DIRECTED BY: JON M. CHU
STARRING: ANTHONY RAMOS, MELISSA BARRERA, & COREY HAWKINS
RATED PG-13 FOR SOME LANGUAGE AND SUGGESTIVE REFERENCES
LENGTH: 143 MINUTES
It's crazy to think how big Lin Manuel Miranda has become in the past six years ever since his Broadway sensation Hamilton took the world by storm. The revisionist history show wasn't actually his first musical rodeo, in fact Miranda had been working on Broadway for quite some time. Perhaps his breakout moment that made him a name in the theater circle was In The Heights and this film adaptation has been in the works for over ten years going through various directors and even studios. Eventually the film landed at Warner Bros with Crazy Rich Asians filmmaker Jon M Chu sitting in the director's chair.
In The Heights is set in the Manhattan neighborhood Washington Heights and follows the stories of several of it's residents. Arguably the main character is Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), a young man hailing from the Dominican Republic who runs a bodega in the neighborhood alongside his teenage cousin Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV). Usnavi dreams of moving back to his home country and reopening his late father's bar, but he simply doesn't have the money. There's also Usnavi's love interest Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) a salon worker who aspires to be a fashion designer. Lastly there's Nina (Leslie Grace) a highly intelligent young woman who is conflicted on whether she wants to continue her education at Stanford while simultaneously starting a romance her father's dashing employee Benny (Corey Hawkins).
Movie musicals can be hard to pull off, particularly stage to screen ones. Some of the most popular Broadway musicals have been adapted into sub-par (or even terrible movies) that fail to recapture the magic that the stage version brought. Luckily, In The Heights isn't one of those cases. This is one of the most joyous, energetic and upbeat films you'll see this year. Chu has gone from directing Justin Bieber documentaries and mediocre blockbuster sequels to directing some of the best examples of crowd-pleasing entertainment. The 96,000 sequence in particular is among one of the best scenes in any movie this year and a lot of that can be credited towards Chu's directorial choices.
A major area of note for In The Heights is the fact that outside of Miranda's small role, most of the film's ensemble aren't what one would call household names, at least not yet. Ramos finally get his time to truly shine in the role of Usnavi in a performance full of insane charisma. Barrera is equally as talented as Vanessa and is on her way to becoming a bonafide movie star, sharing excellent chemistry with her co-stars. Grace and Hawkins are also fantastic, giving a pair of performances that help contribute to the film's joyful atmosphere. Olga Merediz plays the role of Abuela with grace and is the true beating heart of the entire film, in a performance that could possibly land her a Best Supporting Actress nod.
The film does run a bit too long at nearly two and a half hours and while the graceful atmosphere is hard to resist, by the time the credits roll, it starts to wear out it's welcome. The songs themselves are a delight, but for those expecting something with the same staying power as Hamilton might walk out slightly disappointed. Without a doubt there's some memorable songs, but there's also several that feel more like afterthoughts. The story itself is also fairly simple, but in a film like this, it's all about the execution and Chu, Miranda, and co pulled it off.
It's a shame that In The Heights is not connecting with audiences as much as many expected it to. It's still one-hundred percent worth the watch and is a great film to experience on the big-screen.
4.5/5 Stars
In The Heights is still playing in theaters and is available to stream on HBO Max through July 11.