In The Heights

Saturday night, Sharon and I watched In The Heights on HBOMax on the AppleTV. The movie is based on the stage musical by Quiara Alegría Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Given that we had seen Miranda's Hamilton on Broadway and then watched the filmed version of that play, I was interested in seeing the film.

What I didn't realize was that the Broadway play predates Hamilton. In the 2008, In the Heights was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards. It won four, including Best Musical. Hamilton opened on Broadway in 2015; it also won a Tony for Best Musical.

In the Heights is directed by Jon M. Chu [Crazy Rich Asians]. It stars Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, and Jimmy Smits. It tells the story of a corner in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City where each member of the community pursues their dream of a better life.

Sharon had a negative reaction to the beginning of the film; the opening song strikes a cord that sounds very similar to the opening of Hamilton. Fortunately, the rhythms change, the film follows its own course and Sharon's initial reaction softened. It is not as good as Hamilton; it's ok. I enjoyed it.