by Heath Lynch, Contributing Writer
Although Lin-Manuel Miranda has definitely made a name for himself over the years with his own personal works like Hamilton and In the Heights, or assisting on projects like Moana, he has never taken the directing reins on a feature film before. That is until now, where Miranda has brought us an adaptation of an autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the same Larson famed for bringing us Rent. But unlike that fun and eccentric rock opera, tick, tick…BOOM! is a play focused on an artist constantly struggling with the pressures of creativity, juxtaposed against his personal life and relationships. This is a tall order. But Miranda doesn’t slink back into the void; he takes this challenge head on. Against all odds, tick, tick…BOOM! pulls off the death-defying feat of being both an incredibly charming and entertaining musical while also serving as a powerful reflection of our own humanity as we balance the weight of actions versus words.
Long before the creation of Rent, Larson (played by Andrew Garfield in this film version) was a struggling bohemian playwright. His sole focus in life was to complete his play, Superbia. It was going to change the world and give Larson the great break that he had always been searching for. Except the years went by and the creative writing block never seemed to go away. Unable to finish his play, Larson’s relationships with his girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp) and best friend Michael (Robin de Jesus) begin to unravel. He has to get his life together as the deadline for his great play is upon him, all before his upcoming 30th birthday.
On the surface, this may seem like a simple story. Oh no, a writer has writer’s block, how awful… It’s something that has been explored many times over. From the likes of William Shakespeare, to Stephen King, or even Dan Harmon in many of his recent Rick and Morty episodes, this subject matter isn’t lacking in content. Yet, it’s still an incredibly compelling subject that is fascinating even if it has been explored before. This is because it is inherently so relatable. Whether it’s because we’re an artist, writer, someone in advertising, a party planner, or just someone who can remember the struggles of writing a paper for school, we’ve all been there. We’ve all had those stresses and felt those deadlines creep in on our lifestyles. Beyond this being entirely relatable, it still manages to feel fresh and new through this magical musical retelling of events. The impact of exciting and uplifting moments are vibrantly displayed in a song like “No More,” or “30/90.” The heavy beats hit hard with “Come to Your Senses.” Then, the film soars when it triumphantly concludes with the anthemic “Louder Than Words.” There’s something about a musical that has the potential to elevate the already impressive and captivating material. If handled poorly it can erode the foundation of the film. But when delicately handled, you get master crafts such as tick, tick…BOOM!.
Although this is Miranda’s directorial debut, he really brings an experienced vision behind the camera. His knowledge of theater and natural gift of storytelling allows him the opportunity to mine the most out of this adaptation. The framing, especially with some of the musical numbers, is tremendous. Miranda also manages to get everything out of his actors, particularly with his lead in Garfield. To put it plainly, Garfield is fantastic in this film and should rightly be considered a frontrunner going into award season based off of the options we have seen so far. His kinetic energy is ever-present and endlessly engaging. He truly portrays the tortured soul of a struggling artist more upset with the failures in his craft than he would ever care about his financial struggles. His expressions of pain, anger, joy, and regret are transformative. Garfield truly becomes Larson. Once you account for Garfield’s actual singing skill, which is on full display throughout, it’s nearly impossible to not be impressed by everything he is bringing to the table. This is arguably his best performance to date.
Even beyond Garfield, tick, tick…BOOM! gets solid performances from the supporting cast as well. Shipp is great as well. The natural give-and-take that she has with Garfield feels genuine, making their conflicts all the more heartbreaking. Please, her vocal performance is also solid. The same can be said for de Jesus. He certainly can belt out the notes, and he truly showcases an endearing performance that elicits a heartfelt emotional response. I definitely felt for his character and wanted nothing more than to reach out and support him. Looking past these main three, we also have Bradley Whitford pulling off a deceptively subtle great job as the famous Stephen Sondheim. Judith Light was also solid, along with Jonathan Marc Sherman. Shoutout as well to Vanessa Hudgens, who still has one of the most captivating voices out there.
The music here is truly incredible. There was not a single song through the film that I felt didn’t fit the moment, or that didn’t work from a music theory perspective. There was depth to every song. There were challenging arrangements with great use of the same rock opera flair made famous by Rent. I personally found myself smiling and wanting to sing along to songs like “30/90” and “Boho Days.” Yet, tracks like “Therapy” and “Sunday” offered extra layers of meaning that really expanded upon the characters and their dynamics. Then there are moments like “Real Life” that are there just to bring on the tears, and the movie definitely succeeds in that regard. There’s just so much to love here.
I will say that this film will naturally draw comparisons to Rent as these productions immediately came one after the other in Larson’s career before his untimely end. Personally, admitting upfront I am likely in the minority here as I am not a big fan of Rent, I found tick, tick…BOOM! to be much better between the two. I think that the music is much better. More importantly, I found the story to be much more grounded and emotionally stirring. It taps into a lot of what made Rent famous, while also expanding on its themes so much further. It just feels like this production has so much more to say, which makes the emotional response so much stronger.
Last thing we have to discuss with this film is the conclusion of its thematic exploration. It’s the aspect of this film that hits harder than anything else, when all is said and done. This film brilliantly holds a mirror up to us all so we can gaze back and reflect upon our own life choices, actions, and decisions. It’s not unreasonable to be selfish and to get swept up in the idea that the world revolves around ourselves. We all do this from time to time. But it’s the mark of a good person to recognize when our selfishness is impacting others. As the movie clearly states by the end, our actions speak louder than words. It’s not enough to simply speak of change. Our actions and choices define us. More importantly than this foundational understanding is realizing that it’s never too late to come to this realization. You can always start doing the right thing, and putting the benefits of others before yourself. Seeing Larson come to this conclusion, through the powerful song “Louder Than Words,” brings the entire picture together. From Laron’s original theatrical production, to Miranda’s direction, to Garfield’s performance, to these themes and songs, we are left with a transcendently powerful film about a beautiful soul and beautiful life.
By the end of this film, I found myself feeling nothing short of moved. Chills ran down my spine as a smile stretched across my face, and a tear rolled down my eye. I feel that tick, tick…BOOM! is truly one of the best films of the year so far. It’s a terrific dramatic and musical experience that should move to the top of your watchlist as soon as possible.
Grade: A+
You can follow Heath Lynch on Letterboxd