Carnaval del Washington Heights

"A dream isn't some sparkly diamond we get. Sometimes, it's rough. And it's not so pretty." - Usnavi (Anthony Ramos)

The Broken Hearts Gallery Poster — In The Heights Movie Poster (c/o IMDb)

In The Heights

PG-13

9 June 2021

2h 23 mins

Available on HBO Max & Cinemas

Directed by John M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians)

Based on In The Heights Broadway Musical by Quiara Alegría Hudes & Lin-Manuel Miranda

Starring Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, Jimmy Smits, & Lin-Manuel Miranda

Synopsis:

In the Heights is a 2021 American musical drama film based on the Broadway musical of the same name by Quiara Alegria Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the film tells the story of a corner of the predominantly Latinx Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in Nueva York City, where every member of the community pursues their dreams for a better life.

Jhanya: With the continuous surge of movie adaptations today of different forms of media, Broadway musical adaptations have proven to be difficult to pull off and come out at least competent (ex. Cats and The Last Five Years). And because of this, movie fans and critics alike have been slowly losing hope for movie musicals over the years. But Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights surpasses these below-average expectations with flying colors, literally. With the help of director Jon M. Chu (Step Up), Lin-Manuel brings us the liveliest and most joyous musical movie we’ve had in a while.

Set in the bustling north Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights, we follow our narrator, Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) as he tells the story of a community filled with people striving for their “sueñito” or “little dream.” Running the convenience store with his cousin Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV), and performing the first song “In The Heights”, Usnavi introduces us to the key characters in the story. We also come to know of his “sueñito” of going back to the Dominican Republic, his hometown to start a new life and salvage his father’s old business on the beach. Throughout the film, we find out more about the people of Washington Heights, how each of them works to achieve their own dreams and keep their small Latinx neighborhood alive amidst the continuously modernizing city of Nueva York.

Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) and Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV) in the convenience store.

Ria: In the Heights, what a dream, what a production. The first time I’d heard of the production was when I was scrolling through Google (it’s one of my guilty pleasures?). I got so hyped up because Lin-Manuel Miranda is one of the producers (I am a huge HUGE Hamilton fan). And around early June, I read an article singing praises about the movie, so I couldn’t wait to watch it.

Watching it for the first time was surreal. The plotline was done wonderfully and each of the songs had its own nice twists, whether it be a hip-hop-rap or a ballad. The hip-hop-rap ones really gave me Hamilton vibes heheh. In this review, I will try to focus more on the different details of the movie – choreography and ensemble, acting, production, cinematography

With In the Heights being a musical, I had high expectations for their soundtrack, ensemble, and choreography, and I am very happy to say, all my boxes were ticked off and even exceeded. Their ensemble did a wonderful job backing up the solo parts and putting together each song. They were one big force of nature with the singing and the choreography. OH the choreography!! It was absolutely wonderful (can’t say that I’m not going to be practicing those). My favorite choreography has got to be the one in the pool. It didn’t stop them from pulling out all the stops and they pulled it off really really well. The movie’s soundtrack was also really great. Each song told the story well and varied from each other. No two songs were very alike and the setting also fit perfectly with each song.

Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) during the musical number "96,000".

Having said this, the cinematography throughout the movie was astounding. From the early sunrises to the blackouts, to the different places of the community going to downtown even, were all crafted really well. Like I said in the previous paragraph, the tone for each song matched the cinematography for the specific scene. The actors and actresses were also quite superb. They were able to showcase emotion (especially Nina!!) in each of the songs, ranging from happy and joyous to sad and emotional to disappointment. I also have to point out that the dancing skills of Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) are absolutely astounding and wonderful.

I really gotta hand it to the movie’s production, they did so well.

And of course, there is no way I’m skipping out on gushing over my absolute favorite scene – Benny and Nina’s duet of When the Sun Goes Down. Their chemistry in that song was off the charts and their choreography of dancing at the side of the building was very creative. Both actors delivered very well in terms of acting, singing, and dancing.

Nina (Leslie Grace) and Benny (Corey Hawkins) in "When the Sun Goes Down".

Jhanya: I definitely have to agree with Ria on this one. The musical performances blew me away. I had to pause about 10 minutes into the movie because I was so impressed by the opening, “In The Heights”. All the big upbeat musical numbers throughout the movie will have the whole audience dancing and tapping to the beat because of the whole cast and ensemble’s very colorful and high-energy performance. One can also feel the culture, community, and history of Washington Heights through these numbers which I believe is a huge factor that sets apart In The Heights from other movie musicals.

The cinematography for each scene matched the emotion in each one which really has the viewer going through a rollercoaster of emotions throughout. However, there were a lot of cuts during the dancing parts in the musical performances which pulled me out at times and made it seem like they were music videos instead of a movie. It also kind of made the movie feel a bit dragging as there’s a part in the film that is so fast-paced that had musical number after musical number and it sped up the narrative so much.

Some of the main cast during the celebratory dinner.

Going to specifics, I really applaud Olga Merediz’s (Abuela Claudia) performance because she delivered. Every time she was in a scene she stole the show for me, and her performance during Paciencia Y Fe had me tearing up at how good it was. The choreography during this performance alone showed how good the whole production team was. Merediz really brought Abuela’s character to life on the big screen and kudos to the team for giving her the chance to reprise her role in the movie after playing the character for years on stage (and almost winning a Tony Award for it). After watching the film, I really think that Abuela Claudia is the heart and soul of In The Heights.

