[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/commentary.jpg]]

->''"Set course for wonder - It's a commentary!''\\
''Bring back the cast, we'll have a blast''\\
''Discussing the days of yore''\\
''Moments like these sell [=DVDs=]''\\
''(We need to sell more''\\
''We've only sold four!)"''

''Commentary! The Musical'' is [[DVDCommentary a commentary track]] on the DVD version of ''WebVideo/DrHorriblesSingAlongBlog'', where the cast - Creator/NeilPatrickHarris (Dr. Horrible), Creator/NathanFillion (Captain Hammer), Creator/FeliciaDay (Penny), writer/director Creator/JossWhedon, co-writers Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon and Zack Whedon, and several of the supporting actors - reunite to discuss the making of ''Dr. Horrible'' in the form of [[TheMusical a musical]] featuring [[SelfDeprecation self-deprecating songs]] such as "Better Than Neil" and "Ten Dollar Solo". The official lyrics and liner notes can be found [[http://drhorrible.com/commentary/ here.]]

This may be the first and only DVDCommentary to earn its own TV Tropes page.

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!!''Commentary! The Musical'' contains examples of:
* AdamWesting: The cast & crew play [[CloudCuckoolander exaggerated, more absurd, versions of themselves.]]
* AsHimself: Everyone in the cast is [[AdamWesting pretending to be a version of themselves.]]
* BaitAndSwitchComment: Nathan's reaction to the song about the Writer's Strike.
--> '''Nathan:''' Say, that's a fascinating piece of information...if you're a boring person!
* BlatantLies: Is Nate trying to say he's Better than Neil with his song "Better Than Neil"? No, no, no! It's just an old sea shanty his mother taught him! Because he's from pirate blood!
* BreakingTheFourthWall: It's already a commentary, but when one song is entirely about the song itself Jed notes that it's like "breaking the ninth wall". ("It's pointless" - the only reason to include it is to [[DancingBear show off]].)
* BuffySpeak:
** Inevitable.
-->'''Felicia''' Lofty... Artness?
** Nathan manages an entire line of BuffySpeak in "Better Than Neil". Some of them make little or no sense:
-->'''Nathan''' Look at his smallness, compared to my tallness, my porcelain-doll-ness, my port-in-a-squall-ness, my [[Series/TheKidsInTheHall kids-in-the-hall-ness]], my [[Music/TheWall pink-floyd-'the-wall'-ness]], my [[UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar three-parts-of-gaul-ness]], my just-all-in-all-ness, my wonderful-me-ness, [[ShoutOut my hammer]] [[SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion the pe- ople]] can tell...
* CatchPhrase: Creator/FeliciaDay[='=]s "I don't discuss my process!"
* CloudCuckoolander: Pretty much all the cast & crew come across as this.
* ComedicSociopathy: The entire cast and staff are played as completely self absorbed and disinterested in anything other than expounding on their own amazingness and/or existential angst.
* DistractedByTheSexy: Felicia's song "The Art" is supposed to be about her serious, thoughtful approach to her craft, but is twice derailed by thoughts of Nathan's dreaminess.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: It's a commentary and a musical.
* FakeNationality: [[invoked]] "A Persian or a Cajun/or an Indian or an American Indian/Played by a Mexican"
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** "Why don't you sit in the corner over there by Steve and if we have time left over..."
** Also in "Better (Than Neil)", "Who's got the high score on Ninja Ropes?"
* GagDub: ''Commentary!'' is [[TwentyPercentMoreAwesome 38% funnier]] when actually watched as a commentary track over ''WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog''.
* GetAholdOfYourselfMan: After the first song is over and they're only "half-way through the first shot" Nathan panics and declares "We're all gonna die!" Maurissa slaps him and actually tells him to "get a hold of yourself".
* HypocriticalHumor:
** "We won't have those awkward pauses..." in the intro, "Commentary". Humourously, it's ''exactly'' synchronised with the other piece of HypocriticalHumor: namely, [[SarcasmMode "Wow! Sarcasm! That's original!"]], and both are followed with awkward pauses - the one in ''Commentary!'' is much longer, though.
* IAmSong: "Moist"
* IBangedYourMom: In "Ninja Ropes", Neil "told you [[Series/HowIMetYourMother How I F*** ed Your Mother]]".
