In the Heights
Published 2021-08-22
Film info
- Title In the Heights
- Director John M. Chu
- Year 2021
- Run time 2hr 23m
- Genres Music, Romance, Drama
- Tagline The time is come
Lights up on Washington Heights. The scent of a cafecito caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 191st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies this vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is the likable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi, who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines and sings about a better life.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 1:35 | Nueva York. |
| 8:07 | Five sugars in your coffee? Oof! |
| 12:55 | John Wick as a bartender. |
| 19:06 | This isn't helping my desire to want to learn Spanish again. |
| 28:58 | "I got my island. Go get yours." |
| 33:55 | Nails as percussion is fun. |
| 37:57 | She just threw the credit check form in the bin! That seems like a bad move. |
| 45:13 | Obi-Wan Kenobio? |
| 50:38 | I don't think you should have your lottery ticket in the swimming pool, it'll disintegrate! |
| 1:03:55 | 99 degrees is almost 40, right? Too hot! |
| 1:08:25 | I need this magic pen that gets out stains. |
| 1:25:07 | Blackout is the best way to see the stars. |
| 1:32:01 | Wait, now it's 41 degrees and there's no electric? I'm out. |
| 1:46:46 | "Haven't you noticed you get all your coffee for free?" |
| 1:54:57 | I wonder how they walk up walls in the theatre. |
| 1:59:17 | "How do you get this gold shit off?" Yea, champagne is hard. |
| 2:02:32 | Payment by lottery ticket. |
| 2:10:43 | Well I wish we could have had more of Sonny and Pete. |
Thoughts
This was an interesting experience. First up, as a musical, it was so-so. I'm not a huge fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda's hip-hop style, it feels like words thrown together in the hopes it might work whereas I like a bit more structure to it. But that's fine, it was way better than Hamilton, anyway.
The underlying story is great, people trying to make their way in the world, find out where they stand, deal with experiences outside of their own community, and of course, ultimately find love. I didn't always get all the references, but that's okay too, it wasn't made with me in mind.
So it was a good watch, but it's not making it onto my list of best musicals any time soon. I hope it does end up on some people's though, because it feels like an important experience to see on screen.
Rating: 3 / 5
