When Lin-Manuel Miranda’s name comes up, the cultural phenomenon Hamilton usually comes to mind. However, it was his 2008 Broadway smash, In the Heights, that was his ticket to stardom. Initially optioned for film eight months after its Broadway debut, the movie version of In the Heights arrives after numerous delays due to cancellations and COVID.
Like the musical, In the Heights centers around the Latinx members of the tight-knit, working-class Manhattan neighborhood and the ups and downs they encounter as each pursues their dreams of a better life in or away from the Heights.
After being labeled “bad hombres” and why Americans can’t find a job or feel safe, there’s a need to show who our Latinx brothers and sisters are. Does bringing In the Heights from stage to film meet that need?
By the time the first musical number ends, it’s clear that In the Heights rises to the occasion in every aspect of filmmaking and that starts with director Jon M. Chu. Drawing from both his work in two Step Up films and 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians, Chu uses skillfully uses excellent camera work and colors to paint what’s ultimately a beautiful picture of life in the Heights.
The camera work and colors, courtesy of Chu’s partnering with cinematographer Alice Brooks, offer a stylized but still natural look for the film. Perfectly captured sequences such as the opening dance number and the scene at the pool feature radiant colors and varying camera angles emit infectious energy that feels spectacular but not produced to a point where it feels over the top. Ironically, it’s the work in the more solemn “Paciencia Y Fe” scene that won me over.
The wins for In the Heights keep coming with the music. While Miranda primarily used hip-hop to tell the Hamilton story, he uses a more diverse soundtrack for In the Heights. The musical numbers feature various forms of Latinx music, hip-hop, and even old Hollywood standards. Most of the songs are catchy and run gratuitously long, but the standout among them is “Home All Summer,” an original song written by Miranda specifically for the film.
On the acting side, the cast is almost flawless, with two previous Miranda collaborators standing out. Hamilton alum Anthony Ramos replaces Miranda as bodega owner Usnavi in the film and carries the film. After plenty of supporting roles, Ramos’s combination of earnest enthusiasm and gravitas for the heavier parts of the film proves he’s more than ready for leading man work.
Olga Merediz, who received a Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical nomination for her Abuela Claudia role in the stage version, gives an awards-worthy performance in this version as well. She provides In the Heights its heart and steals yours in the previously mentioned “Paciencia Y Fe.”
For all the good it has, In the Heights did have room for improvement in one aspect – it went light on the challenges faced by the community it represents. While it does touch on issues like racism, the immigration process, and gentrification, In the Heights doesn’t take full advantage of the opportunity it has to really knock them out of the park. The decision to stay as positive as possible is entirely understandable. However, the opportunity to handle that without derailing the film was there thanks to the 143 minute run time.
People will label almost anything touched by a hand of color as “for the culture.” In the Heights is one of the few works that legitimately means it. The film moves in a very stylish but natural way that acts equally to introduce an often underrepresented community and remind us how much our cultures have in common. It gives a colorful, vibrant tribute to Latinx and Washington Heights communities by treating its characters and culture with dignity and not as tropes based on stereotypes they should be breaking.
That’s not to say it gets everything right because there are some flaws. It could have hit harder on the citizenship and racism issues, which could have easily replaced the time left by shortening some unnecessarily long musical numbers. At the same time, I also understand that In the Heights isn’t meant to tell every story in the Latinx community. It’s more an introduction to that world for other stories to be told.
Despite that flaw, In the Heights cannot be ignored because positivity and education are needed. It’s an excellent watch in the theater, but it also works just fine on a TV screen.
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