Miranda clearly has a reverence to this time period in New York, letting its sketchy streets, grimy subways, and Larson’s dirty apartment act as a stage for him to be constantly inspired by. Spending what money he doesn’t have on house parties, he’s an almost cartoonish figure who can break into song at any moment and get everyone grooving along. Garfield as Larson is what can only be described in the earliest chunk of the movie as the life of the party. As he proclaims in the opening number, he’s been plagued by that titular “ticking” sound, that anxiety that comes with the metaphorical clock of time running out, and that moment leading up to that burst of creative eureka.Īnd as stressful as that can sound, Larson is still depicted as the picture of that college theater student who hasn’t lost an ounce of luster for the craft. Weeks away from turning 30, he’s on the cusp of what could be his defining moment, getting the chance to put on a preview of his futuristic rock musical, “Superbia”. Here, Miranda as director and writer Steven Levenson keep Larson’s music and lyrics intact, as the movie cuts to Garfield and his backup performers (played by Vanessa Hudgens, Joshua Henry, and more) to let the musical act as a sort of narration for the time of his life we’ve spend most of the movie in. While those movies showcase his own musical gifts via an array of colorful showstoppers, his directorial debut tick, tick…Boom! finds him taking a backseat and at the service of another musical genius, Johnathan Larson, and the result is the musical marvel of the year that proves - among much more - Miranda is a force to be reckoned with no matter what side of the camera he’s on.īased on Larson’s autobiographical musical of the same name, the story follows him (played here by Andrew Garfield) in 1990 as he approaches his 30th birthday, feeling like he’s miles away from the success musicians like Stephen Sondheim and Paul McCartney achieved by his age. There was the summer spectacle In the Heights (based on him and Quiara Alegría Hudes’ musical), the okay animated flick Vivo (which he wrote the music for and had the title voice role), and this month’s Disney animated feature Encanto (which he wrote the music for and contributed to the story). REVIEW: As far as musicals on the big screen go, 2021, and perhaps the foreseeable future, belongs to Lin-Manuel Miranda, who has had his name on four big films this year in some capacity. PLOT: An adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s autobiographical musical recounts his life nearing the age of 30, feeling like his career in musical theater is not where he thought it would be.
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