DIRECTOR: John M. Chu
PRODUCERS: Lin-Manuel Miranda & Quiara Alegría Hudes & Scott Sanders &
Anthony Bregman & Mara Jacobs
WRITERS: Quiara Alegría Hudes (screenplay/stage play writer) & Lin-Manuel Miranda (stage play writer)
PERFORMERS: Anthony Ramos Corey Hawkins Leslie Grace Melissa Barrera Olga Berediz
Daphne Rubin-Vega Gregory Diaz IV Marc Anthony and Jimmy Smits
I've seen a lot of musicals in my lifetime, but not one like this. In The Heights was a musical experience I had never seen before. It was about Latino's living the New York heights with dreams and goals and ambitions. Seen through the eyes of one Latino immigrant (ANTHONY RAMOS), this takes you on a musical odyssey that makes you feel young again. If you remember what it was like to be young and full of ambitions for the future this is for you.
Based on the Tony Award winning play, this colorful musical takes place during the hottest time of the summer in New York City where several characters are looking towards the future and looking to leave their past behind. Through one musical number after another, there's so much to sing about as well as dance about. The vocals are out of this world, the choreography is amazing and they blend so well together that there's less dialogue and more moving. Each performance is top-notch (I was especially surprised to see Corey Hawkins in a film like this given his resume), everyone played their parts very well. But like musicals of the past, this hits all the right notes. When the blackout happens, everyone (in their own way) has a character defining moment through musical number and when one of them dies suddenly, it hits hard and close to home. There are moments in our lives where they can either destroy you or make you better. The scene where a group of neighborhood residents are preparing to leave for the new life ahead of them is proof of that. But not before the number that follows, they say we can rise above this, while others are saying "we are powerless". What got to me on that was having the faith that anything is possible (MATTHEW 19:25), unless we think otherwise. Not only was the blackout scenario necessary for the pacing of the characters, it brought out the change in them that needed to happen and that was nice to see.
My only flaw with the film is it's pacing, there seemed to be less dramatic scenes and I was almost expecting to see your average musical film with drama and musical numbers integrated. This is perhaps the only time I got less than what I expected from a film like this, but I get it: it's a musical about aspirations and change and rising above your current ranks for a better life. Perhaps the Broadway play was just like this but this is after all an adaptation of a stage play. When it comes to Broadway shows, you don't get a lot of dramatic scenes that you're used to seeing in regular movies. I found myself trying to like the film than liking it right away. The pacing seemed more musical than dramatic, even the songs themselves seemed to be telling the story itself. Unusual for a musical film, but if that's the way the play was portrayed then the producers behind this film must have done something right.
From West Side Story to Dreamgirls, In The Heights joins the ranks of memorable Broadway adaptations to be remembered forever. After nearly a lifetime in development chaos and several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic a dream becomes a reality. The end result: a faithful, yet exceptional stage play on screen told in present day. The thing about stuff like this is that stories like this can take place in any time period or any setting. Sure the original setting is always preferred but Miranda, along with director Chu, made this work somehow. For the first time in a long time, I thought I was looking at a real live play, but on screen imagining what the original play was like. I was dancing along to the choreography and I felt the humanity behind the songs. They each told a story behind each character singing them and you were there in the moment. Sure I may have gotten less than expected, but all in all still satisfied with the end result. With this film, what you see is what you get. If you're someone who likes musicals or film based stage plays, you don't want to miss this! Highly recommended for anyone looking for a reason to dance or sing about dreams and goals.
MY RATING: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars