In The Heights (2021)

John M. Chu has made an old fashioned musical that captures Lin-Manuel Miranda's unrelenting optimism, and this mix, especially when it's all centred around the adorably loveable Anthony Ramos, is probably the most joyous thing to hit the screens in a long time. In The Heights is a story that skirts the issues of poverty and discrimination but never succumbs to a hint of darkness. Instead it is absolutely about love, community, and inspiration. That might be hard for the cynics to take, but they will likely still lose the battle, especially in light of just how infectious the film is from the music to the spirited cinematography, to the loveable cast. In The Heights is a big huge shot of compassion and joy. 

I normally have a hard time with such stuff but Chu does such an amazing job of making it all feel honest and genuine. It isn't Chicken Soup for the Soul sap. He tells his story by paying homage to the classic screen musicals of the past and finds a modern techinicolour-ish aesthetic that harkens to the sort of stories that get in our heads and won't let go, like the music in it. The scenes of the city coming alive to dance in the streets are incredibly choreographed and both pay tribute to the past but also feel essentially modern and of the moment. The pool scene especially stands out as the kind of number one wants to just rewatch again and again. But it was the moment when Benny and Nina started dancing up the side of the building, riffing on the Fred Astaire's famous "ceiling" number from Royal Wedding, that sold me. In The Heights has classic written all over it and it's shooting for the stars. 

And it helps that Miranda's songs are so infectious endlessly singable. Less familiar and somewhat less dense than his Hamilton catalog, the songs here are all the kind that make you smile and hum along. Cause that's what this film is about. Hope. Inspiration. The film looks death in the face and stays positively optimistic. It faces racism down with love. The main criticism I would have is how easily it dismisses the evil all around it with an overly simple "love is all we need" sort of message. But the strength of the film is how well it sells it. You believe it, even if just for a moment. 

The film is beautifully performed by a talented cast of beautiful people who shine both as actors and singers (as well as dancers now that you mention it). The film is a warm hug that is practically impossible not to smile through and that smile will likely stick with you as you leave the cinema. Sure it's fantasy, never really digging deep into just how entrenched the barriers are which its characters are facing. But it also doesn't talk down to its audience and assume that these are not real problems. It just lets us set those problems aside for a long enough to rest and pick ourselves back up to get right back at it. And maybe that is worth smiling for. 

In The Heights

Starring: Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Jimmy Smitts, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Marc Anthony

Director: John M. Chu

Writer: Quiara Alegria Hudes