D'où l'on vient

It 's a big, sprawling movie about a Hispanic block in upper Manhattan's Washington Heights, and how each of them has his or her own dream, most of which are some variation of getting out of Washington Heights. It's a steady, dependable sort of multi-generational plot that was paying Fanny Hurst's bills more than a century ago, the stories and dreams seem well told, even if there are too may of them to keep in your head when we return to a particular character. It's also a musical, the one that Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote and directed and starred in to make his bones. John Chu has taken over the direction and Anthony Ramos the role.

There's some handsome, if not original choreography in this movie, bits lifted from WEST SIDE STORY and ROYAL WEDDING. It follows the tendency to make a big production number out of every dance. Until the next to last one, I experienced the despair I so often feel looking at modern movie musicals, convinced they've forgotten how to move the camera, but instead cut, cut, cut. The last dance, however, showed they hadn't. They just would rather do a zip cut than plan out the complex movements.

Sigh. Still, the songs were surprisingly strong, particularly "Paciencia Y Fe", sung by Olga Merediz. It's a skilled and enthusiastic cast, and it makes me hope that Hollywood will go back to making musicals, that are more than Broadway musicals filmed in front of a proscenium arch.

Just way too long and should have been 30-40 minutes less. First couple of numbers and you think, this is pretty cool, but it soon gets very repetitive and the 'follow your dreams' message which is forced down your throat the whole time gets very tiresome. Good casting, dancing and a couple of numbers but too much of it overall. Can imagine this being good on the stage, perhaps it should have stayed there.

If you mention musical movies to me I'll probably start rolling my eyes. I didn't particularly enjoy watching La La Land and the thought of having to sit through Russell Crowe warbling in Les Miserables absolutely terrifies me. But I have a confession to make in that the In The Heights movie was an absolute joy to witness. Uplifting, colourful and fun, it's the type of film that will leave you dancing in your cinema seat and smiling from ear to ear.

Based on the hit Broadway show of the same name and created by current 'it boy' Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, Mary Poppin's Returns), In the Heights is a very down-to-earth story told in a big, bombastic, spectacular way. Set in the New York borough of Washington Heights it's a story told through the eyes of Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), a small-time bodega owner with dreams of owning a bar on the beaches of the Dominican Republic where his parents once lived. But Usnavi isn't the only one with big dreams on this block. Hairdresser Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) wants to move to downtown New York to open a fashion business, Nina (Leslie Grace) wants to attend Stamford to become a successful Lawyer, while Usnavi's young cousin Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV) just wants to have enough money to attend school to get a good education. As we soon discover, all the people in this little community have big dreams but all also have something holding them back from achieving it. Over the course of this two-and-a-half-hour movie we sing, dance, rejoice, and mourn with them all, as they do their best to overcome their fears and finally start believing in themselves to achieve the success they crave.

THE GOOD

What a surprising delight this film turned out to be. The songs are catchy, the screen is alive with colour and the choreography for the many dance scenes is off the charts. Even the surliest movie viewer will find a song or dance number they'll fall in love with. It's a simple story that's been made better by the magical musical Miranda touch and helped immensely by great direction from Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians). And what really helped my enjoyment of the story was that all the characters were so likable that you can't help but barrack for them as they search for a way to achieve their dreams.

THE BAD

In yet another instance where a director seems to have forgotten to use a film editor, In The Heights clocks in at a completely unnecessary 146 minutes. My movie buddy and I discussed several scenes that weren't needed, especially Lin-Manuel Miranda's character Piraguero who seems to have been created so he can get his head on screen. His character actually has nothing really to do with the story but manages to squeeze out a couple of songs and a lot of screen time with the only reasoning being that it will help sell movie tickets. It was also slightly disappointing to realise that some of the characters didn't even manage to finish their story arcs in this exorbitant amount of movie viewing time. So as much as I may praise director Chu I feel he may have faltered in some areas too.

THE UGLY

I can't believe that this film was turned down by so many movie studios because they only thought it would be successful with a Latino star like Jennifer Lopez or Shakira playing a role. It has taken from 2008 up until now to be produced and a big thumbs-up should be given to Warner Brothers for taking a chance on it and releasing it with unknown actors in the lead roles. After watching In The Heights I couldn't see J-Lo or Shakira doing a better job than the amazing young actors in the film who all deliver amazing performances.

In The Heights is a bright and shining star in the middle of a dark and dreary time in the current world we live in. It may not be the perfect film, but the talent on display, the music, and the colour all brought a big smile to my face and I'm betting it will do the same for you too!

I really enjoyed "In the Heights" overall as a movie and musical. The best aspects were the overall story it told and some of musical dance numbers, e.g. The pool scene. The music itself was not at the same level as Hamilton, but it was still good. The characters were mostly very good with the best performed by Melissa Barrera and Olga Merediz. Anthony Ramos also does a very good job, but some aspects of the writing for his character were off. Also, some aspects of the side stories were too contrived and didn't add anything to the overall movie. But in the end these things mattered less and the movie pulls all of the important pieces together to still tell a great story. Congrats to all those who made this great film!

A friend who hopped on the Hamilton bandwagon relative early (with the original cast on Broadway) said to me, "I think this guy, Lin-Manuel Miranda, may be a freakin' (word substitution there) genius!" Naturally, I assumed that was the hyperbole common to those who think they've discovered something that is solid gold both. But having seen "Hamilton" and his earlier stage musical work, "In the Heights," translated to the big screen, it's getting pretty difficult to argue with that assessment. This one is about the hopes and dreams of its many and varied characters, just as "Hamilton"is about the hopes and dreams of the United States' founding fathers.

The "Heights" in question is Washington Heights, a big Apple neighborhood at the north end of the isle of Manhattan populated primarily by people of color, and where Lin grew up. Quiara Alegría Hudes adapted for the screen her book for her musical stage play. The notable director of "Crazy Rich Asians," Jon M. Chu, directs the energetic proceedings here. And of course, like Hamilton, all the music (from salsa to beats of merengue and bachata, to bomba y plena) and all the lyrics (which are almost exclusively hip-hop) are from the one-and-only Lin-Manuel. (A plump and bearded Lin appears in a mostly comic, near-cameo role that I won't spoil for you.) Combine all this with the endless joy of choreography & constant dancing and the innovative D. P. techniques (the cast says no harnesses were used in the "side-of-the-building" scene, which raises a serious question: "WTF?!?") and you have a real winner for generations of immigrant New Yorkers and their off-spring and the whole Latinx community, and a "West Side Story" for a new millennium. Highly recommended!