Tick Tick Boom! Review Musical Adaptation Reminds Us Why Rent Was Better

Tick, Tick… Boom! Review: Musical Adaptation Reminds Us Why Rent Was Better

While Andrew Garfield gives a driven and kinetic performance as Larson, Tick, Tick… Boom! is messy, missing a distinct spark and emotional depth.

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Tick Tick Boom! Review Musical Adaptation Reminds Us Why Rent Was Better

Lin-Manuel Miranda, who’s best known for writing the musical Hamilton, has officially made the jump from musical theater to directing his first feature film. That Miranda chose Tick, Tick… Boom! — which is based on the semi-autobiographical musical by the gone-too-soon Jonathan Larson (Rent), who composed the play/film’s music — to direct in his first outing isn’t surprising considering the subject is also a musical theater icon. While Andrew Garfield gives a driven and kinetic performance as Larson, Tick, Tick… Boom! is messy, missing a distinct spark and emotional depth.

Written by Steven Levenson, Tick, Tick… Boom! follows Jonathan Larson (Garfield) in 1990. He’s a struggling musical theater composer who is trying to workshop Superbia, a sci-fi space rock musical he’s been working on for eight years. Eight days before he turns 30, Jonathan doesn’t feel like he’s achieved anything in his life — his musical still lacks the most crucial song, he hates his job at the local diner, he overlooks his girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp), a dance teacher, and is uninterested in living the corporate life of his best friend Michael (Robin de Jesús), who left the world of acting for something more stable. As the clock ticks away, Jonathan feels like time is running out and he’s still stuck in the same place as an artist.

Tick Tick Boom! Review Musical Adaptation Reminds Us Why Rent Was Better

There’s a frenetic energy that permeates the film and never lets up, not even to fully sit in the emotions or perspectives that are on display. It’s like if the film pauses for too long, the audience will realize there isn’t much of a dissection into who Larson is as a person beyond his artistry. Tick, Tick… Boom! is often reverent to a fault, clearly inspired by Larson’s struggles as a creative, but lacking an understanding into what made him, pardon the pun, tick. To that end, Manuel’s focus on style over substance leaves the film feeling superficial when it could have delved a lot deeper. The film would have benefitted from slowing down to really focus on everything that was happening in Larson’s life, his relationships (which are treated haphazardly), and the parts of him that weren’t just musical theater related. There’s a lot that gets lost because Miranda glosses over the aspects that made Larson human.

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Tick, Tick… Boom! makes the same mistake many biopics often do when looking back on someone and seeing them through rose-colored glasses rather than as fully realized people with layers that go deeper than how they’re perceived as public figures and artists. The movie musical works best when Larson is performing his small ensemble show to an audience. In this instance, “Therapy,” which is sung by Garfield and Vanessa Hudgens is a highlight, with the stage scenes intercut with the drama unfolding between Larson and Susan. But it’s the theatrical nature of this setup, including pretty fantastic hand gestures and choreography, that make it stand out. Meanwhile, Garfield’s performance balances being overzealous with underlying frustration and emotion. He’s magnetic to watch throughout, often boosting moments that would have fallen flat otherwise. The supporting cast, which includes Mj Rodriguez, Bradley Whitford, and Judith Light, are all great, but there isn’t enough of their characters to get a feel for who they are.

Tick, Tick… Boom! can surely be appreciated for showing Larson at a point in his life when not everything was working out in the way he’d hoped or dreamed. So often films about successful artists — singers, writers, actors — are focused on their rise to fame. Manuel’s film at least takes the time to allow Larson to stew in the downside of wanting to be in the musical theater industry, with the film clearly indicating that it’s a rough journey to get anywhere significant. It’s especially hard when all Larson has is his vision while he works at a job he hates and abandons his closest relationships to bury his head in music and lyrics. The message to never give up when you have something to say and want a dream badly enough is touching, though what Tick, Tick… Boom! needed was a bit more polish and less chaotic energy.

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The film evokes several of the same themes that are present in Rent, the musical Larson would go on to write after Tick, Tick… Boom! But it’s difficult to watch Miranda’s film and not think about Rent, which touched upon heartbreak, death, life, and how much time one had to live it to the fullest in better, more poignant, and sentimental ways that didn’t feel like it was trying so hard to make its point. It’s the kind of film that is simultaneously riveting, but occasionally dull and emotionally inhibited. When the film does have emotional moments, they feel exploitative rather than an organic extension of the characters and their stories. When Tick, Tick… Boom! does break from being overly energetic, it showcases what it might have been if it simply slowed down, enjoyed the moment, and explored Larson beyond his artistry.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/tick-tick-boom-2021-movie-reviews/

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