Our protagonist is Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), a Dominican-American bodega owner who inherited the store from his father but harbors his suenito (i.e. "little dream") to return to the DR where he can run a bar on the beach. However, in the opening song that kicks off this glorious film, you will get introduced to the entire barrio of Washington Heights and the cast of characters that are so integral to his life. There's his wonderful Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz), who isn't actually anyone's abuela but is the local matriarch who ensures everyone is taken care of. There's his cousin, Sonny (Gregory Dias IV), who helps him out in the bodega. Then there's Kevin Rosario (Jimmy Smits, getting to belt out some tunes!), who runs a local cab company and is excited to see his daughter Nina (Leslie Grace), who is back home after her first year at Stanford. Everyone is very proud of Nina for making it out of the Heights, but she has some complicated feelings about her new life in university. She also has a love interest in Benny (Corey Hawkins) who works for her father, while Usnavi's own love interest is the lovely Vanessa (Melissa Barera) who works at the local hair salon but has her own suenito of being a fashion designer.
It's a sprawling cast, and I haven't even gotten into all the salon ladies or the piraguero (played by Lin-Manual Miranda) who is in constant conflict with the Mister Softee truck (owned by an actor you may also recognize from Hamilton - that's a fun cameo for you to watch out for!). But don't worry, you are in extremely capable hands, because with the brilliant script by Quiara Alegria Hudes (who wrote the book for the musical), the absolutely luscious songs by Lin-Manual Miranda, Alex Lacamoire, and Bill Sherman, and the whipsmart direction from Jon Chu, you're not going to get lost for even a second. Instead you are going to be immersed in a riotous, colorful, cacophonous, joyous celebration of this neighborhood and its people.
The timeline is driven by an impending blackout, which is one of the most ominous events a New Yorker can experience in the summer. In the lead up, we get to know these people and start to witness some of the familial tensions and burgeoning romances. Things comes to a head as the lights go out and we have our big climax. And following that, we slowly resolve all these storylines and see if everyone can make their dreams come true, even just a little. You'll have to see it for yourself, but I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.
Now let's talk about the songs. They are so impeccable. Filled with impossible rhymes, peppered with Spanglish, evoking every human emotion under the sun, telling tales of hope, loss, and love. And my favorite would have to be "96,000" which takes place in a public pool and involves choreography, costumes, sets, and production design that would be worthy of an old-school MGM musical. In this song, everyone talks about what they would do if they had a winning lottery ticket and it singlehandedly tells you everything you need to know about all of these characters and their motivations. It's such clever exposition and executed to perfection.
This movie is also a celebration of Hispanic heritage. Hollywood movies about Latinx people are so fond of treating them like a monolith but here we have a collection of folk from a bunch of different countries, all talking about their different experiences. Everyone came over here in search of a better life, but they came from Cuba, Puerto Rico, DR, Mexico, etc. and while they speak a common language, they don't all have a common heritage. There's a constant refrain of characters wondering what their lives might have been like if they had never come to New York. But this movie proceeds to showcase all the reasons they stayed and the unity they have come to feel now that they are all citizens of the Heights.
Jon Chu's last movie was Crazy Rich Asians and I couldn't help grinning as I found parallels between that movie and In the Heights. That film also had the task of portraying characters who are historically viewed as a monolith in Hollywood (i.e. Asians) and tapping into their humanity and individuality. It also used food as a way to convey culture and made me very hungry, which is a theme that is repeated to great effect in this film. Oh man, every time they showed the steaming bowls of food lovingly prepared by Abuela Claudia or the delicious ice-cold piraguas being sold on the streets, I was sorely tempted. This movie is a visual, auditory, and gustatory treat. Watch it during a heatwave for maximum effect, but mostly, just watch it. It will charm and delight you and is absolutely the blockbuster we needed to formally kick off the summer.
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