In 20-30 years from now, we’re going to look back at the impressive and stellar work from Lin-Manuel Miranda and appreciate it even more than how much we adore it now. Outside of the phenomenal and exceptional musical Hamilton, his contribution to the film world speaks volumes to how gifted of a playwright he is. From his work in the beloved and adventurous Disney animated film in Moana and the crucially underrated musical Mary Poppins Returns, Lin-Manuel Miranda is someone we need to appreciate more and more with each passing day. While we wait on a film adaptation for Hamilton, the other musical created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights, is now getting big screen treatment. Now, a great musical really needs a couple of different things to make it transcend the genre and resonate with audiences. They need songs that support the story, but songs that leave a great impression you. It obviously needs to entertain you, but it also should try and capture the magic and spirit of seeing an actual musical on broadway. But just like any other movie, the story and characters have to be great. If all those can get checked off, then you’ve got yourself a great musical, and sure enough In the Heights is a terrific musical. In the Heights has the razzle dazzle, energy and the finesse of a great musical. It features spectacular musical numbers, catchy tunes and a great pace. The characters and the themes of community and inspiration carries an overdose of of profundity. Jon M. Chu did a remarkable job of creating another uplifting musical, but a lot of the credit to the orchestra of the music and the dance sequences has to be credited to the brilliance of Lin-Manuel Miranda.
This is adaptation of the musical follows the same story by focusing on a little neighborhood in the uppermost part of the New York City known as Washington Heights, and in Washington Heights is a small corner where each individual of an entire community pursues their dream of living a better life.
The first thing we need to talk about, surprisingly, is director John M. Chu. This man has a very fascinating career due where he came from and considering the type of movies he’s made in the past. He’s the director of G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never and the Oscar winning classic Jem and the Holograms. Now, this isn’t a guy who would get handed a lot of project based on the lukewarm responses that his movies have received. But when Crazy Rich Asians came out, it’s almost as if the conversation changed on how much talent this man had. Not only did he give attention to a much needed representation, he was able to tell an enriching and delightful love story that the whole world can resonate with. With John M. Chu directing his first musical, not only does he have an eye for orchestrating monumental musical moments and great character moments, he manages to give another beautiful representation for a specific group of people that still feel like they’re beyond what the color of their skin is. The characters in this movie are truly a work of art and one of the best things about In the Heights is that there isn’t a villain. Each character in this entire movie are good people that try to do the right thing for their community. So, it’s a challenge to pick an absolute favorite character in this movie because they each gracefully carry this movie with their own lens. Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace are the three that probably stand out the most, but that’s not taking anything away from the rest of the ensemble. With Crazy Rich Asians and now with In the Heights, director John M. Chu is slowly becoming a more respected filmmaker with giving organic representation to a culture and compelling us with great characters and impactful story.
With Lin-Manuel Miranda responsible for the music in this movie, it’s hard to imagine a better modern play wright than him. His way of writing music and lyrics is a way that balances out the vibes of feeling contemporary with the mixture of rap and R&B but still showcasing the genres from the classic and historical age of musicals. It was wonderfully displayed in Hamilton and it is, once again, presented in In the Heights. Whether it’s the main song of the movie “In the Heights”, “96,000” or “Alabanza” the songs in this movie are presented as integral songs that carry the story and the progression of each character, thereby making the songs and music essential characters in of themselves and what’s even more special about the songs is that they don’t over stay its welcoming even after the movie wraps up. This is music that could be on loop for hours and hours and never feel tiring. They’re catchy and speak well for the overall scope of the movie.
In the Heights is a great directing effort from John M. Chu and Lin-Manuel Miranda is keeping the musical genre afloat in exciting and grand territory, but maybe the best thing about this movie is that it’s really the first movie that should welcome people back to the theater.
My grade for In the Heights: A
Zane's take at the Cinema's 