Film
In the Heights
- Director
- Jon M. Chu
- Certificate
- PG
- Running Time
- 143 mins
In vibrant Washington Heights, New York City, likable bodega owner Usnavi de la Vega (Anthony Ramos) hopes, imagines and sings about a better life.
This adaptation of the Broadway musical has been so long-gestating that it was originally to be produced by, um, Harvey Weinstein, with Jon M. Chu of Crazy Rich Asians attached to direct. Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda then went off to do Hamilton, and in the wake of Weinstein’s disgrace the whole thing was sold off to Warner Brothers. They retained the director and upped both the scale and the budget, clearly recognising that there’s gold in them thar feelgood modern musicals. It became one of the first big post-pandemic releases in the US, receiving almost universal critical praise. “The movie glows with an abundance of love for its characters, their milieu and the pride with which they defend their cultural footprint against the encroaching forces of New York development that continually shove the marginalized further into the margins,” enthused the Hollywood Reporter. “The resilience with which the characters claim their place in the fabric of city life is exhilarating.”
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