Lin-Manuel Miranda was an unknown extra in the season 6 premier of House – I don’t know if I’ve said that before, but I’ve never known such an impressive guest star to go on to be so revolutionary. After creating the world-renowned musical Hamilton, and a turn channelling Dick Van Dyke’s famous Bert in Mary Poppins Returns, the powers that be bring us Miranda’s first musical, In the Heights, directed by Jon M. Chu. Originally postponed due to COVID, and rescheduled ahead of West Side Story, means that this bright song-and-dance picture about minority love in urban America comes to us before Stephen Spielberg gets his shot later in the year. Fair warning Miranda, and to all the folks reading this at home; the trailers have made me really excited for this one, and I’m doing all I can to keep my expectations in check. This could be something very special.
Taking place on a hot corner in Washington Heights, comes a tale of a predominantly Dominican community whose individuals all have dreams – Usnavi de la Vega (Anthony Ramos) owns a convenience store, and wants to earn enough money to return home to resurrect his father’s bar. Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) is a hairdresser secretly eager to become a fashion designer, and leave the corner behind. Nina (Leslie Grace) is celebrated as the smartest young lady in town but returns home after one struggled semester away at college. And Benny (Corey Hawkins) dreams of a life with Nina, as he works for Nina’s father Kevin (Jimmy Smits) at the cab company. The first concern of the story is that we are told there will be a blackout in three days, that can only be devastating, as our characters co-mingle alongside successful salon business owner Daniela (Daphne Rubin-Vega), and Abuela (Olga Merediz), the completely humble and aging matriarch, and the first of the community to have forged a life in America.
I always look towards the advantages of a movie over musical theatre, and the biggest one is editing – you can’t always replicate the intimacy of a live performance, but you can create a different energy and scope due to quick cuts to different vantage points, angles and locations. I think the most thrilling spectacle of this movie is the song ‘Paciencia y Fe’, that has Abuela reflecting on her journey and contemplating moving on to the next phase of her life. The movie also employs special effects in a heightened imaginative way that I found really impressive – as the boys act out how they’d spend the lottery money, the movie fills in their choreography, specifically. A downside of going from musical to movie is an effect that I think can be called the ‘economy of characters’; that is about, giving your established characters the time required to be impactful – movies are disadvantaged because stage shows usually have a longer run time that often gets condensed for film. In the Heights struggles to find a balance early for me, as after Benny and Nina’s electrifying song at the cab company, Benny goes missing for a long time. The chemistry between Benny and Nina jumps off the screen, and they even threaten to trump the love story between Usnavi and Vanessa, because at least we get to hear about their past growing up together; but then I must take into account that sometimes their songs tip into a hokey Disneyfied air. Benny is not a Disney boy though – he’s responsible, and offers more than just a twinkle, and shimmy and a shake, and I continue to be impressed by characters that are just good at their job. I thought Corey Hawkins as Benny was really good, whether he be dancing with Nina upon the side of a building, or challenging Nina’s father on Nina’s behalf. And seeing Nina deal with potentially disappointing the people in her community, who put their hopes into her, as she realises that smarts don’t solve everything (you need passion and a vision too), is a story element that I haven’t come across too often and really savoured.
I enjoyed listening to Anthony Ramos capture a rhythm in songs that is exactly the same way that has made Miranda renowned. The lead performance was apparently Miranda’s on stage, but Ramos had a part in the stage recording of Hamilton, playing John Laurens and Phillip Hamilton, so it’s not like he doesn’t know his way around a verse himself. Ramos makes Usnavi so sweet, and it was always a chance that he would realise that he brings the same affection to the community as Abuela, and might follow in her footsteps – his is a classic ‘want vs. need’ storyline, where Usnavi may want to go back to the Dominican Republic, but he already has what he needs at home in Washington Heights. Although, I do think the dynamic of his relationship with Vanessa could have been a little more upfront, as when we are first introduced to Vanessa in Usnavi’s shop, she just seems like a customer that he has a crush on, until it’s obvious later on that they see each other at family dinners and are much closer than that. I did eventually come to the understanding that when they fight, it’s out of a fear that comes from pressing on their attraction to one and other – Usnavi fears making his feelings known and not being ‘good enough’, and Vanessa fears something emotionally serious tying her to the block. I was really invested in both the love stories it turns out, and I totally see how Usnavi gets hung up on Vanessa in the first place, because she is absolutely stunning – could I use a stronger word than stunning? Actress Melissa Barrera; I was like a cartoon wolf with my eyes popping out of my face at times (which I understand is a point to Vanessa; never short of feckless male attention – good casting on that front, I say). Nothing sexist about it; whether it’s a male beefcake or a smoking stunner, I do wonder if there’s just some roles where actors are so glad that they get to put their body on camera, so in fifty years’ time they can look back on their work and say, ‘you see that, children. I had ‘it’.’ It actually choked me up when Vanessa eventually finds inspiration in the town that she’s been trying so hard to escape; well done movie, there’s some irony I didn’t see coming.
I’m thinking of In the Heights as like a hopeful Rent – there’s a passion for community and it’s about boldly fighting through desperation. It’s also quite evidently about dreams, and chasing them down. With its fair share of flair and pop, In the Heights can’t fail at being vibrant and energetic. The ending is a little cheeky, with the movie having its cake and eating it too, by tricking us into thinking Usnavi has been reflecting on a time gone bye when that isn’t completely the case. I imagine an ending like this would work better on stage, using painted backdrops to stand in for locations would make it easier to deceive, and I don’t always like when a story hedges its bets, but it worked for me this time. I understand the box office numbers have been lower than anticipated for In the Heights, and although the movies mightn’t be the most important place to spend your dollar right now, any fan of musicals is not going to be disappointed here. In the Heights is a musical that results in a damn solid movie.
4.0
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