Movie Review - Tick, Tick... Boom!

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 30^th 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 21^st 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