Stanley is a news editor at Tom’s Guide, overseeing weekend coverage and writing about the latest in tech, gaming, and entertainment. Before Tom’s Guide, Alyse worked as an editor for the Washington Post’s sunsetted video game section, Launcher. She previously led Gizmodo’s weekend news desk and has written game reviews and features for outlets like Polygon, Unwinnable, and Rock, Paper, Shotgun. She’s a big fan of horror movies, cartoons, and roller skating. She's also a puzzle fan and can often be found contributing to the NYT Connections coverage on Tom's Guide