tick, tick… BOOM!
Composite Score: 81.53
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesus, Vanessa Hudgens, Joshua Henry, Jonathan Marc Sherman, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Ben Levi Ross, Judith Light, and Bradley Whitford
Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Writers: Steven Levenson and Jonathan Larson
Genres: Biography, Drama, Musical
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some strong language, some suggestive material, and drug references
Box Office: $113 thousand worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
tick, tick… BOOM! is based on the Jonathan Larson musical of the same name, acting as an autobiographical look at the time right around his 30th birthday when he was trying to get his first script, Superbia, produced on Broadway. It explores similar issues to Larson’s other famous musical Rent like AIDS, consumerism, struggling artists, living in New York, etc., but it does so in a very different way, feeling less like an 80s rock opera and more like an intimate look at the lives of struggling artists, celebrating the connections of human life throughout. It is one of the best films from 2021 thanks to a strong leading performance from Andrew Garfield as Jonathan Larson, very fun and catchy musical numbers, and a heartfelt story about human connection.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
My one critique of tick, tick… BOOM! is that it struggles to portray Larson’s flaws without immediately redeeming them, perhaps because it was originally written and performed by Larson. As a protagonist, Jon struggles to see beyond his own situation into the issues plaguing the lives of those around him, leading his girlfriend to leave him and his best friend to go days without being able to share his HIV+ diagnosis with anybody. These moments are somewhat glossed over; as Larson’s emotional fixation on Superbia drives Susan away, she ends up better off without him, embracing her relationship with another woman instead. Larson’s aloofness from his best friend Michael as he is diagnosed with HIV is also quickly forgiven after an emotional musical number in the rain where Larson does some soul searching. Because the content is autobiographical, such minimizing of negatives can be put down to the unreliable narrator or as the way things actually happened, and the story remains moving without dwelling on the negatives, but it might leave some viewers frustrated.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
The songs in this film are incredibly catchy, well-performed, and just generally good. It is clear from the way that each song is presented that director Lin-Manuel Miranda knows how to stage a dramatic musical to be both moving and entertaining. Beyond just the entertainment value of the songs, they also help communicate character traits and plot points in the story, setting the story’s pace consistently and serving as opportunities for the film’s talented cast to shine in their musical prowess, both singing and dancing.
The film’s cast is chock-full of Broadway faces that will be familiar to musical theatre buffs, creating a number of brief cameos on the level of a Phase 3 Marvel film. These nods to the home of musical theatre and the original creations of Jonathan Larson and Lin-Manuel Miranda add to the film’s entertainment value but are not its only draw. Most of the film’s supporting cast also featured in a Broadway performance or adaptation and do a great job playing the roles they do. Robin de Jesus as Michael in particular gives a phenomenal performance. He plays actor-turned-marketing worker very well, clearly caring for Jonathan but also having a life outside of the story of the film. It is clear that he worked hard to portray a depth of character, and his moment of HIV revelation to Jonathan serves as the film’s emotional climax, paying off the rest of the strong acting that he delivered over the rest of the film.
Andrew Garfield owns every scene as Jonathan Larson. From the set of the performance of tick, tick… BOOM! to the small writing/bedroom of his midtown apartment to the deeply emotional piano performance on the stage in the rain in Central Park, he commands the camera. His facial register in both musical numbers and “speaking” scenes conveys exactly the emotions that he wants the audience to see. For a non-professional singer, his vocal range is impressive, delivering musical riffs as though he had been a musical performer for years, not just introduced to it in a major way during the film’s production. While Will Smith’s win for best actor makes sense (controversial now too), it would not have been at all disappointing to see Garfield win the Oscar for Best Actor to go along with his Golden Globe win for the role.
tick, tick… BOOM! is one of the best films of 2021 and one of the Greatest Films of All Time thanks to its strong lead, quality supporting cast of Broadway actors, and music that sticks with you beyond the film. Its issues with consistent storytelling are very forgivable by the end of the film, as you leave it wishing that Larson could have been there himself to see the success of his shows but also happy knowing that he did not give up his passion and encouraged that such opportunity to continue to succeed exists for us as well.
