Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Genre: Drama/
Musical
Runtime: 115
minutes
Year:
2021
Starring: Andrew
Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesus, Vanessa Hudgens, Joshua Henry,
Jonathan Marc Sherman, Bradley Whitford, Judith Light
Description: On the cusp
of his 30th birthday, a promising young theater composer (Andrew
Garfield) navigates love, friendship and pressure of life as an artist in New
York City.
Review: Death-defying, HIV and dashed childhood dreams. Netflix is taking a
gamble with a multi-million dollar investment in “Tick, Tick… Boom!”, a musical
film that doesn’t shy away from taboo and heavy subjects. Experts are excited,
as was I, but is the general public ready for a musical that plays with the
classic expectations of the genre?
On the eve of his thirtieth birthday
in 1990, Jonathan Larson is forced to make some existential decisions. From a
dreary Manhattan apartment, he has been working for eight years on a musical, a
production that should provide his long-awaited breakthrough. However, the
great success never came and in the
meantime more and more artist friends exchanged their artistic plans for a job
with more security. Larson, who for years believed he would turn American
theater culture around, is doubting his talent for the first time.
The tumultuous days leading
up to Larson’s thirtieth birthday form the basis for “Tick, Tick… Boom!”, a
film adaptation of the autobiographical solo performance with which the
composer toured several small venues in 1990. At the premiere of his relatively
obscure production, Larson cannot possibly guess that a Hollywood studio will
ever pump millions into his work. For the man does become a legend on the
American theater scene, only he never experiences it himself.
Jonathan Larson might not be
a familiar name for most of you, be he was the mastermind behind the successful
musical “Rent”. On the morning of the first preview of this musical in 1996,
Larson dies unexpectedly of an aneurysm. Barely 35, he missed how “Rent”, a
show that ran for twelve years on Broadway, became one of the most popular
musicals of all time.
Larson’s way of ushering Broadway
into the 21st century is also inspiring a new generation of theater
composers. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the noted musical writer who is making his debut
as a director here, sees his inspiration’s solo performance live during his
senior year of college. As a young New Yorker with an artistic innovation drive
and a hefty dose of agony, he recognizes himself in the existential issues
Larson faces. He became even more ambitious and drew creative inspiration from
Larson. Miranda’s successful “Hamilton” is the proof of that.
Though Larson was no saint,
he was convinced he was right, he didn’t give an inch. Larson’s stubborn character
is highlighted. New scenes came to light after conversations with personal
friends. For example, his existential fears make him so self-centered that he
refuses to make time for his tormented partner, and he has difficulty empathizing
with the point of view of others. This causes conflicts that are often painful
to watch. The fact that “Tick, Tick… Boom!” still manages to arouse sufficient
sympathy for Larson is largely due to lead actor Andrew Garfield. The man previously
garnered praise for his portrayals in films like “Hacksaw Ridge”, “Silent” and “The
Social Network”, but retrained himself as a musical actor for the occasion. In his
performance, he finds balance between the youthful naiveté of someone who
believes he will awaken his contemporaries and the bitterness of an adult who
discovers that idealism also has economic repercussions. This is hands down my
favorite Garfield performance ever.
In addition, director Miranda
gives him and the rest of his ensemble plenty of room to bring credibility to
the musical scenes as well. “Tick, Tick… Boom!” uses Larson’s music as a
component that is equal to the dialogue. By the end of the film, there is
renewed hope that the American movie musical is not dead yet.
Rating: 5/
5
