It is set mainly over three days building up to a heatwave and blackout in the largely Latino area of Washington Heights, in New York City. First we meet Usnavi de la Vega (Anthony Ramos) running his small corner store (bodega) with his younger cousin Sonny. He longs to return to the Dominican Republic, to follow his ‘sueno’ (dreams).
He is keen on Vanessa (Melissa Barrera), who works in Daniela’s local salon, but dreams of becoming a designer. Abuela Claudia is the matriarch of the community and has raised Usnavi.
The local car dispatchers, Rosario’s, is owned by Kevin (Jimmy Smits), whose daughter Nina (Leslie Grace) has made it all the way to Stanford College, to the pride and joy of the local community. On the first day, Nina returns from college, downhearted with the weight of expectations on her shoulders and she reconnects with Benny (Usnavi’s friend and Kevin’s employee, Corey Hawkins) - they both clearly like each other.
It was enjoyable to see Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn 99) as an elaborately made-up hairdresser, and for those who like Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda has a minor role, and Christoper Jackson (George Washington) has a cameo (possibly also a nod to his role as Benny in the stage production).
I have no knowledge of the stage show, or this part of New York, so I can’t comment on the adaptation, or the accuracy of any portrayals.
However, I can say that this is a fun, enjoyable movie. The cast are excellent with strong voices and the songs are clever, many complete with extravagant, colourful dance scenes. The big scenes I particularly enjoyed were the opening “In the Heights”, the pool scene “$96,000” where everyone is dreaming what they would do if they won the lottery, the club dancing scene and the Carnaval scene.
Similarly, some of the more emotional, quieter songs were lovely: “Breathe” when Nina returns from college, and again “Everything I know” (I think it was) when she leaves for college. This was a very clever scene where the perspective changed, it looked so real.
It’s a movie that celebrates immigrant communities and notes the challenges they face, but doesn’t dwell on them. It’s people that matter here and the ones who love you, whether they stay near or far. And often your dreams come true in ways you don’t expect.
I was a guest of Universal Pictures.
Please note: to get the song names and some story details, I have used the Musical Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Heights) as a source.
However, I can say that this is a fun, enjoyable movie. The cast are excellent with strong voices and the songs are clever, many complete with extravagant, colourful dance scenes. The big scenes I particularly enjoyed were the opening “In the Heights”, the pool scene “$96,000” where everyone is dreaming what they would do if they won the lottery, the club dancing scene and the Carnaval scene.
Similarly, some of the more emotional, quieter songs were lovely: “Breathe” when Nina returns from college, and again “Everything I know” (I think it was) when she leaves for college. This was a very clever scene where the perspective changed, it looked so real.
It’s a movie that celebrates immigrant communities and notes the challenges they face, but doesn’t dwell on them. It’s people that matter here and the ones who love you, whether they stay near or far. And often your dreams come true in ways you don’t expect.
I was a guest of Universal Pictures.
Please note: to get the song names and some story details, I have used the Musical Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Heights) as a source.
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