Elliot’s Watching week of 6-20-21: In the Heights, the movie

Elliot’s Watching week of 6-20-21

The Jon M. Chu film adaptation (2021) of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s debut musical, In the Heights, is an over-the-top extravaganza that in my view turns what on stage was probably a straightforward and moving personal drama, about LMM’s youth and background, into a bloated and saccharine mess. Terrible to say - because there is much to like about this project and some powerful moments for sure, notably the opening eponymous musical tribute to and evocation of this Manhattan neighborhood. The highlight of course comes from LMM’s original songs and his fantastic use of imagery and rhyme, in part in the tradition of rap and in part in the long tradition of musical theater. We can see and hear the seeds of the confidence and originality that blossoms in Hamilton - LMM’s unique use of recitative, in particular. That said, in the end Heights is not so much a tribute to or evocation of the neighborhood as it is a romanticized and idealized bit of memory: In the Heights there seems to be no crime, no poverty, no significant conflict among the denizens, a complete unity and brotherhood. The framing device, in which the protagonist tells a story to a group of adorable and supernaturally attentive children, is trite and corny. The dance sequences are a marvel of technicality but they are completely overwhelming - hundreds of dancers in synch, whereas 6 would be great. A movie doesn’t have to be bigger - just faithful, and maybe better. And this is in part me, but the sound engineering of this film seemed to me way out of whack: In every song, even simple solos and duets, the bass vibe was cranked way, way up to the point where LMM’s beautiful lyrics were simply drowned. I wish I’d seen the play on Broadway, and I came to this movie with high expectations, which were not met.