In the Heights Review (Film, 2021)

I’m not going to bury the lead here. In the Heights is a spectacular movie musical. The adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical from composer Lin-Manuel Miranda and book writer Quiara Alegría Hudes soars onscreen. The show has been refocused to have the same impact and themes in a more contemporary context.

Here, the main antagonist is the struggles created by the outside influence on the Latine community in Washington Heights. A new subplot tackles the DACA/Dreamers issue that could potentially stop the younger generation of people in the neighborhood from achieving the dreams their families want for them. In the Heights has, quite literally, always been about dreams, but the theme takes on a new focus when the challenges facing the bodega, the beauty shop, the dispatch, the future of the young people, and even Abuela herself are given clear, direct scenes establishing the stakes.

For those unfamiliar, In the Heights is a rap, hip-hop, and Latin music musical narrated by Usnavi. He runs the bodego that everyone goes to in the neighborhood. Like all the people in the Washington Heights community, he has dreams of a better life to make his community proud. However, the reality of expenses in NYC starts putting some of these dreams on hold, even causing the core businesses in the neighborhood to sell part or all of their property for the owner’s survival. Still, the community sticks together under the watchful eye of Abuela, who always encourages all of her children to care for each other and go after their dreams, no matter how big or small.

Director John M. Chu adds in a layer of magical realism to create a sharp distinction between the dreams and reality of the neighborhood. This is a close knit community that is always there to support each other, even if they aren’t physically in the same place. There is a level of fantasy imagery used in almost every song. In “In the Heights,” Usnavi steps on a piece of gum, causing a sewer grate to spin like a turntable when the song starts. Later on, as he stares out the window of his bodega, we see the reflection of the entire neighborhood dancing and singing along with his story; a jump cut later and Usnavi is literally presented as the center of the community; the song ends and most of those people are not physically there anymore.

That’s just the first song. Almost every song gets these moments, big or small. Nina tries to find a quiet place to center herself in “Breathe,” but everywhere she tries to hide the adoring eyes of the community show up to celebrate her accomplishments in going to Stanford. “No Me Diga” sees the wigheads in the beauty shop dancing along with the gossip. “96000” sees the young people manifest their dreams as bright white line drawings that grow out of their hands. Vanessa sees bolts of beautiful fabric she dreams of designing with fly from the sky as she runs away from the neighborhood, the only one whose dreams require her to leave the community behind.

In one of the most drastic and brilliant changes to the original show, Abuela’s beautiful song “Paciencia y Fe” is presented after the blackout as a full on dream sequence. Abuela imagines her childhood growing up in poverty in Cuba coming to life in the subways of NYC. This leads back into one of the few songs without an element of fantasy in the film, “Alabanza,” more than justifying the narrative choice.

While the origin of magical realism is sometimes debated, its influence on the literature and art of Latin America is undeniable. It is a fantastical tool used to underscore the greater themes of a work. It’s not that the world is full of magic that influences everyday life; it’s that these magical images guide and evolve with the real life issues and themes these characters are experiencing. In In the Heights, everyone has a dream, and the whole neighborhood will always be there to support it, no matter how small.

When I tell you I sobbed throughout most of the film, I’m not lying. I hoped that In the Heights would be anywhere near as good as the masterful musical I saw on Broadway in 2008. I’ve seen many musicals lose themselves when transitioning from stage to screen. In the Heights, despite all the reordering, adjusted plots, and cut songs/characters, feels like In the Heights. The music, the characters, the theme, and the story are as fun, moving, and beautiful as I remember them. I cried not from sadness (though there are sad moments), but from the overwhelming beauty of what I experienced onscreen.

I’ve long believed that In the Heights, as a stage musical, is one of the greatest and most important American theatrical texts. Miranda’s score proved in 2007 that rap and hip-hop could be used as the backbone of a commercial musical. We rarely see stage shows by and about Latine communities receive major commercial runs on Broadway; In the Heights was a smash hit with critics and audiences alike. The show received 13 Tony Award nominations, winning for Musical, Score, Choreography, and Orchestrations. The one-two punch of In the Heights and Passing Strange dominating the 2007-2008 Broadway season as the most acclaimed new musicals had a long-reaching impact on what is considered commercial theatre in the largest market in America.

The greatest aspect of the movie musical is accessibility. Theatre is inherently a smaller, less accessible art form. You have to be in the right location at the right time with the right amount of money to see a specific production of live theatre. All the critical praise in the world means nothing for people who cannot afford all the barriers to access for expensive markets like Broadway. A film adaptation this great of In the Heights instantly tears down most of these barriers. I didn’t even need to leave my house to watch it: I streamed it on HBOMax. I paid ten times that for a seat that met my needs at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in 2008, not counting the bus fair in and out of the city. Shows have only become more expensive since then.

I will always celebrate a good movie musical adaptation because it helps keep theatre alive. In the Heights could be the movie musical that convinces a young person to pursue a career in theatre, and they get to see it at all because the investment was made to adapt a highly theatrical text to film. I think in the Heights is a film that everyone should watch if they can.

In the Heights is playing in theatres and streaming on HBOMax until 11 July 2021.