In the Heights

Is there a crowdpleaser quite like a musical? Alright, for some people their suspension of disbelief can never quite stretch to accommodate people bursting into songs about their feelings as complete strangers leap into perfect choreography, but for the rest of us we love nothing better than a musical and the pure escapism they offer. And we NEED escapism after the last year when friends were unseen, events were cancelled, blogs were neglected (*coughcough*), and In the Heights, directed by John M. Chu of Crazy Rich Asians and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the mind at work who brought us the sensation that is Hamilton, might be the perfect film to usher us back into big blockbuster movies.

Focussed on the lives of several young people living in the neighbourhood of Washington Heights in upper Manhattan, all trying to find ways to pursue their respective dreams as their home changes around them.

Right from the get-go In the Heights buzzes with life and music, with the general sounds of the city building into the titular first number. We get plenty of Miranda’s style of blending not only hip-hop but also salsa and other kinds of Latin music with the expected conventions and structure of the musical. The real standout set-piece that shows this off is 96,000 where the residents of the neighbourhood cool off at the pool and discuss what they’d do with a major lottery win. We get water-based choreography that very deliberately invokes the memory of Footlight Parade and other work of classic musical choreographer/director Busby Berkeley. This crossover of classic imagery with modern music and the film’s themes of immigrant identity and pride really makes a powerful core to the film.

Unfortunately, despite all this great work in the musical sequences there is something lacking which means that sometimes the film gets a little lost in itself. It’s too long and roughly paced, there’s no other way to say it, making you feel the long hot summer that’s in the background of the movie and not necessarily in a good way. This is despite cutting whole songs and a couple of characters, which also has a knock-on effect which is twofold as songs being cut or shuffled around causes a few patches of unevenness in the storytelling. Also, with a couple of exceptions (Anthony Ramos’ Usnavi is a charming POV character) the characters are for the most part pretty shallow and underdeveloped. That does not mean that the movie is without emotional punch moments. Paciencia y Fe, Abuela Claudia’s big number is the emotional crux of the entire movie, laying out the experiences of her life as an immigrant in New York with searing emotion and wonderfully creative visualisation utilising the subway system. Olga Merediz, who also played the role on Broadway, deserves every single one of the awards that if there’s any justice are coming her way.

In some ways, In the Heights really is the perfect movie to take us out of the Cinematic Lockdown; it’s colourful, fun, some great songs and great dancing, and a celebration of life in a way we haven’t gotten to experience in a while. It’s flaws mean that it falls just short of me falling totally in love with it, but for others I see this becoming a summer movie watching staple for years to come.

Happy watching.

Oh, and stick around after the credits for an extra scene.