In The Heights Review – A Sueñito Come True

Over a decade before Lin Manuel-Miranda became a household name with his mega-successful musical Hamilton, one of his earliest successes was In The Heights. It was a story about the multi-cultural inhabitants of a small New York City barrio and the dreams of greatness that each of its fully realized characters has for their community and beyond. After being hit by delay after delay due to the ever-looming presence of COVID-19, the big-screen adaptation of In The Heights is here, and it was worth the wait. Director Jon M. Chu managed to bring the streets of Washington Heights to life with all of the music and culture that comes along with it. What follows is a musical journey filled with heart and soul as we witness the triumphs and the pitfalls of a group of dreamers trying to find their place in a world that doesn’t always accept them. And regardless of your cultural or ethnic background, its themes easily resonate and make it one of the best and most impactful films to come out this year.

Title: In The Heights
Production Company: 5000 Broadway, Barrio Grrrl! Productions, Likely Story, SGS Pictures
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Produced by: Lin Manuel-Miranda, Quiara Alegria Hudes, Anthony Bergman, Mara Jacobs
Written by: Quiara Alegria Hudes
Starring: Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, Jimmy Smits 
Based on: In The Heights by Quiara Alegria Hudes & Lin Manuel-Miranda
Release dates: June 10, 2021
Running time: 143 Minutes
Rating: PG-13

 

Throughout In The Heights, we spend a lot of time bouncing around between characters and their intertwining dreams and stories, but we spend the most time with Usnavi, played by Anthony Ramos. Usnavi runs a local bodega in Washington Heights with his cousin but hopes to head back to the Dominican Republic to rebuild his father’s bar, El Sueñito (or Little Dream), after his parents’ passing. All of his decisions, for better or worse, are in service of his goal of heading home to his motherland, and its always easy to empathize with his reason for wanting to do so

It’s through Usnavi that we’re quickly introduced to his friends and surrogate family from the barrio through a stellar opening song. The ensemble cast all have their own struggles and have a myriad of obstacles in their way preventing them from making their dreams a reality. Whether it’s career woes, the struggles of being an immigrant, fear of letting people down, or burgeoning romances, all of the characters and their journeys feel real and believable. And with such a big cast, it’s a testament to the writing and the performances that there isn’t a weak link among them.

We can’t touch on the film’s characters without mentioning Washington Heights itself. It’s more than just a city or a backdrop; the place that our story takes place is very much a character all its own. There’s always something to see, whether it’s in the background or the foreground of a shot. The street corners are always brimming with life and color. If you are Caribbean or Latin American, it’s more than likely that you will see the flag from your particular country or island territory. Many of the shots have Puerto Rican or Dominican meals and staples of Latin kitchens and bodegas like Café Bustelo.

It’s the small touches that give In The Heights its flavor and its soul. It’s a level of love and care that isn’t often seen in big studio films. Your mileage will obviously vary when it comes to how much you can see yourself in this community and characters, but this type of representation goes a long way for many of us who aren’t always seen on the big screen. Every character, big or small, feels like someone that you could truly find in Washington Heights or any community like it. And it’s that care and that authenticity that only makes the entire package that much more believable. 

Washington Heights, like its many inhabitants, also has an arc of its own. Central to much of the film’s story is the rapid gentrification of businesses and homes in this tight-knit community. It affects everyone a bit differently. Some of our characters are prepared to pivot with these changes, while others are willing to fight for their homes and their livelihoods. Even with that dichotomy of beliefs about what’s best for the Heights, no one is ever either victimized or villainized for what they want to do. It’s a very nuanced approach to a topic that is never completely black and white.

In The Heights is obviously a musical. With that, there is always a question that should be asked when approaching one: How is the actual music? In short, it’s incredible. From the opening number showcasing the titular song to the slower romantic vibes of When The Song Goes Down to the absolute banger that is Carnaval del Barrio, every song hits in its own impactful and emotional way. At this point, it’s no secret that Lin Manuel-Miranda is at the top of his class. The music of In The Heights revels in its love for Latin culture, and each song is imbued with salsa, hip-hop, and merengue influences. 

Having a musical make the jump from the stage to the big screen can often come with a wide array of growing pains. Some things are often lost in translation, and there are numerous examples of musicals that didn’t completely stick that transition. There’s a suspension of disbelief that inherently has to come along with watching any musical. Luckily, In The Heights mostly succeeds in that regard. It’s only when the film employs CG to supplement some of its musical cues that it falters, and the effects prove to be a little distracting. These moments are still very brief and used infrequently so that it isn’t really detrimental in any way. The actors and their performances are strong on their own and didn’t really need to be enhanced in this way. It is a pretty small issue overall, and it didn’t ruin a scene by any means, but it did not feel necessary.

At nearly two and a half hours, there is a moment towards to back half of the film that does slow down momentum pretty significantly. The pacing, for the most part, is strong and keeps things moving quickly. That is until an extended sequence involving a blackout feels like it stops In The Heights in its tracks. From a narrative standpoint, it comes off as though it was there to mostly have our characters get separated in the confusion. That being said, there is still a pretty massive emotional gut-punch that comes along with the sequence as well as more than one fantastic musical numbers. So even with that lull in momentum, things manage to course correct pretty quickly. It doesn’t truly do any harm to what came before or comes after.

In The Heights is a film that will mean different things to different people. Some people will see themselves more in its story than others, but at its core, it’s still one that can resonate with everyone from any walk of life for numerous reasons. What it is at the end of the day is a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the very real fears of failure, identity, and community in a setting that isn’t often given the spotlight. Coupled with the music of Lin Manual-Miranda and the direction of Jon M. Chu, In The Heights is one of the most special and impactful movies to come out this year. Its message of pursuing your dreams even when it sometimes hurts is something that is simultaneously timeless and timely in our current day and age. Its story is hopeful and optimistic. That’s the kind of feel-good energy that we all need right now. If there was ever a movie to watch as your return to the theaters, it would be In The Heights.