“In the Heights” is an electrifying amalgamation of song, dance, and culture that challenges you to remain seated. Based on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning Broadway smash and directed by Jon M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians”), this is the story of a bodega owner in New York’s Washington Heights named Usnavi de la Vega (Anthony Ramos) who dreams of returning to his homeland in the Dominican Republic. Of course, it’s complicated by several factors including his affection for childhood friend Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) who also has big dreams of becoming a fashion designer. Filled with vibrant characters and irresistible melodies, the heat generated by the spirited musical is going to make this summer one for the record books.

Situated in the uppermost part of Manhattan, in an area that has become 70% Hispanic thanks to the number of Dominican immigrants who settled in the neighborhood that runs from 155th St to 193rd St, “In the Heights” begins with the 168 BPM title track as narrator Usnavi begins his day by chasing off Graffiti Pete (Noah Catala) before opening up shop at the corner bodega. In rapid cadence, our young protagonist introduces us to lifelong resident Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz) while addressing the growing problem of gentrification before the rousing chorus kicks in.

In the heights
I flip the lights and start my day
There are fights
Endless debts
And bills to pay

After making a splash as Lady Gaga’s BFF Ramon in 2018’s “A Star is Born” and appearing in films that include “Godzilla: King of Monsters” and “Honest Thief” opposite Liam Neeson, Anthony Ramos returns in a star-making performance doing what he loves the most, singing and dancing. After appearing in the stage version of “In the Heights” and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” on Broadway, the New York actor embraces the limelight with an unforgettable portrayal of Usnavi, a role he was born to play.

“Heights” is filled with wonderful performances that include Mexican actress and former telenovela star Melissa Barrera who made her mark playing Lyn on the Starz series “Vida.” She is mesmerizing as Vanessa, and then there’s Corey Hawkins who played Dr. Dre in 2015’s “Straight Outta Compton.” You may remember him from appearing on TV’s “The Walking Dead” and “24: Legacy” but you’ve never seen him sing and dance so eloquently. As Benny, the Rosario car service dispatcher who pines for Nina (Leslie Grace), the daughter of his boss Kevin (Jimmy Smits), Hawkins has an undeniable charisma that matches his talent.

Grace as the brave and smart Nina, who much to her father’s displeasure just dropped out of Stanford, delivers a strong performance as the conflicted dreamer who successfully made it out of the neighborhood but returns home unsure of her place in the world.

Miranda wrote “In the Heights” while attending college almost a decade before the musical made its Broadway debut in 2008 after morphing from a one-act show to a vibrant production that tied the memorable songs together by author Quiara Alegría Hudes’ story. The Tony and Grammy-winning play is now the must-see movie of the summer and the best reason to venture back into a theater after a year of pandemic-driven at-home premieres.

America is a nation of immigrants and part of the reason why “Heights” is relatable to everyone, not just the Latinx community. We are a nation of dreamers, who like the film’s characters, are struggling through the daily grind to find our place in this world. The songs are terrific, and director Jon M. Chu —who’s preparing to tackle the film version of “Wicked” — knocks it out of the ballpark, plus Christopher Scott’s choreography is dazzling to view.

Look for Miranda’s cameo as the Piragua vendor selling his ice-cold treats and make sure you stick around during the end credits for an added bonus.

(4 stars)

Opens Friday, June 11 in theaters and HBO Max

Close window X

Republish this article

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Unless otherwise noted, noncommercial entities may republish most of Fort Worth Report stories for free under a Creative Commons license. For commercial licensing, please email hello@fortworthreport.org. For noncommercial digital publications:

• Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Do not copy stories straight from the front-end of our web-site.
• You are required to follow the guidelines and use the republication tool when you share our content. The republication tool generates the appropriate  html code.
• You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style.
• You can’t sell or syndicate our stories.
• Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization.
• If you use our stories in any other medium — for example, newsletters or other email campaigns — you must make it clear that the stories are from the Fort Worth Report. In all emails, link directly to the story at fortworthreport.org and not to your website.
• If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter.

For noncommercial print publications:

• You have to credit Fort Worth Report. Please use “Author Name, Fort Worth Report” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by Fort Worth Report” and include our website, fortworthreport.org.
• You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style.
• Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories.
• You can’t sell or syndicate our stories.
• You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection.
• Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization.
• If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter.

The Fort Worth Report retains the copyright for all of its published content. If you have any other questions, contact Managing Editor Thomas Martinez.

