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3.5/5
Musical/Drama
On the verge of turning 30, young musical theatre composer Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield) fears that time is running out, as his creative obsession crumbles his relationships and wellbeing.
Now, I love Lin-Manuel Miranda but was cautious about how he’d fare at the head of this film, as it’s often not a good sign when a prolific actor suddenly decides to debut as a director, the opportunity for which comes easy because of their fame. However, Miranda doesn’t disappoint here and one of the main appeals of tick, tick…BOOM! (TTB) is that he makes the film feel like a passion project, wholly imprinting it with a sensitively affectionate touch. I don’t believe that TTB is devoid of flaws and it does conform to plenty of cheesy musical theatre conventions but the film does present something genuinely interesting to say about the creative process and how extreme procrastination affects the mind. The constant ticking in the film transcends existence as a clever gimmick and instead adds a palpable layer of rising tension to Larson’s story, as every second spent not getting closer to his overall goal sees him sink further and further into ultimate unhappiness. While films like Whiplash tell a story about artistic obsession better and more ‘gut-punchingly’, TTB’s central concept and themes massively elevate it and make this musical surprisingly memorable.
For those who don’t know, Jonathan Larson massively inspired Miranda, as the former wrote Rent which exposed him to a little explored side of what musical theatre could be, obviously leading to In the Heights and then Hamilton. Larson wrote TTB prior to his main break-out, but sadly died tragically young in 1996, just before Rent began its run of previews. Without Larson’s ground-breaking work, there may have not been Miranda’s massively successful career so his intertwining with Larson’s story really made him the perfect person to adapt TTB and the results are quite moving. This is actually mirrored too by the masterful Stephen Sondheim (warmly played by Bradley Whitford in the film) being Larson’s inspiration, leading to an intriguing intergenerational chain about how creativity is influenced, and how important that influence is. On a side note, R.I.P. Stephen Sondheim and thank you for bringing happiness to so many around the world. With Miranda’s TTB and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, I’m so glad to see that Larson and Sondheim’s works are being each further immortalised this year, as it’s crucial to remember and preserve the roots of what has become modern art because none of it can exist in an isolated bubble. Everybody is a product of their surroundings so we can naturally connect with the reasoning for Miranda’s deep admiration and respect for Larson, and furthermore Sondheim.
Since I’ve now discussed one of the strongest elements, I’d like to talk about the strongest, which is Andrew Garfield. Plain and simple. The audacity of him to already be a phenomenal actor and then suddenly show the world that he can sing like an angel, as if the former wasn’t enough. When I heard Oscar buzz for Garfield potentially getting a Best Actor nomination, I was initially surprised because TTB is well-made and engaging but doesn’t generally strike me as an awards-worthy film. However, I realise that he probably would deserve it, especially after seeing some videos of Jonathan Larson originally performing TTB compared to Garfield, who brilliantly captures his mannerisms, vocals and appearance. Funnily enough, TTB’s ensemble is actually one of its weaker points in my eyes, as most of the cast only does a pretty standard job with the prominent exception of Garfield, who infuses unprecedented levels of charisma into the film, ultimately saving the overall acting from mediocrity. I was never bored during this film because of how much of a magnetic performer Garfield is, who unsurprisingly also excelled in the emotional climaxes. Larson’s bond with his best friend Michael (Robin de Jesus, who was Sonny in the original production of In the Heights) leads to the fantastic, nostalgically melancholy ‘Why’, performed on a piano at night-time in an empty stadium. This quieter ballad is one of the better songs, as it’s elevated by the emotional potency coming off of an upsetting realisation, and it works because Larson and Michael’s dynamic is drawn out well. However, Larson’s relationship with his girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp), a practised dancer, unfortunately doesn’t achieve the same effect. This is partly because Susan asserts her independent identity by saying that she doesn’t want them to be viewed as ‘Jonathan Larson and the girlfriend’ but, with limited screentime and own characterisation, Miranda ironically makes it so that she doesn’t surpass that basic archetype. It’s not quite as noticeable with Michael but he also doesn’t get enough development to really stand out in the story as his own person. While, to an extent, this can be argued to reflect Larson’s self-obsessive mindset that the story is always centred around him, it doesn’t help that Shipp and Jesus don’t really deliver particularly original performances, and are working with a fairly run-of-the-mill script. The acting largely feels frustratingly conventional, so it’s a good thing that this is a musical film and there must be some breath-takingly brilliant music to sustain the energy, right?
