In the Heights is a song and dance banger from creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and director Jon M. Chu that celebrates a culture, but also this thing we call life. The film is based on Miranda’s Broadway hit that preceded his pop culture transcending Hamilton and centers on a neighborhood in New York City known as Washington Heights, aka The Heights.
Miranda’s work has landed on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital formats and is told through the perspective of Anthony Ramos’ Usnavi de la Vega, who moved to Manhattan from his native Dominican Republic when he was a child. His memories of the island burn bright in his mind. As he runs the neighborhood bodega he inherited from his parents, de la Vega waxes poetic about returning to the Caribbean country. He may have his chance when his father’s old bar becomes available. Navi, as everyone calls him, entertains the idea of leaving The Heights over the course of the film. He believes the neighborhood is changing (it is) and it is too much to fight the gentrification that is coming. But there are people and experiences the occur throughout In the Heights that may just change his view.
What is so stunning (beyond its pop off the screen color palette, musical number choreography, and earnestly honest production design) about Chu’s film is how he masterfully weaves a large number of storylines that manage to reflect and paint a picture of a block chock full of folks with their own tales to tell. They say in Screenwriting 101 that every single one of your characters should be so rich that they warrant their own film. With In the Heights, that couldn’t be more effectively executed by everyone who came together to create the musical in the first place.
Quiara Alegría Hudes wrote the stage musical’s book and was smartly tasked with turning that effort into a screenplay. She took Miranda’s ideas and wove them into the most masterful of worlds filled with catchy, fun, insightful, and deeply emotive songs that not only advance the plot but further enhance our diverse slate of characters. Making the leap to the silver screen was a natural step, something made clear from the film’s first moments. It’s not that Hamilton isn’t cinematic, but it is a smart move to have In the Heights be the first to be adapted for the screen. Now, what debuted on Disney+ was a filmed version of Hamilton on Broadway. Eventually, the musical about one of our most famous Founding Fathers will make it to the screen.
The time for In the Heights is now. As the country grapples with immigration issues, to hear and see a movie musical that centers on immigrants, children of immigrants, and how their plight is very much at the heart of the battle for America’s soul, is such a delight. There’s someone for everyone to identify with when it comes to the cast. I mean, who cannot identify with folks who continually go that extra mile to ensure a better day for their children? It’s the definition of the American dream for goodness sake. Their struggles are chronicled in Chu’s film and despite obstacles that seem like Mt. Everest to climb, there is a permeation of optimism throughout In the Heights that is contagious and downright electric.
Jimmy Smits plays Kevin Rosario, who owns a taxi service whose headquarters have been in the hood since its inception. He has a daughter in Nina (Leslie Grace), who the neighborhood has been behind since she was a girl. She “got out.” Nina is returning to the Heights, as our movie commences, from Stanford for summer break. She’s as smart as they come but has been grappling with challenges that have nothing to do with academics on the west coast. There are some stark cultural issues that have her seriously considering not returning for her sophomore year.
Someone who has supported her immensely is Benny (Straight Outta Compton breakout Corey Hawkins), who works for her father. He is a love interest, sure, but broke up with her when she left for school for fear of being a long-distance burden. The two of them together are electric and mutually supportive. Their conversations are deep and “anchor” much of the socio-political discussions in Miranda’s first Broadway endeavor. They also sing and talk about love, being young in the Heights and America, and most resonantly, the importance of family.
There’s the matriarch of the block, a woman who never had kids herself, but saw to the children of the neighborhood as they grew up. Olga Merediz’s turn as Abuela Claudia is a touching tribute to all the women out there who have also served similar roles in blocks across America.
Then, there are two characters who play a huge part in Navi’s life. There’s his longtime crush, Melissa Barrera’s Vanessa, and the teenager who works at the bodega with him who is wise beyond his years, Gregory Diaz IV’s Sonny. Both have their own mountains to climb and are so richly developed. Vanessa works at the local salon, which is moving but has dreams of being a clothes designer and has strong opinions about opportunities afforded those who do not look like her or anyone else on the block. Sonny has an alcoholic father (played by singing superstar Marc Anthony), who he is thinking about leaving behind to go with Navi to the Dominican Republic.
Experiencing these interwoven tales, each as rich as the last is a rare treat of late. It almost seems like too much to ask filmmakers to even offer lead characters who are multifaceted, much less a deep bench ensemble, like is so ever-present in In the Heights. As such, one truly gets a sense of an entire neighborhood and the trials and tribulations that transcend race and culture. Don’t get me wrong, these are firmly Latino stories. This film should be a powerful moment across the country in how much what these souls go through mirrors the struggles of previous cultures of immigrants who came before. This is a story about the American experience that just happens to center on Washington Heights, New York City. As such, these folks’ stories should be universal and hopefully can move the needle on immigration talk across this land.
Ramos makes a talent announcement. He was stellar in A Star is Born and Honest Thief, as well as the Disney+, live broadcast of Hamilton. There is something heart-shaking—in a good way—about his turn on the big screen in In the Heights. There’s a sensitivity there that is an impeccable choice to lead us through this neighborhood. He’s an unofficial guide to the block, which is fascinating because as the story progresses, one knows he has one foot out the door. Through Ramos’ gifts, we are able to not only identify with him and everyone around him but also commiserate with the plight he experiences which are not necessarily unique.
The score is classic Miranda. There’s an unmistakable sonic succulence to it that is uniquely his. It is part rap, part song and dance, and all modern American musical. The living legend once said that he adores using rap in his musicals because you can say so much in so little time. It’s true. Rap lyric sheets are much longer. As such, he packs a lot into two-and-a-half hours that will leave audiences with much to think about. At the same time, In the Heights is not heady. It never hits you over the head. At the same time, there is plenty to marinate. It is a modern American musical that pushes the genre’s envelope on so many levels—topically and musically. It is truly a treasure. Honestly, if Hamilton is seen as instantly iconic, then In the Heights should be thought of as equally as such. It is a wickedly entertaining slice of Americana that explodes with energy, powerful messages, and an unflinching salute to the entity that is family.
The altering dynamic of the neighborhood mirrors what is going on with POC communities across the country. People talk about how Miranda captured the Zeitgeist with Hamilton. One could argue that he did it even more so with In the Heights.
Someone is incredibly organized! Whether it Miranda or someone on Chu’s team, Paciencia y Fe: Making “In the Heights” is a three-quarter of an hour detailed look at the creative joy that was crafting this film. It explores representation, casting, how it came together as an entity—including those who were a part of Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes’ original Broadway show. Chu, Miranda, Hudes, Smits, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Anthony Ramos, cinematographer Alice Brooks, thespians Corey Hawkins and Melissa Barrera, as well as assistant choreographer Princess Serrano.
The making-of In the Heights sensational six featurettes are entitled Paciencia y Fe: When You’re Home, Paciencia y Fe: Hundreds of Stories, Paciencia y Fe: Alza La Bandera/Raise the Flag, Paciencia y Fe: Wepa!, Paciencia y Fe: That Music in the Air, and Paciencia y Fe: Who Keeps our Legacies.
We are seeing this a lot on home video releases and are here for it—especially if it involves singing along with the majesty of Miranda. A pair of the more complicated tracks on the soundtrack, are given the Sing-Alongs treatment, a la karaoke flavor—In the Heights and 96,000.
In that vein, Musical Numbers features access to every single one of the 17 musical menagerie that is In the Heights soundtrack. For us, it was simple: that “Play All” feature is going to get worn out.
Film Grade: A+
Bonus Features: A