tick, tick...BOOM! Review

Dear Lin-Manuel Miranda. I have ranted against your poor composing skills, your excruciatingly bad acting, and your inability to sing, along with slamming your weak lyrics and the immense hubris of repeatedly casting yourself as the lead in your own musicals. And I stand by all I have said. But credit where credit is due: this film you have directed is brilliant. The directing is superb, showing a true understanding of how to tell a story through the musical medium whilst being innovative and original. Every single cast member delivered a rock-solid performance, telling me you know how to coax the best out of your actors and are savvy when picking final takes. Above all, your passion for musical theatre permeates every single scene and the film feels like a love letter to the art form. Bravo, thank you, and please keep directing as I feel you have finally found what you excel at.

I had never heard of the musical tick, tick...BOOM! before the film and have yet to watch Rent so this was my first contact with Jonathan Larson. Well. What can I say? Wow. The writing is witty and insightful, the emotional journey true and meaningful. This film had me laughing out loud and sobbing, all the while making me feel profoundly understood. The way Larson captures an overthinking mind, the way he balances ambition and inertia, how he both pokes fun of and celebrates the rich history of musicals that came before him, is all astounding. I challenge any musical theatre fan to watch the "Sunday" number and not have a grin shinning through tears;  I was geeking out! The fact that the scene has so many Broadway legends in it, is a testament to the respect Jonathan Larson has garnered and Miranda's weight in the industry. [This is even more evident when I discovered that the message Sondheim leaves on Jonathan's answering machine is actually Steven Sondheim speaking; if that's not a stamp of approval, I don't know what is!] And the song is just pure genius, taking one of the most iconic and gorgeous Sondheim numbers and spoofing it lovingly. "Therapy" hilariously showcases how passive-agressiveness tends to escalate arguments, and "Why" perfectly expresses a lifelong friendship and how it feels to be a performer; I could go on...

As mentioned before, Miranda's directing is positively inspired. The way he intersperses the straight acting scenes with the musical numbers, often WITHIN a number, is magnificent. Instead of detracting from either, he masterfully enhances both by having each side enrich the other. Take Jonathan's running in the lead-up to "Why", for example, or the beautiful duet in "Come to Your Senses" that is only happening in Jonathan's mind as he imbues the moment with his personal feelings. And the musical numbers are very well filmed; they feel natural and organic, the performances shining through. I will even say that the auto-tune was mostly kept at reasonable levels. Mostly. Though I'd still rather not have any!

But all of the above would be rendered moot if Andrew Garfield had dropped the ball. He didn't and convinced me within the first 4 minutes of the film that his nomination was very much deserved. His portrayal of Larson is mesmerising, effortlessly commanding the screen in every single frame. The play of emotions, the contradictions the character feels for so much of the action are exquisitely shown. He has a lovely, warm voice (who knew?!) and displays as much nuance and range of feeling when singing as when not. A truly remarkable performance that has me sincerely hoping Garfield will show up in a stage musical sometime in the future.

All in all, a great film that will speak to me for years to come. Now to watch Rent!

Conclusion: Absolutely! [what's this?]

tick, tick...BOOM! came out in 2021.