Sognando a New York - In the Heights

It's a good one time watch movie, mainly for its Music and dance through some great cinematography done with greats sets. The story is vague so you'll be disappointed, if you're mainly focused on the plot. Or else, you'll pretty much be entertained with some good music and dance shown.

On a beach, Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) tells a group of youngsters about a place called Washington Heights in the faraway Nueva York. It's the days before the 1999 blackout. Usnavi runs a bodega but dreams of returning to his childhood home of Dominican Republic. He has a crush on the beautiful Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) who dreams of being a fashion designer. Nina returns from Stanford and is unwilling to go back especially if her father Kevin Rosario (Jimmy Smits) has to sell off his business to pay the tuition.

It's a Lin-Manuel Miranda musical directed by Jon M. Chu. I really loved some of this. It is too long and probably has too many story elements. The two main young couples could be combined into a simpler single Romeo and Juliet romance. It would allow the DACA story to have more space to breathe. Despite all the hot young things, the most emotional song is Abuela's powerful life story. I do like the visual of Vanessa running down the empty street with the fabrics flowing down the buildings. I don't know if it's possible but Vanessa may be too beautiful. I would have liked for Nina's college drama to be shown. The emotional climax is really Abuela's song and the DACA protest. The movie drags on a bit long after that although that is a fine ending. The main theme of this movie is dream which does present a minor problem. By itself, it does not give that much kinetic energy to the story. Everybody is just pining for money (from the lotto) to make their dreams come to life. All in all, I love quite a bit of this even if it is long.

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!

I think Lin-Manuel Miranda is incredibly talented, and thought "Hamilton" was incredible (although I've only seen it on Disney+, and sadly never on stage.) Needless to say, I was looking forward to this musical slice-of-life set in the vibrant neighborhood of Washington Heights in uptown Manhattan. The film centers around a bodega owner named Usnavi, whose parents immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic. Joyous and filled with energy, the movie's music is often incredibly well done. Lin-Manuel Miranda's lyrics are fast, kinetic, and clever, combined with plenty of well-choreographed singing and dancing. The film also does an outstanding job showing the diversity, pluralism and cultural heritage of Washington Heights, and the various communities and cultures found there.

With its catchy music and thoughtfully inclusive cultural representation, the film is certainly a crowd pleaser. I'm happy to say that the audience I saw it with applauded after many of the musical numbers, and also gave a hearty applause at the end. It's certainly great to see an audience in a theater respond to a film like that again. That said, the film does fall short of greatness for a few reasons. It could have used more of a plot in between its musical numbers, which is part of the reason why it's not quite as impactful as something like "Hamilton." Usnavi is a generally engaging protagonist, but some of the other characters could have been more developed. Finally, the film does run a bit too long. Being a bit thin on plot but comparatively lacking in impressive musical set pieces compared to the rest of the film, the second act certainly feels like it drags a bit in comparison to the first and third acts. Yet despite these criticisms, there's something truly radiating about the film's vibrancy and joyful enthusiasm--which is, frankly, what we all need right now. Recommended. 7.5/10.