Starring Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera, Leslie Grace, and Corey Hawkins
Directed by Jon M. Chu
Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda
I know this came out in June, but I saved it for now in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. This was supposed to have come out last year, but like many major movies, was held back a year due to the pandemic. It didn't do well at the box office last summer. Critics loved it, but audiences found horror and action more likely to get their rears into a theater and near people while the pandemic continued to rage, plus there was casting backlash. How does all this look now, when the movie has come and gone? Let's start with Usnavi de la Vega (Ramos) telling children about living in Washington Heights during the late 90's-early 2000's, and find out...
The Story: Usnavi has a major crush on the beautiful Vanessa (Barrera), but she's more focused on becoming a clothes designer and trying to get an apartment. He wants to leave New York and reopen his father's bodega (small convenience store) in the Dominican Republic, but lacks the funds. Taxi company owner Kevin Rosario (Jimmy Smitts) is proud of his daughter Nina (Grace) attending Stamford University, but she ran headlong into racism and isn't as thrilled about it as he is. "Abuela" Claudia (Olga Merdiz) is a childless older woman who is pretty much the mother of the neighborhood and takes care of everyone, including Usnavi.
Usnavi's employee Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV) reveals that a lottery ticket bought at the bodega netted $96,000. While everyone tries to figure out who bought that ticket and gets the money, Usnavi finally gets Vanessa on a date, only for Washington Heights to be hit with a blackout while they're arguing in the club. Unfortunately, the stress and the heat proves to be too much for Abuela Claudia...but she's left Usnavi and the neighborhood more of a legacy than she'll ever know.
The Song and Dance: Vibrant performances and gorgeous cinematography in the real Washington Heights really help bring this tale of a young man and his community to life. Ramos is a revelation as de la Vega, grounding his emotional moments with an intensity that matches the tough-tender street life around him. I also like Merdiz as the community grandma whom everyone mourns when she's gone and Leslie Grace and smooth Corey Hawkins as Nina, the girl who's not sure about her place in the neighborhood, and Benny, the guy who definitely knows she has a place in his heart. Director Chu gives it the right look and keeps everything moving with energy and style. Look for songwriter and original star Lin-Manuel Miranda as the pirageuro, the water ice seller who complains that the Mr. Softee trucks are honing in on his business.
Favorite Number: The title song is Usnavi's introduction of all the principals and their roles in the neighborhood and his life. Daniela (Daphne Rubin-Vega), the salon owner, and her employees sing "No Me Diga" in an attempt to get gossip from Nina about her life in Stanford, but Nina drops a lot more of a bombshell on them than they expected. Vanessa says "It Won't Be Long Now" until she gets a better apartment, but racism causes her to be rejected. The pool number "$96,000" turns into a spoof of Esther Williams water numbers as everyone frolics in the local pool and wonder who will get the money and what they'll do with it.
Grace and Hawkins get two adorable and beautifully-shot numbers, the glowing "When You're Home" as Benny assures Nina that she's the smartest girl around and will find her place, and their dancing on the side and fire escapes of Nina's building "When the Sun Goes Down." "Paciencia y Fe" is Abuela Claudia's recollection of her idyllic childhood in Cuba and how she and her mother came to New York looking for a better life, set in the subway right before she dies; "Alabanza" brings the entire neighborhood together to show how much their cared about their matriarch. Daniela initiates "Carnival Del Barrio" when she encourages everyone to stop sitting around and start really living and enjoying life, the way Abuela Claudia would have wanted them to.
Trivia: The Broadway show opened in 2007 and was a smash, running almost four years. It was nominated for thirteen Tony awards and won four, including Best Musical and Original Score. Despite being a very American show, it proved to be a two-year hit in the West End as well.
What I Don't Like: As lovely as it is, I wonder what audience Warners intended this for. Despite its Tony win, In the Heights isn't as well-known ten years later as Miranda's other big Broadway hit Hamilton, nor is the music quite as good. The cast mostly consists of unknowns and semi-well-known character actors. It may be enough for New York critics (who gushed over this), but not likely for most casual audiences. And forget it if you're not a musical fan. While not a flat-out opera, there's a lot of music in this movie and a lot of singing and dancing. There's the backlash over not casting darker-skinned actors, too.
The Big Finale: It may not be for everyone, but if you love big, bold musicals with a lot of culture and character or are a fan of Miranda's other work, you may want to take the trip uptown and enjoy a beautiful summer in Usnavi's neighborhood.
Home Media: Just released on DVD and Blu-Ray last month. It's also available for streaming at several sites.
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