In the Heights (B+ or 3/4 stars)
'In the Heights' (directed by Jon M. Chu, Crazy Rich Asians) is the joyful, vibrant movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda & Quiara Alegria Hudes' Tony Award-winning musical, which tells the poignant-if-uplifting story of a group of neighbors living in the Latinx neighborhood of Upper Manhattan's Washington Heights. It is structured as a flashback, with 27 yr. old bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) telling some kids about the corner where he once lived & ran his shop. The plot transpires, though, over the course of days before & after "The Blackout" during a past sweltering summer. Usnavi wants to close his shop and buy back his dearly departed father's beach bar in the Dominican Republic where he spent ... "the best days of his life". Then he discovers that someone has bought a $96,000-winning lottery ticket at his store and, everyone starts to wonder about what they would do with the $$.
Usnavi's friends & neighbors include Daniela (Daphne Rubin-Vega), whose beauty salon is about to move to the Bronx because of gentrification; Benny (Corey Hawkins), who works as a car service dispatcher, and his love, Nina (Leslie Grace), a Stanford freshman who wants to quit college because she's afraid of failure; all of this dismay's her father (Jimmy Smits), who sold his company to pay for her education. There is also Usnavi's crush, Vanessa (Melissa Barrera), a nail technician who dreams of becoming a fashion designer. There is Usnavi's teen cousin, Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV), who ponders his lot in life as a DACA dreamer. There is the loving Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz, reprising her Broadway role), a Cuban-American matriarch who has long been a surrogate grandma figure for the community. And Lin-Manuel Miranda appears as the local piragua seller, who peddles the flavored-ice cart.
Jon M. Chu's adaptation of LM Miranda's 1st {yes, he wrote this in 2002, years before Hamilton} personal Broadway musical is a love letter to the lives, loves and, most of all, the dreams of his beloved neighborhood. Anthony Ramos is wonderfully cast as Usnavi {Miranda originated the role on Broadway}, who is torn btwn. fulfilling his father's dreams in DR & continuing to build a life in NYC. Ramos is a warm presence who can sing, dance, & has charisma to burn. The entire cast is solid, from Gregory Diaz IV as Usnavi's clever cousin to the beautiful & talented Melissa Barrera as Vanessa. I liked how Leslie Grace's Nina conveys the struggles of 1st-generation college students who attend elite schools and feel like she can't find a "home" there. Nina's song, "Breathe", is a touching commentary on the burden put on the "star" student who is supposed to make it big elsewhere out of 'the heights'.
The trio of beauty salon stylists, led by firecracker Daphne Rubin-Vega {Broadway's 1st Mimi from Rent}, is hilarious as this film's gossipy chorus. When the electrical "blackout" puts everyone in a heat-depressed malaise, Rubin-Vega tears into the entertaining get-off-your-butts! "Carnaval del Barrio". But best of all is Broadway hold-over Olga Merediz as Abuela Claudia, who charms the pants off of us & then breaks our hearts. In one moving scene, Claudia explains how her late mother wore velvet gloves to hide her cracked hands, a result of cleaning homes for others. The centerpiece number in the film is her "Paciencia y Fe", a robust, heartrending personal narrative about her mother's saying, 'patience & faith', and how that ties into the present.
Just like in Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda brings his signature hip-hop, rap & now salsa styling to the musical genre. Most of these songs are boisterous, & energetic. From the rip-roaring opening "In the Heights" to the amusing "96,000" {which culminates in a Busby Berkeley-like synchronized swim routine} to the rousing "Carnaval del Barrio" {akin to West Side Story's "America"} to the swoony "When the Sun Goes Down" {where Benny & Nina dance sideways on a building} to the big Finale ... the display of singing/rapping & dancing {in particular} is pretty spectacular. Having said all of that, not unlike Hamilton, your mileage will vary on how much you enjoy the music depending on if you can absorb and/or enjoy the rapid-fire, atonal qualities that hip-hop/rap provides. And to that, while I struggled with some of Hamilton's tunes, on the whole ... those are more memorable than the songs here.
