In The Heights Movie Review

 

I'm not like a die-hard musical fan by any means, but In The Heights has definitely been long on my radar. Freshly coming off the huge hit that his Hamilton film turned out to be last summer on Disney+, this adaptation comes with a producing credit from Lin-Manuel Miranda (who also created the famous stage play), but stepping into the director's chair is filmmaker Jon M. Chu (director of such films like the wonderful Crazy Rich Asians and a few of the Step Up films) who is certainly no stranger to the musical genre. Chu definitely seemed like an inspired choice to tackle this source material that is clearly beloved, so I was certainly very curious to see how he could bring this to life on the big screen, especially after hearing plenty of stellar early reviews within the last month when screenings for the film began. And now having finally gotten the chance to see this myself, it brings me so much joy to report that this is absolutely one of the most rousing and exciting musicals I've seen in recent memory. 

Obviously for any musical to truly work, you have to contain some great music, and this film most certainly has that going for it. The musical numbers themselves are brought to life on the big screen with so much vibrant energy, and excitement. The songs are certainly very catchy and I imagine will make many people want to get up immediately and dance. I made sure after seeing the film to immediately add the soundtrack to my Spotify playlist. What I feel makes the music work even better is not only do the songs flow seamlessly with the story being represented on screen, but also they are given so much life and even emotions due to the wonderful work of a exceptional ensemble cast. But as terrific as the music is, and the excellent craftsmanship that Jon M. Chu brings, it's the inspiring story with universal themes that really brings this film up another notch. Much beyond just the musical aspects, I got so emotionally wrapped in this story and immensely drawn into these characters. The film certainly has a very infectiously charming joy to it, but it's made all the more consistently engaging due to its huge beating heart and characters you can immediately fall in love with. Being half Puerto Rican myself, it certainly warmed my own heart to see a major film representing the Latino community so very well with such a universal story that should warm the hearts of people from all different backgrounds. It certainly got me nearly choked up on a few occasions.   

This film certainly wouldn't be the same without its outstanding cast though, many of whom should be well on their way to becoming superstars after this. Anthony Ramos is absolutely stellar in what is his first big leading role and he most definitely proves he has what it takes to become a major leading man in Hollywood. He carries so much movie star charisma, and certainly nails all the vocals of course This is the first film I've seen the exquisite Melissa Barrera in, and uh yeah I can safely declare I'm very much in love. But actually getting to Barrera's own performance, she is also equally magnificent here and I expect to be seeing much more of her following this role. Leslie Grace proves to be another exquisite newcomer here as well, and Corey Hawkins (whose been quite underrated for a while now) also provides terrific work. Major studios should be lining up for Ramos, Barrera, Hawkins, and Grace immediately. Another performer that many will be talking about and one that I could see even garnering some awards considerations later this year (and deservedly so) is Olga Merediz who literally dominates the screen here, pouring her heart into every single moment of her performance.

Few films are perfect, and this one does come with a few very minor hiccups. At almost two and a half hours long, you can definitely feel some of that extended length, and the film could've maybe have trimmed off at least about 10 or 15 minutes of that. But honestly, with a story this emotionally investing and characters that you truly grow to love, it was very difficult for me to ultimately be bothered by that length at all, I was honestly both too invested and having too much fun. With a lot of characters and different side plots to follow, there are definitely some that certainly get much more focus. For instance, Lin-Manuel Miranda himself of course has a role in the film, as does famous Latin singer Marc Anthony. Both are probably the most familiar stars featured in the film, but hardly have any role of significance. However, thinking more about it, this was definitely a rather wise choice for the film to put the focus on much lesser known performers and because of that we get to witness a dozen of new superstars in the process. I'm honestly reaching for flaws at this point.

With all of that being said, In The Heights is definitely one of the very best musicals in recent memory and one I certainly feel the urge to recommend to just about anyone I know. I can't guarantee that the film will convert those who hate musicals, but considering how heartwarming and uplifting of a story this is, I think this is definitely a film that could resonate with just about anyone in different ways. You'll want to cheer, laugh, and yes get emotional. It will literally give you all the emotions as it is certainly one of the more satisfying crowd pleasers I've seen in quite some time. It's a bummer that this film had to release at a time where the box office is still recovering, but with that being said, if you can get out to a theater to see this on the big screen, I highly recommend doing so because this was quite an immersive experience that is worth seeing on the biggest screen. But, if not, the film is also currently available for HBO Max subscribers. It's easily one of the best films I've seen in 2021 thus far and I wouldn't even be surprised if it managed to squeak into my Top 10 for the year when it's all over. Bravo to Chu, Miranda and the entire crew for pulling this off in such spectacular fashion.

Final Grade: A-