In the Heights (2021 Film) Review

Quiara Alegría Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda's 2005 musical receives a silver screen adaptation, directed by Jon M. Chu.

In Washington Heights, many dream of a better future for themselves and their loved ones, with one such individual contemplating closing his bodega and retiring to the Dominican Republic.

"In the Heights" stars Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, Stephanie Beatriz, Dascha Polanco, Jimmy Smits, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Marc Anthony, and Noah Catala.

Jon M. Chu ("Crazy Rich Asians") directed "In the Heights." Quiara Alegría Hudes wrote the screenplay. Miranda, Hudes, Scott Sanders, Anthony Bregman, and Mara Jacobs co-produced this film. Warner Bros. Pictures distributed "In the Heights," which will be available to watch in theaters and on HBO Max June 18th. "In the Heights" is 143 minutes long and is Rated PG-13 "for some language and suggestive references."

Overall Thoughts

Although I enjoy Lin-Manuel Miranda's music, his style tends to be somewhat overpowering to me. It is great in small doses, but Miranda frequently packages his music in large doses, with the exception of his collaborations with Disney on both "Moana" and "Mary Poppins Returns." Like "Hamilton," "In the Heights" fills its runtime with so many musical numbers that there is not much time to elaborate on character and story without the accompaniment of instruments or choreographed dances. With that summation, you are likely to know now if this film is for you. While "In the Heights" contains a message that is all-encompassing, the route it takes to convey that message is designed to please a specific audience. That is, die-hard fans of Lin-Manuel Miranda's music.

"In the Heights" hits the ground running with a terrific, toe-tapping, beat-humming number. As the songs keep piling on, however, it becomes increasingly exhausting. Like being in a dance party that goes long into the night, the film runs out of energy before it's actually over. Close to the two-hour mark, I thought the film was preparing to wrap up, unaware a half-hour remained. As mentioned above, the film is 143 minutes long and "In the Heights" certainly feels its length because there isn't a lot of variety to the narrative structure. It is akin to "Hamilton" where the songs are jam-packed and dictate everything else, particularly the story and characters. 

For a film about the individual as well as community, there is an overemphasis on the community and not enough focus on the individual members of the community. There are a few key characters focused on - Anthony Ramos' is arguably the most prevalent - but it is all through a single facet. With Ramos' character, he is focused only on whether he will give up on his bodega and leave Washington Heights for the Dominican Republic. Everything else about him and his relationships is tied to this question and the film leaves no room for other developmental facets, though it appears like it seeks to focus on him more and yet cannot because of the number of characters and musical numbers there are to make room for, despite the long runtime.

"In the Heights" is not entirely all song and dance sequences, but that does take up a majority of the runtime. Musical numbers do have the capacity to build character and this film does do that, but only through a specific angle: the Washington Heights community. Too few numbers focus on individuals and their personal dilemmas. It's largely ensemble numbers, showing various sections of the community and yet not diving into the people within those sections. Songs are usually about being vocal, standing together as one, so the focus is appropriately more collaborative than individual, leaving that part of the story static for some time. When it opts to be more about specific individuals, it feels conflictive to the opposite position. Whenever a character comes around for an intimate, personal number, it's their only opportunity to shine because non-musical sequences are concerned with focussing on so many characters. While this is a well-acted ensemble piece, the number of characters featured and unequaled focus between them makes it easy to lose track of them. Notwithstanding, the cast are all-around stellar. Talented singers, dancers, and musicians populate the film and help build its encouraging message.

"In the Heights" has an uplifting through line about dreams, where they come from, what they mean, and how the reality of the world mixed with the fantasy can create something beautiful. That the cast is diverse, featuring actors of differing ages and ethnicities lends support to this all-encompassing, multi-generational message at play. Its musical numbers add to its message as, given they are largely ensemble pieces, each one tells the stages of a dream: the fantasy, the reality, and how to create the best and most sustainable life possible by mixing both. Plenty of films discuss dreams through an idealized perspective and also imbue them with careful and deliberate dosages of the real world, but "In the Heights" stands apart because it tells this story exclusively through musical numbers, full of complex choreography. It is more than what the camera is focused on, there's dancers all in the background, doing their own thing, yet following the rhythm and speed of the music.

An energetic cast, musical numbers, and powerful themes make "In the Heights" worth a trip to the cinemas. In this reviewer's opinion, it could have done with more development of its main characters and been less lengthy, but my qualms do not detract much from what this film has to offer. With theaters opening up, this would make for prime theatrical viewing, but those of you who feel more tepid toward the film and going to theaters again might benefit with the in-home option via HBO Max.

Conclusion

This has been my review of "In the Heights." Have you seen the film? If you have, I would like to hear your thoughts in the comments below. This is Dallin, your resident film fanatic. Thank you for reading.