When contemplating a movie musical, one must consider if the story is worth telling, and if the song-&-dance numbers are worth the price of admission. For me, 'In the Heights' muchly satisfies on both fronts, without absolutely nailing it. The plot is serviceable, with some narrative lulls during the 143 minutes. And as mentioned above, not every song - though rich & complex - hit for me. But despite these niggling issues, this film is SO feel-good & offers such a respite from real-world problems. Thematically, I love that 'In the Heights' focuses on the concept of 'home' being more than a 'place', and that there is a difference btwn. dreams & reality. And it's great to see a Hollywood production in which the characters represent Latin American cultures. So much of this film is a triumph that I can forgive the smattering of problems I have with it and, I can't wait to watch this spirited musical again.
Usnavi's friends & neighbors include Daniela (Daphne Rubin-Vega), whose beauty salon is about to move to the Bronx because of gentrification; Benny (Corey Hawkins), who works as a car service dispatcher, and his love, Nina (Leslie Grace), a Stanford freshman who wants to quit college because she's afraid of failure; all of this dismay's her father (Jimmy Smits), who sold his company to pay for her education. There is also Usnavi's crush, Vanessa (Melissa Barrera), a nail technician who dreams of becoming a fashion designer. There is Usnavi's teen cousin, Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV), who ponders his lot in life as a DACA dreamer. There is the loving Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz, reprising her Broadway role), a Cuban-American matriarch who has long been a surrogate grandma figure for the community. And Lin-Manuel Miranda appears as the local piragua seller, who peddles the flavored-ice cart.
Jon M. Chu's adaptation of LM Miranda's 1st {yes, he wrote this in 2002, years before Hamilton} personal Broadway musical is a love letter to the lives, loves and, most of all, the dreams of his beloved neighborhood. Anthony Ramos is wonderfully cast as Usnavi {Miranda originated the role on Broadway}, who is torn btwn. fulfilling his father's dreams in DR & continuing to build a life in NYC. Ramos is a warm presence who can sing, dance, & has charisma to burn. The entire cast is solid, from Gregory Diaz IV as Usnavi's clever cousin to the beautiful & talented Melissa Barrera as Vanessa. I liked how Leslie Grace's Nina conveys the struggles of 1st-generation college students who attend elite schools and feel like she can't find a "home" there. Nina's song, "Breathe", is a touching commentary on the burden put on the "star" student who is supposed to make it big elsewhere out of 'the heights'.
The trio of beauty salon stylists, led by firecracker Daphne Rubin-Vega {Broadway's 1st Mimi from Rent}, is hilarious as this film's gossipy chorus. When the electrical "blackout" puts everyone in a heat-depressed malaise, Rubin-Vega tears into the entertaining get-off-your-butts! "Carnaval del Barrio". But best of all is Broadway hold-over Olga Merediz as Abuela Claudia, who charms the pants off of us & then breaks our hearts. In one moving scene, Claudia explains how her late mother wore velvet gloves to hide her cracked hands, a result of cleaning homes for others. The centerpiece number in the film is her "Paciencia y Fe", a robust, heartrending personal narrative about her mother's saying, 'patience & faith', and how that ties into the present.
Just like in Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda brings his signature hip-hop, rap & now salsa styling to the musical genre. Most of these songs are boisterous, & energetic. From the rip-roaring opening "In the Heights" to the amusing "96,000" {which culminates in a Busby Berkeley-like synchronized swim routine} to the rousing "Carnaval del Barrio" {akin to West Side Story's "America"} to the swoony "When the Sun Goes Down" {where Benny & Nina dance sideways on a building} to the big Finale ... the display of singing/rapping & dancing {in particular} is pretty spectacular. Having said all of that, not unlike Hamilton, your mileage will vary on how much you enjoy the music depending on if you can absorb and/or enjoy the rapid-fire, atonal qualities that hip-hop/rap provides. And to that, while I struggled with some of Hamilton's tunes, on the whole ... those are more memorable than the songs here.
When contemplating a movie musical, one must consider if the story is worth telling, and if the song-&-dance numbers are worth the price of admission. For me, 'In the Heights' muchly satisfies on both fronts, without absolutely nailing it. The plot is serviceable, with some narrative lulls during the 143 minutes. And as mentioned above, not every song - though rich & complex - hit for me. But despite these niggling issues, this film is SO feel-good & offers such a respite from real-world problems. Thematically, I love that 'In the Heights' focuses on the concept of 'home' being more than a 'place', and that there is a difference btwn. dreams & reality. And it's great to see a Hollywood production in which the characters represent Latin American cultures. So much of this film is a triumph that I can forgive the smattering of problems I have with it and, I can't wait to watch this spirited musical again.