Other than Paciencia Y Fe and Merediz’s performance, the musical number for No Me Diga really caught my attention. Sure, Carnaval del Barrio was the peak Latinx big musical number of the film, but the charm of No Me Diga’s Gossip at the hair salon is so fun and really representative of what happens in a lot of Latinx (and even Filipino) salons. I’d just also like to commend Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV) for his performance in 96,000 because he really took over that song when he started rapping. And, can I just say, 96,000 is such a perfect musical song to be adapted to film. From the setting, the choreography, and the ensemble, just, WOW.

Daniela (Daphne Rubin-Vega), Carla (Stephanie Beatriz), Cuca (Dascha Polanco), Nina (Leslie Grace), and Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) during "No Me Diga".

Also, an unpopular opinion, but I actually like the placement of Carnaval del Barrio after you know (I can’t say coz spoiler). It may seem a bit disrespectful for some, but I think it’s the perfect song to energize the audience again. As the purpose of the song isn’t just to hype up the people of Washington Heights during the blackout, but also the viewers who were probably emotional after the previous song.

Ria: The themes of this movie are straightforward and complex at the same time. From the start, different themes have already been incorporated and most of them are close to my heart.

I’ve been chasing my dream since I was a little kid and as it is the main theme, the movie really pierced through my heart. Each character’s dream is incorporated slowly starting with Usnavi. Usnavi longs to build back up his dad’s home in the Dominican Republic. He tells how manning the bodega (small convenience store) was just a temporary thing because his real goal was to go back to his roots. Now, Nina’s a person who everyone thinks will be the one to get out of their community. She’s hardworking, has wonderful grades, and attends Stanford! However, with the discrimination against Latinx people and the scarily high payments, she tells her dad she dropped out instead. However, throughout the whole movie, we see her passion to make a difference, to represent her community, and to make her community a better place. For Vanessa, her dream is to get her own place downtown and be a fashion designer. Benny’s dream is the most romantic since I believe he just wants to see Nina be successful and be with her along the way. However, he also would like to be a businessman (as revealed in 96,000). Finally, Sonny, the youngest, just wants to get a green card. Each story shows the roadblocks one might encounter when chasing one’s dream – the discrimination, the rejections, the hardships, and the disappointments. But, at the end of the day, it really depends on the person’s choice to either give up or keep fighting. I really hope that we keep fighting and never give up our dream.

With the two love teams being rooted for – Usnavi and Vanessa, and Benny and Nina – love is a clear theme in the movie as well. Although I don’t think it is highlighted much, the romantic side of the story is blended well into the plotline. What the movie highlights more is the love within the community and the love that they have for each other. This is connected with the next theme.

Having a sense of community can be complicated, if not difficult, for some. But, for others being part of the community is something that comes naturally, just like in the movie. The awesome relationships intertwined within the community honestly melts my heart. It’s honestly so nice to see the community know each other so well. Not just that, but everyone also knows what everyone is doing. This sense of unity and community is imperative in our time today, with the global pandemic and political and economic unrest. We need to feel like we still belong in our community and this movie really showed that.

Jhanya: Another over-arching theme of the movie is its focus on the Latinx community and their culture. As a Filipino who grew up in a fairly Spanish-cultured household, a lot of the characteristics and settings in the movie were accurate and had me giggling at parts because of how true they were (for context, Filipino and Latinx have very similar cultures as both were colonized by Spain and other Hispanic countries). Being the main goal of the film, they did a great job in highlighting and representing not only the celebratory and resilient culture but also the struggles of being a Latinx living in the United States. But it didn’t romanticize it in a way that all of it was resolved and everyone had a happy ending. Most of the subplots were actually left with loose ends that will have the audience curious as to what happened next. It may be scary for some, but that’s how it is in real life, sometimes all you can do is take a leap of faith.

Final Thoughts

Ria: Probably the only minor complaint that I have is that I do not understand some simple Spanish words incorporated into their dialogue. Yes, they are simple, but I don’t know much Spanish so I had to use a lot of context clues where necessary. But I think I can contribute that to the fact that I’m very used to reading subtitles when watching a movie so it may have been a bit weird for me to watch In the Heights without any.

Overall, In the Heights is something I really recommend for everyone to watch. Even if you’re not a musical junkie, this movie-musical might make you one. It tackles and shows all the right things. I also really hope that this movie can become a huge stepping stone in the inclusion of Latinx people in the different areas of our society. The movie’s abundance of cultural footprint defense, love, and pride really brings hope to our society.

Jhanya: I may have a few nitpicks here and there, but In The Heights is definitely my favorite movie for 2021 so far (trust me I’ve watched a lot of movies this year lmao). It was the perfect movie to start the summer with, with its very hot and summer vibes. Sure, it wasn’t the most faithful musical to movie adaptation, and some characters were robbed (I’m looking at you, Abuela, Benny, and Nina. You deserved more tbh). But they also added some parts that really showcased other characters more than in the stage version (Sonny and Venessa). All in all, the movie was beautifully produced and the plot made sense in the movie context. In The Heights made me feel alive after watching it, which is honestly how I feel whenever I watch Broadway shows before, but never in movie musicals (until this ofc).

I highly recommend this film to everyone that is in need of some energy because it just gives the viewers so much hope and joy while watching. And if you could watch it on the big screen, do so (safely, of course). I definitely wish I could've because this movie deserves to be seen in its full potential.