tick, tick...BOOM! (2021) Review
tick, tick...BOOM! follows the true story of aspiring playwright and composer Jonathon Larson, who is worried he made the wrong career choice, whilst navigating the pressures of love and friendship.
If you are even remotely aware of the hit Broadway musical Rent, chances are, you may also know the story of it’s creator Jonathon Larson. Though this isn’t about Rent, that Larson would unexpectedly die at the young age of 35, the night before Rent would first preview, lends a melancholy air to this adaptation of his autobiographical musical and this film’s influence by his first failure, Suburbia, inspired by George Orwell's 1984. For a man whose life was dedicated to the stage and to the music upon that stage, Lin Manuel Miranda, in his directorial debut, captures just that, not just telling his story but telling his story through his own eyes, on his own terms, through his music. He keeps the pace fresh and moving along in a lively and energetic fashion, offering us quite the insight into the demons Larson faced without ever allowing it to become melodramatic or self absorbed (which is a feat in and of itself).
At times, perhaps just through the realism it’s told, but tick, tick does have a very documentary style feel to it, where we are merely a fly upon the wall, and—not always comfortably—that adds a poignancy to this presentation as a whole. The way it touches on themes so personal to Jonathon, like rent, or writers block, or more importantly, his friends dying young, foreshadow his own struggles and untimely death, making each note and line ring out so hard, and ever so powerfully.
We get a lovely cast, starring Mj Rodriguez, Judith Light, Bradley Whitford, Joshua Henry, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesús, and Andrew Garfield. Garfield treats us to a musical tour de force here, capturing all the charm, dedication, and focus Jonathon centered on his own life, and it sure helps he can hold a note. I also enjoyed the supporting efforts from de Jesús and Hudgens, who stand out in such minor roles, while adding to Larson’s own character throughout the story.
Based on Larson’s own autobiographical musical, tick, tick…BOOM!, directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is a vibrant, yet tragic musical biopic that doesn’t simply tell the story of Jonathon Larson, it finds out what makes him tick, being a worthy examination of the life of a very unique individual who was lost far too soon.
9.3/10
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