* ImStandingRightHere:
--> '''Creator/NathanFillion:''' But Maurissa, you co-wrote the movie. Why not just make yourself Penny instead of Monkey-Face?
--> '''Creator/FeliciaDay:''' I'm standing right here!
--> '''Nathan Fillion:''' With a face like a monkey.
* ItsAllAboutMe: is actually the name of one of the songs - sung by the various extras, and explaining how it is, in fact, all about them...
* LastSecondWordSwap: "My wonderful me-ness, my hammer the pe-ople can tell that I'm awfully swell..."
* LoungeLizard:
** Creator/NathanFillion turns the smarm factor up to eleven on "Better Than Neil".
** Simon Helberg is arguably an even better example with his song "Nobody Wants to Be Moist." He even has a tinkly piano solo!
* {{Metafiction}}: It's a musical commentary track on commentaries. It probably spends more time commenting about how it's not a very good commentary than actually commenting on ''Dr. Horrible''. The most [[BuffySpeak commentary-ish]] song is Felicia's 'The Art', but that's full of her BlatantLies and SelfDeprecation. Neil finally attempts commentary in the penultimate song, only to realise he doesn't know anything about production and can't remember anyone's names.
* MoneyDearBoy: [[invoked]] Zach's excuse for why he got involved in a musical product in the first place.
* MundaneMadeAwesome: "Ninja Ropes", in the best possible way.
* NiceCharacterMeanActor: [[AdamWesting Apparently, everyone involved in the making of ''Dr. Horrible''.]]
* OldSchoolIntroductoryRap: The song "Neil's Turn" has Creator/NeilPatrickHarris attempting this, with [[StylisticSuck predictable results]].
-->'''Neil:''' And I can rap!
--> My name is Neil,
--> and I'm here to say:
--> ''[five seconds of absolutely abysmal faux-beatboxing]''
--> ...No, I can't rap.
--> That was painful.
* OverlyNarrowSuperlative:
-->'''Jed:''' Let's all pull together and make this the best musical commentary ever!
* PainfulRhyme: In "Nobody's Asian in the Movies," the line "groupie in the chorus" is rhymed oddly. At first, it's like this "if there is a part there for us/it's the groupie in the chorus" (for us/chorus). However, later on, you get "if your movie is a bore/just watch the groupie in the chorus", (bore, just/chorus)... "Commentary (Reprise)" lampshades this with the lyrics "The lazy phrasing betrays how well this pays".
* RaceTropes: Many are explored (and mentioned by name) in "Nobody's Asian in the Movies", including the stereotyped Asian who is a [[AsianAndNerdy goofy mathematician]], [[{{Profiling}} Korean grocery store owner]], or [[IKnowKarate ninja]], or who speaks [[BlindIdiotTranslation Engrish]]. "Me Love You Long Time" gets passing nod, too.
* SanitySlippageSong: Just before "Neil's Turn", Neil drives everyone else out of the room in a fit of being ThePrimaDonna, but over the course of the song realises that not only can he ''not'' do the entire commentary himself, he can't think of anything insightful to say and [[HeelRealisation he can't remember the name of the boom operator he liked]]. The music gets increasingly erratic and agitating, and he doesn't know where it's coming from, and the rhymes he thinks of as he struggles to keep up with it reveal thoughts about himself he's in denial about.
* SelfDemonstratingSong: "Ten Dollar Solo", as mentioned above, is completely about itself.
* SelfDeprecation: The entire cast personally participates in putting themselves down at one point or another for humor.
** Creator/JossWhedon is a cheap sell-out in between moping about exactly that.
** Zack Whedon is a particularly pathetic wannabe rapper.
** Creator/NeilPatrickHarris is a secretly megalomaniacal (and possibly bipolar) AttentionWhore.
** Creator/NathanFillion is in denial about not being as talented as his costars. In the first song alone:
---> '''All:''' We'll talk about the writing \\
We’ll probably say “It’s great!”\\
And the acting — So exciting\\
Except for Nate\\
'''Nathan:''' I phoned it in.
