Merrily We Roll Along * One Of Those Great Stories That Stayed With Me Long After I Watched It
Saturday, December 6th, 2025
Spanning three decades, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily We Roll Along charts the turbulent relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two lifelong friends — writer Mary and lyricist & playwright Charley. Originally produced on Broadway in 1981, and then becoming an inventive cult-classic ahead of its time, Merrily We Roll Along features some of Stephen Sondheim’s most celebrated and personal songs.
KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Julie O. comments, “I absolutely love Merrily We Roll Along. It is a musical with incredible acting and beautiful songs. This is one of those great stories that stayed with me long after I watched it… This film has several powerful messages about the importance of being a good friend, being true to oneself, and how our choices affect our future.” See her full review below.
Merrily We Roll Along
By Julie O, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12
The storyline follows three friends who meet in college and we follow their life from 1957 to 1976. Each friend is successful in their own way and each one makes decisions that affect their friendships differently.
The main character is Frank Shepard (Jonathan Groff) who is a composer. His best friend Charley Kringas (Daniel Radcliffe) is a lyricist and a playwright. Mary Flynn (Lindsay Mendez) is a writer and the friend who tries to hold the group’s friendship together throughout the years. Each scene explores an important event in their lives.
This is a filmed version of a stage production so the camera angles are adjusted so they don’t show too much of the stage. I like how the sets are quickly changed with minimal distraction. I also really like how costumes are used to help tell each character’s story. For example, Charley, the character who remains true to himself the entire time has the same costume for every scene, except one. Frank switches from a t-shirt when he is younger to a long sleeved shirt when he is older, but it is the same color and style. I really enjoyed each of the songs because they help the story move along and are very catchy.
This is a movie I will want to watch again because the story is so beautiful. I especially love how it shows how complex and fragile friendships can be.
This film has several powerful messages about the importance of being a good friend, being true to oneself, and how our choices affect our future. Be aware that it does contain some references to drinking, smoking, drugs, and mild profanity.
I give Merrily We Roll Along 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. It releases in select theaters starting December 5, 2025.