Well, yes and no. To avoid sugar-coating my thoughts, I think that TTB’s soundtrack works well when watching the film but it’s not long, memorable or original enough for me to go and listen to it repeatedly, like I did with other musicals, such as Miranda’s own work and La La Land. There are standouts, such as the vibrant, relatable ‘30/90’, the catchy, enjoyable ‘Boho Days’, and the ingeniously passive-aggressive couples’ quarrel in ‘Therapy’. The ‘Sunday’ diner scene has been a bit overhyped, but I still loved the cameos (I won’t mention any names, as this is a spoiler-free review). My most controversial hot take might be that I think this film lacks a showstopper or distinctive banger, as I found ‘Come to Your Senses’, which Larson spends a massive part of the film working on, pretty underwhelming and a little generic for musical theatre. Towards the end though, ‘Louder Than Words’ nicely ties in lyrical ideas presented throughout the film to go out on a comparative high. The limited length isn’t too problematic in the context of watching the film because there are many dramatic scenes and moments to fill in the gaps but, as a soundtrack, TTB’s biggest weakness is simply how short it is, leaving it not even close to an epic behemoth like Hamilton. However, it could be argued that such a comparison is pointless, as this film centres around the much smaller-scale story of Jonathan Larson’s experience as an artist, which is executed confidently by Miranda.
Miranda employs an effective framing device, in which Garfield’s Larson seems to be narrating and performing TTB to an onscreen audience, while the film’s viewer is also presented with the described events coming to life as they were actually happening. This means that we get Larson’s story, as well as his retrospective commentary, intuitively produced by Miranda to add an interesting layer of complexity to the structure of the film. As for the musicians onstage with Larson, I thought that Joshua Henry sounded like an angel and Vanessa Hudgens channelled much energy into her performance, especially in ‘Therapy’, where she was duetting with Garfield and singing as the equivalent of Susan. As a director, Miranda also demonstrates an astute eye for visual flair, with some really creative ideas such as the sheet music written on the base of a swimming pool standing out. The film isn’t very ‘dance-heavy’ but the brief spurts of choreography were joyful and electric. Even if TTB wasn’t a good film, the central concept of a metaphorical ticking representing the overwhelming pressure that Larson feels as an artist would still be really unique and resonate with many creatives all over the world. Since nobody tries to force Larson to write anything, the film becomes an engaging study of the ‘tortured artist’, whose biggest hindrance is themselves, and Garfield manages to overshadow the occasional cheesiness in the script and convey this internal conflict in a manner that feels very real.
My last criticism is a more minor one, which is that TTB can feel thematically indecisive. While Larson went on to make Rent ahead of its time and tackle relevant social issues in a fresh manner, the way that this film addresses, for example, the HIV crisis in the USA especially during the ’80s and ’90s felt unsure about whether it wanted to commit to this as a subplot or not. People that Larson knew had died or were in danger to it but it wasn’t consistently depicted as a major part of the film, and felt like it was a bit of an afterthought. TTB didn’t have to serve as a social commentary on HIV and the detrimental taboos surrounding it but it made the mistake of introducing the idea and then occasionally ignoring it at the narrative’s convenience to instead keep focusing on Larson. However, this was definitely just a small qualm and it didn’t take away from the overall sum of what TTB gets right.
In conclusion, Miranda’s directorial debut is a humble treat. The film is wonderful as a tribute to Jonathan Larson without ever becoming saccharine, and Andrew Garfield’s explosive (you’re not getting away from my hilarious puns this time) charisma prevents it from becoming at all boring. I recommend tick, tick…BOOM! specifically to fans of musicals but I think that casual viewers may find themselves pleasantly surprised too.
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Score: 8.5/10
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed tick, tick…BOOM! Before I learned this film was being released, I was not familiar with Jonathan Larson, and musicals tend to be a hit or miss for me, so I did not know what to expect from this movie. There are many elements of this film I thoroughly enjoyed though, and I found it to be an extremely impressive directorial debut from Lin-Manuel Miranda.
tick, tick…BOOM! tells a very captivating story about the creative process through the perspective of a theater composer. During this story, we learn about the struggles Jonathan Larson experienced as an artist as well as the struggles in his personal life. More importantly, though, tick, tick…BOOM! is ultimately about how Larson is able to accept his ambitions and discover a balance in life, despite having many unanswered questions.
