“They're singing, ‘Happy birthday’, you just wanna lay down and cry”. Correct, I just want to lay down and cry about how powerful and heartbreaking the film Tick, Tick…Boom! is. From the moment the first chords play and the epic rock music of the opening number “30/90” kicks in, you just know that this is about to be an incredible journey. I was lucky enough to be able to see this film in theatres a week before its Netflix release, and let me tell you, this movie is meant to be watched on the big screen and with high powered speakers; an at-home viewing is no comparison to the real deal, but unfortunately it did not receive a wide theatrical release. However, it is still no doubt great that so many people have access to it on Netflix, because it deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.
Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his feature directorial debut with this film, and I can confidently say that I am quite impressed. On top of Tick, Tick…Boom! the star and playwright of Hamilton had a busy year in 2021, seeing the release of In the Heights, the film adaptation of his first Broadway musical, and he also contributed original songs to Disney’s animated fantasy Encanto as well as starring in the voice cast of the Netflix animated movie Vivo (NBC News). Though Miranda's 2015 musical Hamilton transformed the face of musical theatre, he's always aspired to be a film director. It is clear that he had a huge passion for making this movie, especially considering how people view him as this generation’s Jonathan Larson.
Tick, Tick...Boom! is an adaptation of the autobiographical musical Jonathan Larson wrote before his hit rock musical Rent came to be. Set in 1990, on the brink of his 30th birthday, Jon, a theatre composer, is working as a waiter at a New York City café while creating what he believes will be the next great American musical. Days before a vital showcase of his work, Jon is under pressure from all sides: from his girlfriend Susan, who aspires to a career in the arts outside of New York City; from his friend Michael, who has moved on from his dream to a life of financial security; and from an artistic community plagued by the AIDS epidemic. With the clock ticking away, Jon finds himself at a crossroads and must consider the question that everyone must face: What are we supposed to do with the time we have? (Rotten Tomatoes)
Another person who evidently had a lot of passion for making this film, is lead actor Andrew Garfield. A CBS interview with Garfield reveals that Miranda saw Garfield in the Broadway show Angels in America and was impressed, but wasn’t sure if he could sing. So he phoned Greg Miele, a New York City massage therapist who works with both Garfield and Miranda, to ask if he could sing. Miele told Miranda, “Of course he can sing! He has the voice of an angel!” despite the fact that he had never heard Andrew sing. Garfield then spent a year researching Larson's performances on YouTube, working with numerous vocal coaches and learning to play the piano (Roberts). That level of dedication and commitment just goes to show how incredibly talented Andrew Garfield is and just how impressive his performance is in the film.
For a long time now, I have personally been a huge fan of Larson, discovering him through my love of Rent. I've done a lot of research into his life for the past five years or so, as it’s such a devastating tragedy– the day before Rent’s opening he suddenly died of an aortic aneurysm, believed to have been caused by undiagnosed Marfan syndrome. I am grateful that this film acknowledged that fact and that the events in the film are (mostly) true. Tick, Tick…Boom! is introducing so many new people to Larson’s talent and the misfortune of his untimely death, which is wonderful because I truly believe that more people need to know this man and his story. He really implemented through Tick, Tick…Boom! and Rent to live everyday as if it’s your last, and that’s why I admire him so much. He spent years and years trying to get people to see his work the same way he did, and unfortunately by the time he finally made a successful show, he passed away before he could even see its prosperity. I like to think that this new adaptation of his earlier work is gaining so much attention because he was just so ahead of his time, and it’s nice to see it being appreciated so much today.
Andrew Garfield in this film truly transformed into Jonathan Larson. I remember when the details of the cast first came out, I was a bit skeptical, but seeing Garfield perform within those first five minutes, I was convinced that Larson was on the screen… that’s how good the performance is. Garfield isn’t just acting, he transforms into Jon. His Oscar acting nomination is extremely well deserved.
The film was also nominated for film editing at the academy awards, which is also worthy just from the “Therapy” scene alone. Managing to cut between the lyrics in the song perfectly, it encapsulates this crazy argument, forgiveness, then anger. Vanessa Hudgens and Andrew Garfield’s choreography in the song is also incredibly captivating.
While it details specific events of a real person’s life, this film is very relatable for just about anyone, but especially for people pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. From the “No More” scene depicting the hardships of living in a big city with a low paying job, to the scene of Jonathan struggling with writer’s block, repeatedly typing ‘your’, deleting it and typing ‘you’re’ and then giving up, one can really empathize with him.
Overall, I believe this is one of the best films released in the past couple of years. Even if you’re not a fan of musicals I think you’ll really enjoy this one. Jonathan Larson’s music is definitely not your average run-of-the-mill type of showtunes; he is known for changing the face of musical theatre with his rock tunes, so any fan of rock music and a fun yet heart-wrenching movie will more than likely greatly appreciate this film.
The Rating:
Resources:
“Lin-Manuel Miranda Says Directorial Debut 'Tick, Tick Boom!' Is about 'Failure'.” NBC News, NBCUniversal News Group, 3 Dec. 2021, www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/lin-manuel-miranda-says-directorial-debut-tick-tick-boom-failure-rcna7531.
Roberts, Maddy Shaw. “Yes, Andrew Garfield Is Really Singing in 'Tick, Tick... BOOM!'. He Can Also Play Piano.” Classic FM, 24 Nov. 2021, www.classicfm.com/discover-music/periods-genres/film-tv/andrew-garfield-singing-piano-tick-tick-boom/.
“Tick, Tick... Boom!” Rotten Tomatoes, 2021, www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tick_tick_boom.
Comments