In the Heights

"Adapted from the play 'In the Heights', the musical movie 'In the Heights' seems like a contemporary mix between 'Hamilton' and 'Do the Right Thing'. After all, on one side, there is all the musicality of Lin-Manuel Miranda, who knows how to combine musical styles, always with a hint of rap and hip-hop, bringing a modern force to what he wants to tell -- and creating instant hits, like 'In the Heights', 'Carnaval del Barrio' and the beautiful 'Paciencia y Fé'. On the other side, pulling the obvious reference from Spike Lee's feature, there is the story of a Latin community going through a tough process of gentrification -- which is when real estate speculation takes precedence over the social importance of a space, a neighborhood or a city. From there, we dive into the beautiful story of Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), owner of a bodega who pursues his dreams with determination: to return to the Dominican Republic and win Vanessa (Melissa Barrera). There is also the girl who returns frustrated from college, the radio host, the lady who serves as grandmother to everyone ... There are several stories, all of them natural and without artificiality that some Broadway adaptations bring to the cinema. There are problems, yes, such as the exaggerated duration of more than 2h20 and the blatant lack of black representation in the Latin community. Still, however, the sunny tone of the production, the good music and striking performances (mainly from Barrera and the experienced Olga Merediz) help 'In the Heights' to raise the overall quality of the production. Fans of musicals in general, and especially of 'Hamilton', should get excited."