It is no secret that Andrew Garfield is one of the most charismatic actors working today, and he gives, arguably, his best performance yet in this film. Garfield learned to sing and play piano for this role, and he absolutely nailed every song. I am extremely surprised to see how talented of a musician he has become. Furthermore, he delivers some of the most emotional scenes of his career in this movie and each moment packs a punch, especially during the third act.
Obviously, tick, tick…BOOM! is a musical, and the music is phenomenal. The songs are incredibly catchy, and I think this is one of the best soundtracks of the year. Many musical numbers are highly engaging and filled with energy while others are emotive and powerful. The musical genre of the film never comes across as cheesy, so that is an automatic win in my book.
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Jonathan Larson es un aspirante a compositor de obras teatrales que poco antes de cumplir 30 años, lidia con el amor, la amistad y la presión de crear algo genial, y preguntándose si su sueño merece la pena.
Opinión: Esta película es un musical dinámico, que nos cuenta un fragmento de la vida de Jonathan Larson, un dramaturgo de 29 años que se siente presionado a crear la mejor obra de teatro de Broadway. En esta historia se nos muestra como alguien se puede sentir tan presionado por el tiempo, porque si, el mayor peso que tiene nuestro protagonista es su carrera contra el tiempo, ya que él siente que si no crea algo nuevo y original antes de sus 30 no será alguien en la vida. Esto nos lo explican bastante claro al principio del film y ese (a veces imperceptible) sonido de reloj de fondo, que nos explica que se le está acabando el tiempo. No solo lidia con esta presión, sino también que tiene problema con su novia, ya que ella quiere seguir adelante con su vida buscando un nuevo trabajo y alejándose de la ciudad de Nueva York. Y Jonathan no está listo para sentarse a hablar que no sea otra cosa que su obra, ya que en menos de una semana será la presentación de su obra, ante un grupo de productores y amigos, para ver quien quiere producir su tan esperada obra. Esto a su novia no le gusta nada, ya que ella va a seguir adelante con su vida con él o no. Otros de los problemas con los que lidea Jonathan son, las muertes de sus amigos, ya que en los últimos años fallecieron 3 de ellos a edades muy cortas. Esto, incrementa más el miedo de que si, antes de los 30 no hace algo importante de su vida, sienta que desperdicio toda su juventud en un sueño que no sirvió de nada.
En resumen, no soy muy fanático de los musicales, pero esta película sinceramente me conmovió. Me sentí muy reflejado con el papel de Andrew Garfield, ese constante temor de si estamos yendo hacía bien camino con nuestros sueños, o si solo estamos malgastando nuestro tiempo en algo que nunca va a ocurrir. También me conmovió mucho el final, porque después de ver todo lo que sacrifico nuestro protagonista para hacer su obra musical, (SPOILER) al final él nunca pudo vivir el éxito de su obra, la cual fue ¨RENT¨. Esa angustia que me genero el final, más con la melodía de ¨feliz cumpleaños¨ de fondo, hacía tiempo que una película no generaba eso en mí. Sin embargo,
no todo es angustia o momentos tristes en esta película, ya que el resto de sus canciones son fantásticas y funcionan muy bien para la película como si quisieras escucharlas por tu cuenta. Así que nada, es una película que genera una montaña de emociones y de mis favoritas del 2021 sin dudas.
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Puntuaciones:
IMDB: 7.8
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
SensaCine: 3.8/5
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Lugares para ver la película:
Netflix, Cuevana3.
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Tick, tick… BOOM! is a film about the struggles of giving it all about something you believe, while watching all your friends advancing in their respective careers. Set back after set back and at the end there is still a chance that it won’t work out.
The story of Jonathan Larson (Played by Andrew Garfield) is tragic and, at the same time, very wholesome. Andrew takes the center stage in a role that takes serious acting, mixed with tragic and comedic nuances and I just have to Robin de Jesus who was a stand-out as well.
With the film being a musical, one would expect songs which are left stuck after the runtime is over. Every single one is great, sticking with you after the film is over and, probably most importantly, they cover what is happening in the film.
The other aspect were the interiors and overall production design. To achieve an overall great film, every aspect needs to achieve great heights, each one was done great, just some were bigger standouts.
Very few people are interested in musicals as is and those who are can be extremely picky of which one is great and not. Tick, tick… Boom! lands squarely in the above average category, while satisfying watchers with great songs and many emotions.
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