When I was a child I stayed wide awake,
Climbed to the highest place
On every fire escape
Restless to climb.
I got every scholarship,
Saved every dollar
The first to go to college
How do I tell them why
I'm coming back home?
With my eyes on the horizon,
Just me and the GWB, asking, "Gee Nina, what'll you be?"

Only knew a few of the songs going in (though I’ve played “Breathe” and “96,000” multiple times for years), but gosh, what a wonderful experience In the Heights was, especially on the big screen in a Dolby auditorium. This film truly is a big-screen experience that exudes so much positivity, vibrancy, and damn, also a bit of feels. 

The songs are catchy, toe-tapping, and dynamic. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical theatre background + hip-hop + the Latin American influence help to create a truly unique musical score that carries the story along and really aids in the fun and complete experience that is In the Heights. Can’t wait to see any staging of this show, whether it be on Broadway or some other local production.

Declared Hollywood’s new Crown Prince of musicals, Jon M. Chu really impressed me with this large, grand experience. Never felt too bloated or rushed. The movie flows quite nicely, from scene to scene, set piece to set piece, and number to number. The opening number left me with a huge smile on my face and I immediately knew that the whole film would be a delight. Obviously the flick is a team effort, but a team moves from the top-down, so massive props has to be given to Mr. Chu.

Anthony Ramos I thought was a powerful Usnavi (and has a much better voice than Lin-Manuel). I’ve always loved him as Laurens in Hamilton and he brings that same ferocity as Usnavi, while also displaying quite a bit of range! Corey Hawkins also really impressed me and actually probably was my favorite performance from the film? Maybe just because of the pure charisma that he oozed as Benny — from his initial “Dispatch” to the soon-to-be-iconic “When the Sun Goes Down” scene with Leslie Grace’s Nina. The whole cast was pretty phenomenal, but had to call out Ramos & Hawkins. 

Misty eye alerts for me: the Nina/Kevin story hits very close to home, the immigrants’ dream of wanting what’s best for their children; “Paciencia y Fe” (how can it not?); Usnavi and one of the little girls that he’s telling his story to.

Honestly quite an impressive movie musical to me. As a movie, I really thought this was so entertaining and vivacious. Can’t ask for much more from a movie / experience. See it on the big-screen if you can and are safe to do so. It’s not making a lot of money in the US, and I just wish this movie would have some more Marvel legs or something behind it. Oh well. 

“Uh… My mom is Dominican-Cuban
My dad is from Chile and P.R. which means:
I’m Chile-Domini-Curican...
But I always say I’m from Queens!”