disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

IN THE HEIGHTS -- A Self-Indulgent but Enjoyable Musical

6/9/2021

0 Comments

 
Review by Sean Boelman
Picture
(Left Center-Right Center) ANTHONY RAMOS as Usnavi and MELISSA BARRERA as Vanessa in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “IN THE HEIGHTS,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Macall Polay.
Although he would make it big with Hamilton, musical theatre extraordinaire Lin-Manuel Miranda first burst onto the scene with In the Heights, a musical about the Washington Heights neighborhood of NYC, and Hollywood has finally decided to adapt it for the big screen. Yet despite some moments of genuine brilliance, lots of inconsistencies keep this from being as great as it should have been.

The film follows a group of residents of Washington Heights as they set out to achieve their own versions of the American Dream. As an ensemble piece, it’s really compelling. Each of the characters has a fully developed arc, and for the most part, the story manages to avoid a lot of the melodramatic pratfalls that tend to plague stageplays and their adaptations.

The other thing that makes this movie stand out is the way in which it explores the Latino experience in America. There are the good moments, like coming together as a community to support each other through the struggles, and this is a celebration of those, but the film also doesn’t shy away from the bad moments of racism and intolerance.

Obviously, audiences will come to this movie wanting to hear some great music, and they won’t be disappointed. The songs are just as creative as one would expect from Lin-Manuel Miranda. There are definitely going to be some clear favorite songs, “96,000” and “Paciencia y Fe”, which have the most breathtaking musical numbers by far.
Picture
COREY HAWKINS (center) as Benny in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “IN THE HEIGHTS,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
With the exception of Melissa Barrera, who goes a tad too big with her role, the cast here is amazing. Anthony Ramos is extremely charming as the film’s narrator and central character, showing that he has the chops to be a great leading man. Gifted character actor Jimmy Smits is wonderful every time he is on screen. And Leslie Grace steals the show more than once.

That said, there is an air of self-indulgence to the whole thing. Miranda’s cameo is a bit gratuitous in the way that it is filmed, as if the filmmakers didn’t trust the audience to care without his star power. There are also some moments that drag to an absolute halt for the sake of doing something supposedly cheeky but actually cheesy.

Perhaps the bigger issue, though, are the inconsistencies in the execution. There are plenty of stunning shots, but there are some grand and cinematic musical numbers (“96,000”) and others that are more intimate and stagey (“Carnaval del Barrio”). This causes some substantial whiplash and they should have stuck with one style or the other.

In the Heights has enough moments that bring the magic to make it worth watching, but director Jon M. Chu should have gone all-in on the cinematic side to make this a great movie musical. It’s a charming summer movie, albeit one that won’t be as memorable as many had hoped.

In the Heights hits theaters and HBO Max on June 10.

Rating: 3/5
               
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About