tick, tick... BOOM! Film Review (No Spoilers)

'tick, tick... BOOM!' Netflix

Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his directorial debut with this musical starring Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man, Hacksaw Ridge, The Social Network). However, this is far from an introduction for Miranda. He broke many barriers of stardom by creating his stunning musical, Hamilton, and his close connection to working alongside Disney productions such as Moana, Mary Poppins Returns, and the new Encanto.

Synopsis:

"Based on the autobiographical musical by playwright Jonathan Larson. It's the story of an aspiring composer in New York City who is worried he made the wrong career choice, whilst navigating the pressures of love and friendship."

What You See, Feel, and Hear

Taking place in 1990, you're immersed into a New York City that you don't initially imagine when you think of the Big Apple. No big lights, flashy vacations, or late nights at the clubs, but rather you see the perspective from an early 1900's apartment, a classic diner, and an off-broadway studio. The colors are conservative, which portrays a more serious tone to the script and you experience a range of emotions from multiple circumstances throughout the film.

There's a balance and a reality that one can appreciate with this story. A balance between the importance of individual relationships and pursuing a passion while making the most out of the life that you have. In many films, passion is showcased over relationships or vice versa and that has always felt a bit unrealistic to me, whereas in tick, tick... BOOM! you feel conflicted as to the choices YOU would make if you were in the same scenario as Jonathan Larson. That conflict created a personal investment and connection to the characters that developed throughout the film.

Am I the only one who didn't know that Andrew Garfield could sing? Apparently not. Director, Lin-Manuel Miranda decided on Andrew Garfield for this film even though he didn't know if he could sing. Fortunately, Garfield dedicated a year to training his voice for this film and it showed. Just like many broadway shows, the music was unique and engaging and Garfield adapted his personality to fit this role like a glove. Because of the nature of musicals, the delivery of each song was heavily focused on and barred a heavy weight in directing the emotions throughout the story.

My Take

I have two thoughts that immediately come to mind. First, this film isn't depicted like many musicals, and it's refreshing. Instead of including musical scenes as the film went on, this film was told from the musical itself. Second, is Andrew Garfield back? There have been many impressive films in 2021 and the majority stand out because of the collective performances from multiple departments. Andrew Garfield makes his mark on this film. Many times I get distracted during musicals because of the lack of attention draw from the story, or specific songs, but I didn't feel that throughout this film. Each song had a clear purpose to the overarching story and there weren't any scenes created to "fill the gap". Garfield is deserving of an Oscar nomination and Lin-Manuel Miranda didn't disappoint on his directorial debut. I'm excited to see what he puts together next.

Grade: 8.4/10