‘In the Heights’ Review: Terrific songs and dazzling choreography make Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning Broadway smash the must-see film of the summer

by Joe Friar, Fort Worth Report
June 9, 2021

<h1>‘In the Heights’ Review: Terrific songs and dazzling choreography make Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning Broadway smash the must-see film of the summer</h1> <p class="byline">by Joe Friar, Fort Worth Report <br />June 9, 2021</p> <p>“In the Heights” is an electrifying amalgamation of song, dance, and culture that challenges you to remain seated. Based on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning Broadway smash and directed by Jon M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians”), this is the story of a bodega owner in New York’s Washington Heights named Usnavi de la Vega (Anthony Ramos) who dreams of returning to his homeland in the Dominican Republic. Of course, it's complicated by several factors including his affection for childhood friend Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) who also has big dreams of becoming a fashion designer. Filled with vibrant characters and irresistible melodies, the heat generated by the spirited musical is going to make this summer one for the record books.</p> <div class="wp-block-group alignleft has-light-gray-background-color has-background"> <div class="wp-block-group__inner-container"> <h3>Review</h3> <p><strong>IN THE HEIGHTS (2021)</strong><br />Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera, Leslie Grace, Corey Hawkins, Olga Merediz, Jimmy Smits, Gregory Diaz IV, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Stephanie Beatriz, Dascha Polanco<br />Directed by Jon M. Chu</p> </p></div> </div> <p>Situated in the uppermost part of Manhattan, in an area that has become 70% Hispanic thanks to the number of Dominican immigrants who settled in the neighborhood that runs from 155th St to 193rd St, “In the Heights” begins with the 168 BPM title track as narrator Usnavi begins his day by chasing off Graffiti Pete (Noah Catala) before opening up shop at the corner bodega. In rapid cadence, our young protagonist introduces us to lifelong resident Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz) while addressing the growing problem of gentrification before the rousing chorus kicks in.</p> <p><em>In the heights<br />I flip the lights and start my day<br />There are fights<br />Endless debts<br />And bills to pay</em></p> <p>After making a splash as Lady Gaga’s BFF Ramon in 2018’s “A Star is Born” and appearing in films that include “Godzilla: King of Monsters” and “Honest Thief” opposite Liam Neeson, Anthony Ramos returns in a star-making performance doing what he loves the most, singing and dancing. After appearing in the stage version of “In the Heights” and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” on Broadway, the New York actor embraces the limelight with an unforgettable portrayal of Usnavi, a role he was born to play.</p> <p>“Heights” is filled with wonderful performances that include Mexican actress and former telenovela star Melissa Barrera who made her mark playing Lyn on the Starz series “Vida.” She is mesmerizing as Vanessa, and then there’s Corey Hawkins who played Dr. Dre in 2015’s “Straight Outta Compton.” You may remember him from appearing on TV’s “The Walking Dead” and “24: Legacy” but you’ve never seen him sing and dance so eloquently. As Benny, the Rosario car service dispatcher who pines for Nina (Leslie Grace), the daughter of his boss Kevin (Jimmy Smits), Hawkins has an undeniable charisma that matches his talent.</p> <p>Grace as the brave and smart Nina, who much to her father’s displeasure just dropped out of Stanford, delivers a strong performance as the conflicted dreamer who successfully made it out of the neighborhood but returns home unsure of her place in the world.</p> <p>Miranda wrote “In the Heights” while attending college almost a decade before the musical made its Broadway debut in 2008 after morphing from a one-act show to a vibrant production that tied the memorable songs together by author Quiara Alegría Hudes’ story. The Tony and Grammy-winning play is now the must-see movie of the summer and the best reason to venture back into a theater after a year of pandemic-driven at-home premieres.</p> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/U0CL-ZSuCrQ </div> </figure> <p>America is a nation of immigrants and part of the reason why “Heights” is relatable to everyone, not just the Latinx community. We are a nation of dreamers, who like the film’s characters, are struggling through the daily grind to find our place in this world. The songs are terrific, and director Jon M. Chu —who’s preparing to tackle the film version of “Wicked” — knocks it out of the ballpark, plus Christopher Scott’s choreography is dazzling to view.</p> <p>Look for Miranda’s cameo as the Piragua vendor selling his ice-cold treats and make sure you stick around during the end credits for an added bonus.</p> <p>(4 stars)</p> <p>Opens Friday, June 11 in theaters and HBO Max</p> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://fortworthreport.org/2021/06/09/in-the-heights-review-terrific-songs-and-dazzling-choreography-make-lin-manuel-mirandas-tony-winning-broadway-smash-the-must-see-film-of-the-summer/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://fortworthreport.org">Fort Worth Report</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cropped-favicon.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://fortworthreport.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=11578&amp;ga3=UA-194640723-1" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p> Copy to Clipboard

1