** Creator/FeliciaDay is a self-promoting blabbermouth in between desperately trying and failing to be deep and artsy.
** Maurissa Tancharoen thinks "math" is a verb.
** The rest of the cast [[SmallNameBigEgo severely overestimates their importance]].
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clKc2Pdvda8&hl=fr Steve's Song]] has Steve Berg singing about how incredibly minor his role is.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNmzegQUtFA&NR=1 Nobody's Asian in the Movies]] - Joss Whedon has been slammed for the fact that ''{{Series/Firefly}}'' had no Asian characters, despite being set in a culture heavily influenced by China.
** [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom Felicia has a vestigial tail]]. NotThatTheresAnythingWrongWithThat.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: One of the extras pays Joss ten dollars to get her own solo. Neil pays him fifteen dollars and changes the song into a duet.
* ShamelessSelfPromoter: Creator/FeliciaDay's mentions of her web series ''WebVideo/TheGuild'', which she works into her song "The Art":
-->'''Felicia:''' But it’s not about The Guild \\
I’d be killed \\
If I shilled \\
For The Guild \\
On somebody else’s time \\
Then again, I sort of was killed \\
The-Guild-season-one-available-on-DVD-plus-new-episodes-at-the-Watchtheguild.com-we-also-have-t-shirts \\
'''Joss:''' ''Felicia!'' \\
'''Felicia:''' Catch-the-Guild-fever!
* ShapedLikeItself: In "It's All About the Art":
--> Magic as a magic thing/And lovely as love
* ShoutOut:
** To ''WebVideo/TheGuild'', ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', ''Series/DoogieHowserMD'', ''Series/OneLifeToLive'' and an iPhone game, among others.
** Stacy comments in "Ten Dollar Solo" that the remake of ''Film/{{Fame}}'' will be better and less depressing than the original. Said remake is directed by Kevin Tancharoen, brother of Maurissa.
** In "Zack's Flavour" mentions that the musical doesn't need to be 'pretty' or 'witty'. Compare with the line from ''Film/WestSideStory1961'', "I feel pretty and witty and bright." from "I Feel Pretty". Or compare to ''Film/TheProducers'' 'Shows should be more pretty, shows should be more witty' from the song 'Keep it Gay'.
* SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion:
** In ''Ten Dollar Solo'':
---> Ten dollar solo/not bad so far/there's internal rhyme/although not every instance/and the meter is occasionally a little bit bizarre
** And a painfully obvious one in "Better Than Neil":
---> My wonderful me-ness/My hammer, the pe--ople can tell/that I'm awfully swell
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Immediately before "The Art", Felicia says "I certainly wasn't thinking about how cute Nathan is!"
* TakeThat:
** Probably embodied best in Nathan's song, "Better Than Neil", a three-minute-long TakeThat against the main actor Creator/NeilPatrickHarris. Although he claims that it's a sea-shanty that he learned from his pirate mother.
** Of course, the song also implies that Nathan himself is either painfully jealous and in denial, downright delusional, or both, so it could be said to be mocking him just as much if not more.
* TrueArtIsAngsty: [[invoked]] Parodied, of course. (With SelfDeprecation, as Creator/JossWhedon is known for putting his characters through the wringer.)
-->'''Creator/NeilPatrickHarris''': An Internet musical is a wacky idea that's zany! Where did it come from?
-->'''Creator/JossWhedon''': It came from pain.
** "Let's not talk to Joss.[[TheEeyore He's sad and confusing."]]
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Parodied in Zack's Rap.
-->I wrote all the good lines and I made them funny,
-->but I was only in it for the horrible money.
-->Plus some were cut out, cause Joss is such a wuss he
-->cut my line for the girl, [[DistaffCounterpart “The Penny is my p***y”]].
-->Not to mention my whole Moist storyline
-->where he gets caught selling blow at the rest stop and serves time
-->and then he gets out and tries to get his sh*t together
-->and teaches art to underprivileged kids at the local high school, but things take an interesting turn when an old gambling buddy comes to collect. See, it’s his former life coming back to haunt him. You can’t outrun your past. See? Get it? That’s the point, Joss. It’s compelling! What’s going to happen to these kids?
* WritersSuck: Maurissa reminds the others that ''Dr. Horrible'' came about because of the 2007 Writer's Strike:
--> '''Maurissa:''' Does everyone remember the Writer's Strike of last year? \\
'''All:''' I, er, um, er... \\
'''Felicia:''' ...what's the writers do?
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