'In The Heights' Squanders Potential
Something tells me that Lin-Manuel Miranda isn’t exactly singing and dancing right about now. Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of Miranda’s musical In The Heights debuted June 10th in theaters and on HBO Max, and the response has been….less than optimal. There are many people that wish the box office was the only place in which the film falls short, but some allege that its casting choices are an instantiation of colorism.
Plenty have voiced their grievances, and plenty have covered the story, as Miranda issued an apology for the casting disparity. Yes, casting could have done better - an important mistake to point out. The ethnic picture painted here was not an accurate one. Though it seems we should be careful not to punish Miranda for being one of the few men brave enough to pick up a brush. That said, I invite you all to shift your gaze; If you look out of the left-hand window folks, you’ll see we’re coming up on the more cinematic elements of the film. Keep an eye out for their merit - or in some cases, lack thereof.
At first pass, it may feel overacted. But it is important to keep in mind that the story originated in the theater and was written for that medium. On stage, the emotion needs to reach the cheap seats. Anthony Ramos does very well playing our protagonist, Usnavi. Remarkably well, considering the task at hand; making things that are baked into the script, like minor theatrical soliloquies for example, seem organic. Ramos does more than enough to firmly establish that he was the right choice. Corey Hawkins and Leslie Grace clearly earned their spot on the cast as well. The film is replete with interesting visual transitions, scene to scene. This is especially true during the musical numbers, so as to keep the musical-wary audience engaged.
The bad news? In The Heights strikes a rather inconsistent tone. With borderline comical numbers tailgating sad scenes, this is the first bone I’ll pick. The music was good. Very good - compelling numbers choreographed to a tee - but what’s more impressive is Miranda’s unwillingness to compromise any of the story’s clarity for musical sequences of this quality. This is precisely what made Hamilton’s soundtrack a smash hit; However for In The Heights it became a crutch, the tentpole of the film. If we as a viewership were given the chance to metabolize these sequences, before being quickly lurched into the next one, they would be more effective. The currency becomes inflated, and the story is less accessible as a result. There comes a moment when a death occurs; a sad, reflective moment for all, and instead of letting us live in that solemnity, a larger-than-life, upbeat number rides beneath it, stripping some of the value from the footage.
In The Heights has its strengths, unquestionably. If you’ve ever spent time in Manhattan during the summer, the set design will likely transport you there. The rooms feel hot, the air conditioning feels insufficient and the fire hydrants feel refreshing. There are a number of frames in the film that are simply stunning, like capturing a lens-flare at the perfect moment at sunset. I cannot remember the last time that harsh, outdoor, noon lighting looked this good. Cinematographer Alice Brooks is deserving of a lot of credit.
When the sun went down, it fell on the shoulders of Jon Chu to be decisive, and to chart the right course for this project. For obvious reasons, a lot of work was put into the sound design. Additionally, there seems to be an extreme-halation of almost every light source - a deliberate choice during the post-production process, draping the whole movie in a dream-like feeling. Subtle CGI makes its way into certain scenic shots as well. What I am getting at here, is that perhaps Chu overproduced this one. When this story has been successful in the past, it was on a stage. Built only out of singing, dancing, and acting. That’s it. This gives the story a chance to stand on its own two feet, as opposed to being overcooked in an editing room.
Dammit can Lin-Manuel Miranda write a piece of music. If the story were less important, perhaps that would have been enough to carry it, despite it all. But if you saturate a product to this degree, you run the risk of making it feel like one long Apple commercial. And no matter how good the music on that ad is, you’re still going to press ‘Skip’ as soon as you get option.