Despite its overlong runtime, “In the Heights” is a successful take on the now-rare big-budget musical. There have been entries these past few years, but many are either derivative (Disney’s live-action “Aladdin”) or complete disasters (2019’s “Cats”). While “In the Heights” is no timeless classic, it thankfully avoids these categories. If I could compare it to anything, it would be cotton candy: light and airy, but still sweet and a good treat for the summer months.
The film follows the residents of Washington Heights, a New York neighborhood where everyone is chasing their dreams and falling in love. This setup is a good fit for a musical, and the filmmakers have obviously studied the genre’s 1950s and ’60s heyday, mining the classics of that era for inspiration.
Director Jon Chu (of “Crazy Rich Asians” success) creates a hyperreality of emotion in which everyone and everything is turned up to eleven; even the most mundane parts of contemporary New York are turned into a beautiful and energetic party. This is a place where the public pool can turn into a dance-off involving hundreds, during which each resident sings/raps about their dream of winning the lottery and changing the world. Chu manages to keep the visuals focused during these crazier parts, making the story and world seem cohesive throughout. It’s not a realistic world by any means, but it feels lived-in.
This movie will get you invested purely based on how likable the performances are. These actors are clearly gifted, and everyone plays to their strengths. The bad singers are kept away from the solos, and the best dancers are given the bulk of the dancing. They all convert the clichéd chunks of plot into something more substantial using just their delivery or charisma. Anthony Ramos deserves praise for turning his potentially boring everyman Usnavi into a genuine and affable guy. What at first seemed like a thin and worn-out romance subplot had me rooting for the two leads because it just felt wrong not to. That niceness can be refreshing, but it’s also the source of the movie’s many weaknesses.
The tone was far too sugary and naive. Despite all of the drama and romance that seems to be going on, you slowly realize how low the stakes are. There’s only a single cartoonishly mean person in the whole movie, and nobody stays sad longer than a few minutes. The whole film would feel too light if it didn’t have a core theme of community to ground everything. While it gestures at some important social messages, it either doesn’t explore most of them with much depth or drops them from scene to scene. The plot is almost afraid to ruin the characters’ good times while they find any reason to start a song number no matter how forgettable or irrelevant it is.
Your taste in music will obviously color your opinion of the movie. None of the songs are outright bad, but the best are squeezed into one twenty-minute sequence in the middle with lots of filler before and after. If you can hang with musicals in general, specifically the ones Miranda has put out, you will probably enjoy the movie. But if you haven’t already bought into his style, you may want to avoid this one. I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of either, but of the unique uplifting/melodrama/hip-hop niche he’s made, this is probably a great example.
Despite its length and size, “In the Heights” comes off feeling a little slight. However, it never feels hollow, and its best moments feel earned. As a piece of entertainment, there are very few things coming out right now that can match its tempo.
“In the Heights” is now playing in theaters and available to stream on HBO Max.
Cast: Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, Jimmy Smits
