In the Heights (2021)
Review of In the Heights (2021), directed by Jon M. Chu
I am such a big fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s work. Every single day of college, when I was attending a university in Midtown Manhattan, I entered the Hamilton lottery because I have been addicted to that soundtrack ever since I was a sophomore in high school.
I remember when I was low in my mental health and taking the bus to and from New York and Maryland to go home, I’d listen to songs like “Hurricane” and tell myself I was like Hamilton. I wanted to write something that was going to outlive me.
Naturally, I knew about In the Heights because it’s what marked Lin-Manuel Miranda on the Broadway map. I knew of exactly one song on it though: “Breathe.” I used to blast that song when I felt the expectations of the world on my shoulders.
Besides that, I knew nothing about the plot of the show, nor any of its songs. It was now, in 2022, when I got HBO Max for work I finally had the chance to watch the movie version of the show, and man I was absolutely blown away. Let’s dive into this review.
In Washington Heights, New York City, a Latinx community searches for their little dreams
I do want to say upfront that I am not Latina, nor do I have any ancestry that pertains to the Caribbean. I am a mixed Iranian-American viewing this from the perspective of someone for that background, so I can’t really speak towards authenticity or anything that is culturally familiar to me (or if this is good representation). I suggest that you should do your research from Latino/a voices and see how it pertains to their experiences.
I will say, however, that this was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who grew up in New York City and is Puerto Rican. So he does have a personal connection to the events depicted in the movie. He also appears in it alongside with Christopher Jackson, his original Benny, as the ice cream truck and ice guy fighting over their territory.
In the Heights is told from the perspective of Usnavi (Anthony Ramos of the Hamilton fame), a guy who owns a bodega store at the corner of a Hispanic neighborhood in Washington Heights. He introduces himself in the first scene and how he’s an orphan who wants to go back to the Dominican Republic.
That’s his end goal: to go back home and live a comfortable life outside of New York. The other characters and scene of the movie is wonderfully set up in the first scene, as we meet everyone from Benny, Nina’s father, Vanessa, Abuela, and Sony, the high schooler Usnavi employs.
Each of the characters has their own dream, which is the thread that weaves all of this together. Benny wants to date Nina, who went away to Stanford, but Nina returns at the beginning of the movie and reveals she dropped out of Stanford. Nina’s struggle is what she faced at Stanford, the racism, and how she eventually finds a greater purpose in using the system to beat it.
Vanessa wants to leave her roots and move to the Lower East Side and become a fashion designer. The local nail shop girls are all priced out of the neighborhood due to the soaring rent. Abuela is the mom of the neighborhood even though she has no kids of her own.
In the Heights is a wonderful movie to watch. The songs are catchy, not too forced into the narrative, and the location rarely changes. There are some brilliant interjections here and there, such as the “lights go back up back up backup” during the song “Blackout,” where Sonny has people physically move back as the fireworks are lit. The movie weaves community in it in a way that feels homey and familiar, something that isn’t fabricated for the screen.
I very much like that the movie doesn’t feel like it has to explain Latin culture to you. You’re just expected to be immersed in this world and if you don’t understand it, then that’s your problem.
You kind of have to choose to be mentally stumped rather than excepting things as the story and culture, especially when it comes to the Spanish. It reminds me of West Side Story (2021), where Spielberg deliberately chose not to translate any of the Spanish.
Many overarching themes are present. Nina’s racism at Stanford. The slow gentrification of the neighborhood, which only is won when the ice cream truck man loses his battle. Vanessa and Usnavi’s love story and learning how to stop running from their home. Sonny being an illegal immigrant who can’t go to college. Abuela dying.
There’s so much packed into this movie with a lot of meaning, and while we neatly dust off each of these nook and crannies, it makes sense. The music is good, the culture is vibrant, and it feels deliciously alive.
Overall Thoughts
Watch In the Heights at least once. It’s the lesser known of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s two musicals, and while he now has a directing credit under his belt with Tick, Tick…Boom! I think his vision truly came alive with Jon M. Chu. “Blackout” is also now one of my favorite musical theatre numbers ever.
Watch the Broadway version here. As I am unfamiliar with the theatrical edition of the musical, I can’t attest to the changes and tweaks that they made.I do hope that the Benny and Nina storyline got a little bit more in the original Broadway version, that’s for sure. I wanted to see more of the two of them. Besides that, it was a solid movie.
