West Side Story (2021) Review

The 1961 film version of West Side Story has been viewed for decades as an untouchable classic. Meticulously presenting the music and choreography made famous by the groundbreaking Broadway show, the Best Picture winner effectively captures a specific moment of cultural change happening in New York City’s West Side at the end of the Eisenhower Presidency. That being said, it is also greatly hindered by the standards and practices of the time, particularly noticeable in the censorship of many of Stephen Sondheim’s brilliant lyrics. Most troubling, however, is the fact that a majority of the Puerto Rican characters in the film are portrayed by white actors in brownface makeup. It’s due to these issues that I have for years been of the somewhat controversial opinion that the musical deserves a modern film remake. Surprisingly, legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg agrees and has assembled a dream team of talent to update West Side Story for modern audience sensibilities, while returning faithfully to the source material of the ’50s Broadway juggernaut. 

The film tells a Romeo and Juliet story updated to take place in 1957 New York, with the feuding Montagues and Capulets replaced with rival street gangs – the white “Jets”, and Puerto Rican “Sharks”. Caught in the middle are the star-crossed lovers Tony and Maria, who fall in love despite their clashing ethnic backgrounds. With the looming shadow of gentrification hanging over the neighborhood, tensions come to a head in several bloody confrontations that further hurt the divided community, all set to Leonard Bernstein’s iconic score.

It feels like a cliché to say it at this point, but Steven Spielberg’s direction of this movie is truly spectacular. There is a reason we keep pointing to him as a visionary filmmaker, and yet again he proves his versatility, with this being his first full musical. There are several sequences in this movie that legitimately shocked me, or gave me chills, a surprising feat given how familiar I am with the original piece. The dance numbers are epic, the emotional beats are sweet and tender, and the action is brutal and exhilarating. The thing I found the most interesting, however, is how he managed to translate the original piece’s visual, nonverbal storytelling (West Side Story, of course, is famous for delivering much of its plot through ballet.)  

While there certainly is a dance component to the action in this new version, a great deal of the narrative is communicated through careful cuts and close-ups, matched to simple, natural movements. There are entire subplots played out quietly throughout the background of several scenes. This is particularly effective in communicating moments of unspoken prejudice faced by the characters from more marginalized backgrounds. Although basically rooted in old-school silent film technique, this allows the world of the movie to feel more real and further demonstrates Spielberg’s visual genius. 

While there are phenomenal supporting performances across the board in this movie, particularly David Alvarez and Mike Faist as the leaders of the Sharks and Jets, respectively, this movie belongs to its female stars. Rachel Zegler’s Maria is her own, defined, quirky person, not just Tony’s girlfriend. She plays her role with such joy and hope that the inevitable tragedies of the story’s ending hit harder than I’ve ever seen before. Ariana DeBose also brings absolute life to the screen as her best friend Anita. While her big song and dance numbers are the obvious highlight, her real power comes to light in her heartbreaking confrontations towards the movie’s end. And of course, the legendary Rita Moreno gives everything she’s got to her mentor character Valentina (a new role written specifically for her), who serves as the heart of the movie and beautifully delivers the ballad “Somewhere” towards the middle of the film. If all three of these brilliant women aren’t nominated for Oscars, I will be severely disappointed. 

The changes made by screenwriter Tony Kushner only serve to add depth and weight to the original source material. While the stage play tackles racism in a way that hadn’t really been done prior, it does inherently give more stage time to the white Jets, which many argue winds up portraying them in a somewhat sympathetic light. This new movie steers hard in the opposite direction, firmly reinforcing the idea that above all else, the Jets are a violent, racist street gang. The instrumental Prologue no longer depicts a two-sided fight. Instead, the film opens with the Jets harassing their neighborhood’s immigrant population, and committing a hate crime. It’s a harsh move, but one that really brings the film back in line with the original intended message of the play.

While West Side Story purists may balk at the changes made to the plot and choreography, those open to seeing the piece in a new light will be supremely satisfied with this latest adaptation. Spielberg and company have done the impossible by creating a remake of a classic film that might actually be an improvement. This West Side Story is easily my favorite film of the year and it is destined to be remembered as a terrific movie musical.