High replay value with this one. Loved the characters, production designs and set direction, the music and lyrics, and the choreography!

I knew I would love “In the Heights” when I heard THE KID MERO within the first two minutes. BECAUSE OF COURSE YOU GET THE KID MERO A.K.A. “THE DOMINICAN DON DADA” A.K.A. “BLEM DA LA BLEM” A.K.A. “BARLOS SANTANA” AKA “PAPI SHAMPOO” A.K.A. “THE PLANTAIN SUPERNOVA IN THE SKY” AS A RADIO ANNOUNCER!! Perfect (uncredited) casting. 👌🏾 👌🏾 👌🏾

The opening montage was *chef’s kiss.* The three kids to one bed. You can feel the summer heat, like “Do the Right Thing,” can’t catch your breath-type hot. 🔥🥵🌡️ E’erbody in the city up at the same time to start the day. Every day is a struggle. Every day is a hustle. The song and choreography were hyperbolic and lovely—a great intro!

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Anthony Ramos (Hamilton) is a young legend. After seeing this film, you just feel it all coming for him. He’s consistent. Every opportunity he gets to flex a different talent muscle, he executes and it’s effortless. I had high hopes for this role, and he exceeded my expectations. Ramos plays “Usnavi,” a bodega owner with roots in the Dominican Republic with dreams to reopen his father’s island beachside bar. His role is the connective tissue of the screenplay—Usnavi’s a central character but the film is not solely based on him navigating the changing physical landscapes of The Heights, but how the challenges impact the community’s aspirations.

Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton) is another talented actor who has staying power. I was happy to see him in a main supporting role. He killed his scenes too! The man can move! I’m starting to dig his profile and versatility as a performer. (I’m late though.)

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The choreography was insane. 😱😱😱 Beautifully-blended beats from the islands harmonized with the vibes of Manhattan neighborhood. I did a few shoulder shimmies and body rolls in my theater chair—mess ‘round looking like Victor Cruz in somebody’s AMC theater. 😂😂

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The kids popping up throughout the film and during the asides reminded me of the kids in “Black Orpheus”—they were necessary for the plot, but you weren’t sure how until the falling action or conclusion. Loved the short song Usnavi sang listing great Latinas throughout history—when they ended with Sonia Sotomayor, I did a little “YOU BETTA” snap. I was excited. 🥰 🥰

Abuela’s solo sequence transitioned methodically. The direction of the sequence was gracefully-arranged as a step into her dreams and journeying through her emigration to the United States from Cuba, via a Havana streetcar, then through a NY subway car to the stair at her stop.  Beautifully-acted by Olga Merediz, Abulea’s ascension up the subway stairwell to conclude her transition was a precise, effective metaphor.

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Queer relationships! YES. MORE OF THIS!! Daniela (Daphne Rubin-Vega) and Carla’s (Stephanie Beatriz) relationship was too understated for me—definitely needed a little more visibility.

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Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) be in his baggeth 👜🎒🧳 with vibrant screenplays. He managed to add his own flair to the film–the off-balance wide shots where the foci were framed to the right or left of center were fantastic! I imagine this was a lengthy production because there are so many particulars to capture at so many angles and points of view. The pool, fiesta, and intro scenes had to be labors of love—looked like a significant challenge to shoot and edit. 😰😰 But it was worth it. 😊😊

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The Benny (Hawkins)  and Nina (Leslie Grace) scene on the fire escape was gorge. But the sequence, as great as it was, felt a bit like it belonged in an entirely different film. The gravity defiance felt misplaced in the context of the story. It felt like an ode to classic musicals—it was giving “Singin’ in the Rain” whimsy—but something about that elegant set of frames took me completely out of the groove for a moment.

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Superb editing— the film flowed seamlessly. Almost too damn good—Myron Kerstein did his thang. 🔥🔥 🔥 Editing might be one of the most important elements of this film (of any film); many stage plays-turned-screenplays are often lifted directly from the theater, with little to no adaptation from the source material—and it pains me. Shouts to Kerstein. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Costume design and hairdressing should not go unnoticed here. So much of the depth for films rooted in the African diaspora lie in the physical aesthetics and detail orientation. Like Abuela said “it’s the details…” that matter. The beauty salon scene makes this point immediately clear! Every damn Dominican salon I’ve ever been to felt a little like the one in this film—loud, bursting with character, familial…it hit the cues. The animated wig heads TOOK ME OUT!! 😂💗😂

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“In the Heights” reminded me of two things: first, we need more (good’t) non-animated musicals produced. There’s a market for them when the stories are fresh and original, and tap into a society’s current posture without the audience feeling bombarded with a lesson. The film thoughtfully weaved a thick and vibrant tapestry that highlighted at least four generational differences in navigating family, love, companionship, community, gentrification, immigration, tradition, and a sense of purpose. And second, I fully agree with my Afro-Latin brethren and sistren about the critiques of colorism. For so long, especially in spaces where Black folks exist on film and in other media, darker-hued folks (specifically womxn) have been kept within the margins. Good to see there was a balance within the background dancers, but again…the margins.