Starring Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBoise, and David Alvarez
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Music by Leonard Bernstein; Lyrics by Stephan Sondheim
Spielberg's interest in West Side Story goes back to his childhood, when the film soundtrack became his first brush with popular music. He initially expressed interest in directing a new version as far back as 2014, but things didn't really start picking up until Tony Kushner came on board and wrote the script around 2017. It was supposed to come out in 2020, but like many movies, was held back due to the pandemic. That doesn't seem to have helped its chances. It was a flop on release last December, but it still received high praise from critics for its staging, numbers, and performances anyway. Were the critics right that this is as good as the original, or did it deserve to be cut out? Let's begin as the camera swoops down on the grimy gray demolition of New York slums and find out...
The Story: Puerto Rican gang The Sharks fight the white Jets for control of their shrinking turf on New York's Upper West Side in 1961. Former Jet Tony (Elgort) falls for Maria (Zegler), the sweet sister of head Shark Bernardo (Alvarez), at a school dance. No one's thrilled about their relationship, least of all Bernardo, who intended his sister to marry the more upstanding Chino (Josh Andres Rivera). Maria begs Tony to stop the fighting, but his intervention ends with two of the kids dead. Tony flees the scene, but it sets off a chain of events that ends with more people dead...and Maria wondering what all this senseless killing was for.
The Song and Dance: Incredible performances highlight this tough-tender tearjerker. Ariana DuBose won a Supporting Actress Oscar as Anita, who talks about the American Dream, only to see its ugly underside when she's attacked by the Jets. Zegler is an affecting and heartbreakingly innocent Maria, particularly flitting around playing with hats and sunglasses as she tells the ladies "I Feel Pretty." Rita Moreno plays Valentina, the older Hispanic woman who owns the drug store where both groups hang out. She has an especially touching moment during the "Somewhere" number and is heartbreaking leading Chino away during the finale.
The production is a unique blend of on-location filming in New York, Brooklyn, Newark, and Paterson and CGI backdrops that manage to look gritty and authentic to the early 60's without being too obvious. The colorful costumes are stunning, especially the ladies' prom dresses at the dance and the brilliant sundresses and pedal pushers worn for the "America" number. And for those of you who complained about the 1961 film rearranging songs or giving them different lyrics, here, most of the songs return to their original lyrics and contours (though some have been rearranged).
And if nothing else, I appreciate that they not only got actual Hispanics to play the Sharks this time, but even found kids the right ages. It makes the ending all the more tragic. There's even quite a bit of Spanish that's not captioned for more authentic flavor.
Favorite Number: We open with Lietenant Schrank (Corey Stoll) trying to end the rumble, but only getting "The Jet Song" and the all-Spanish "La Borinquena" from the Sharks. Tony's "Something's Coming" is shot with some nice lighting as we see him excited over the possibilities of life and what lies ahead. "The Dance at the Gym" is just as dynamic here as in the original, with all the Jets and their ladies in cool blues and the Sharks and their dates in roaring reds and golds. The dancing is phenomenal here, especially once they get into the mambo segment!
"America" comes off the roof and onto the streets as Anita tells Bernardo her American Dream and why she loves her adopted homeland, even as Bernardo complains he hasn't exactly felt welcome in it. Both versions of "Tonight," with the lovers on their fire escape and everyone preparing for the rumble later, are beautifully shot and full of vigor and, in the case of the lovers, wistful innocence. "Gee Officer Krupke" is now staged at the police station after the Jets were hauled in. They have a great time throwing papers around and making fun of their least-favorite man on the force.
"One Hand, One Heart" makes use of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, with its glowing colors and simple heartfelt feelings. "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love" was sung live on-set, and the ladies give it an immediacy that's touching and heartbreaking. Moreno gets to sing the biggest hit from this show, the ballad "Somewhere," against a montage of Valentina remembering her white husband and how they ran the drug store together and the lovers also coming together, proving that races and classes can co-exist.
What I Didn't Like: Let's start with Elgort. This seems to be a tough role to cast, since I wasn't a fan of original Tony Richard Beymer either. He's a bit stiff and not all that great of a singer, especially against Zegler's luminous soprano. To his credit, he does wake up more in the action scenes, especially when feuding with Bernardo and Riff during "Cool."
This is a very dark musical with an unhappy ending, set in squalor and gritty gray CGI. If you prefer your musicals on the light and fluffy side, this is not the place for you. There's also all that Spanish with no translation, some sexual situations, violence, language, and the smoking common at the time. This is definitely for teen and adult romance fans. Some folks also pointed out that the Puerto Rican kids can come off as a little stereotypical, especially when they're on their own.
The Big Finale: I really hope this and the other largely Hispanic musical from last year In the Heights find more of an audience on streaming and DVD. Neither of them remotely deserved the drubbing they got at the box office. Highly recommended for older lovers of tragic romance.
Home Media: As one of the most recent movies I've reviewed, this is easy to find in all formats, including several streaming platforms.
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