2021
PG
Jon M. Chu (Director)
Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace
Musical
Netflix
Fueled by music and cafĂ© con leche, a bodega owner and his tight-knit crew of regulars chase dreams and face challenges in NYC’s Washington Heights. (Synopsis)
I knew of In the Heights but had not seen it or even heard much music from it before watching the recent movie version. From the start, you could hear it was written by the same composer as Hamilton; however, unlike that more famous show, the music in this one was fine 'in the moment', but it was not memorable and I couldn't hum any of it once the film had finished. The storyline and characters were okay, but again, not quite as compelling as Hamilton; however, the performances by the cast were all excellent, and I enjoyed Jon M. Chu's direction. There were some great visuals and set pieces, including dancing down the side of building. It was colourful and vibrant and is definitely worth a watch. But whereas Hamilton songs often pop into my head, I don't see myself walking around the house singing anything from In the Heights. As musicals go, it's a middle-of-the-road offering: not bad, and with some good moments, but not stellar. It gets 3.5 stars from me, which I will round up to a four for the great visuals in the movie version.
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