Theo Holtom

Don’t understand any of the praise - seen as both a musical and a film in its own right ‘in the heights’ completely fails as both, aside from good and energetic performances from the actors, this film has literally no redeeming qualities. I think my biggest gripe with the film was the complete lack of focus on anything meaningful, its a claustrophobic roll a coaster from the beginning with no room to breath and yet it still fails to produce an even half compelling story. The plot seemed to hing on the idea of pursuing your dreams against all odd but all the character endings (spoilers) end up with them consigned to fates they don't really want because of pressure form others. Usnavi, the main character, doesn’t even achieve his dream of going back to the Dominican Republic, he’s forced into abandoning his plans because Vanessa (fashionista love interest) emotionally manipulated him into staying, and the film ends with them having a bloody child!!! I mean when i found out that was the twist i wanted to twist my neck and die. Felt like i had just had the full force of the ‘perfect’ conservative christian nuclear family shoved down my throat. I mean who ends stories like that anymore, this isn’t the 19th century. Did i mention that having this family means they both abandon their dreams, which by the way is also shoved down your throat as a theme. Overall the plot has no idea what it wants to be, a story about the importance of dreams? A musical look into the busy lives of Dominican people in New York? ‘Washington height’ is barely mentioned except for exposition and throw away lines, and it certainly isn’t saved by the end! If fact there isn’t even any hope. The film doesn’t deal with any of the hardship well at all either, the treatment of undocumented immigrants in America is explored for about 4 minutes consisting of one conversation where you simply discover that usnavi brother is undocumented and at the end where they use a lottery ticket, yes a lottery ticked to pay for a lawyer. The plot is rubbish and the characters are stereotyped and ill explored. Aside from the plot the actually music itself is hardly any better, maybe I’m just being cynical about the music because of the complete mess of the actual story or more precisely story-telling. But i would say that non of the songs are particularly memorable. Lin-Manuel Miranda needlessly inserts himself into the movie in the most hamfisted way with a solo that literally, and i cant exaggerate this enough, has ZERO relevance. I mean it would have preferred his exclusion so we could have explored the characters or the desire to save their block from gentrification. Anyway the music is pretty mediocre. I would say the only way to enjoy this movie is to be tap into your inner child grit your teeth and just be taken in the rolls coster of high-energy number designed to make you feel jolly.