In the Heights Review

Based on the hit Broadway musical, In the Heights is set to be the feel-good film of the summer.

In the Heights is set in Washington Heights, a Hispanic district of New York City that’s slowly being gentrified. This district has a close community with its members having different dreams. There’s Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), a man in his late 20s who wants to buy and restore his father’s bar in the Dominican Republic, Vanessa (Melissa Berrera) who wants to move to Downtown New York and become a fashion designer, and Nina (Leslie Grace) who has the weight of expectation because she goes to Stamford University in California. However, everyone faces hardships and challenges during a long hot summer.

The basic narrative of In the Heights focused on Usnavi and his impending move to the Dominican Republic, but it was really an ensemble piece about various characters and gives the audience an understanding of this community. Whilst the film aimed to be a joyous experience, it also looked at some serious issues. In the Heights followed the adage of ‘make them laugh, make them cry.’

The issues addressed in the film were both universal and culturally specific. Issues like gentrification affect cities around the world. There are numerous examples where local people and businesses get forced out due to rising prices. The experience of the characters in the film was similar to many immigrants to America who settle in a certain area of a city and united by a shared culture. The film addresses the different generations: the first generation comes to America and have to do menial work, the second generation usually set up small businesses, and the younger people want to get an education. They were all united with their belief in hard work and dignity.

A more specific issue in the film was the treatment of DREAMers, people who came to America as undocumented children. This became an issue during Trump’s presidency, and it was a subplot added for the film. Sonny symbolised the issues Dreamers face and their viewpoints.  Sonny (Georgy Diaz IV) came to America as a baby and saw New York as his home but his undocumented status meant he couldn’t get a driving license or go to college.

These issues and ideas gave In the Heights a richness, but the big draw was the musical numbers. The film delivered on this front. Lin-Manuel Miranda who is a darling of Hollywood and Broadway wrote the original musical. He was able to fuse different styles of music, like hip-hop, pop, RnB, and Latin music, i.e. salsa and samba. A great example was the song ‘96,000’ where many of the characters wonder what they would do if they won the lottery. Usnavi was more of a rapper than a singer, Vanessa had a lovely voice for ballads, whilst the Salon Girls had an upbeat Latin sound. It all worked well together.

The film was directed by Jon M. Chu. Chu found great success with his previous film Crazy Rich Asians which also looked at the immigrant experience in America. He was known for working on the Step Up series which put him in good stead for In the Heights. Chu drew on his experience for the big dance numbers. Even a more sombre song like ‘Paciencia y Fe’ had some wonderful dancing in it.

My personal favourite songs in the film were ‘Breathe’ and ‘Paciencia y Fe’ which were the sombre, reflective songs. But this was a case of personal taste since there were plenty of upbeat and energic songs. My foot was tapping a lot during the run time.

Most of the cast were emerging talent. Ramos was a musical star, he had roles in the stage productions of In the Heights and Hamilton. Barrera is a Mexican actress and In the Heights was her first English language film role. Both Ramos and Barrera have big roles lined up in popular franchises. Leslie Grace is known for being a singer/songwriter and In the Heights was her first screen role. She was able to convince as a young woman who has the stress of parental and community expectations on her shoulders. The most famous actor in one of the main young roles was Corey Hawkins because he has appeared in films Straight Outta Compton, and Kong: Skull Island. The actors I recognised were Jimmy Smits and Stephanie Beatriz and Beatriz’s role was minor.

On a final note, one scene takes place on the 167^th Street steps and I couldn’t help but think those are the Joker Stairs.

Considering the gloomy hard times we have all experienced In the Heights was a ray of sunshine. It was an upbeat crowd-pleaser.