‘tick, tick… BOOM’ REVIEW: An ode to artists and Broadway
‘tick, tick... BOOM’ REVIEW: An ode to artists and Broadway
Andrew Garfield in tick, tick… BOOM (2021)
This review contains spoilers for the movie tick, tick… BOOM.
Despite the world shutting down for more than a year, Lin Manuel Miranda had kept himself busy. You'd think he would just lay low after the release of the recorded Broadway production of Hamilton on Disney+. No, he involved himself with the film adaptation of his musical In the Heights and penned songs for two animated musicals, Vivo (Netflix) and Encanto (Disney). Another addition to his long list of projects this year is his film directorial debut, tick, tick... BOOM.
tick, tick... BOOM is an adaptation of the late Jonathan Larson's semi-autobiographical musical of the same name. Those who are familiar with him know that he did not live long enough to see the success of his musical Rent. This is not about the making of Rent. Instead, it follows the early beginnings of Jon (Andrew Garfield) as a struggling artist in New York City. He raced to complete his musical Superbia before his 30th birthday while at the same time, dealing with problems in his personal life. It offers a realistic yet playful portrayal of the creative process and how painstaking it is to be stuck at a dark place as an artist. It is for the creatives who at any point in their lives experienced this, yet still passionately continued despite how hard it is. It is also a musical for musical lovers, with many musical references and Broadway cameos just for them to enjoy.
This is a perfect project for Miranda. His admiration for Larson is evident throughout the film. He made a beautiful ode to the legacy of the late composer. Given that this marks his film directorial debut, it is understandable that he would make a few bumps, though this does not mean it is not worthy for a few jabs. Yes, his direction needs polishing but if this project were given to a different director, there's a huge possibility that it won't emit the same passion and energy Miranda injected in this film.
Since the stage musical originally acts almost like a one-man show, Miranda and Steven Levenson, the film's screenwriter, found a way to interweave the stage show and Larson's personal experiences. They did this by doing an All That Jazz-inspired storytelling, which is incredibly effective. Levenson's dialogue might come out as cheesy at times, but his script still worked because it allowed the film to fill gaps that are missing from the original show.
Sadly, the film is not as visually striking as Bob Fosse's film. This is one of the few negatives of the film: While the ambition of the musical numbers felt alive and grandiose despite having a tinge of realism, it cannot hide how green Miranda is in terms of film language. The cinematography captures 90s New York - moody and atmospheric - perfectly, but there are some shots that could've been better. The editing could've been the saving grace of the film's visual component; it was near flawless. However, there are some scenes where they would cut to snippets of previous scenes just to add emotional weight. It could've been effective but they ended up being very distracting. It's hard not to compare it to another musical released this year, In the Heights. Jon M. Chu's musical adaptation felt more balanced. Perhaps Miranda and his crew ought to take some notes from Chu.
Miranda and Levenson added foreshadowing of the motifs and recurring themes from Rent, with Jon casually playing the first couple of notes of One Song Glory, No More's verses sounding like a Rent's opening song, the song Boho Days mirroring the bohemian flair of the musical, his answering machine (Speak!), his friends passing away after a brief yet painful battle of AIDS, and other Easter eggs hidden in the film. All of this foreshadowing isn’t just made for fan treatment, since Jon's agent later said to him that he should write what he knew. The film also aptly used its musical references, specifically its homages to Sunday in the Park with George. If you put tick, tick... BOOM and Sunday in the Park with George (at least its first act) side by side, parallels are noticeable. From its main characters to the journey they embark on finishing their piece, they almost tell the same story but in a different time and approach. Larson even wrote a parody of Sunday in the musical, the Avengers: Endgame for theatre nerds moment of the film which features cameos from numerous Broadway actors, and Miranda was even approached by Stephen Sondheim, who offered to record the voicemail bit at the end of the film.
Cameos on Sunday
Both Jon and George (the lead character of Sunday in the Park with George) were seen as having an obscure approach to their craft - Jon with his unconventional score for Broadway, and George with his painting techniques, chromoluminarism and pointillism - and does not compromise their vision for other people. They were both struggling artists who did not see the great aftermath of their works because of their sudden deaths. But unlike George who took his time working on his painting, for Jon, it is different: time is the enemy. Many people have achieved successes at a very young age like Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart and Andrew Lloyd Webber. We look at them, compare our achievements to theirs and wonder if we are just wasting our time or not doing enough. We end up setting these crazy expectations that we must fulfil before a certain period. Otherwise, we feel like a failure. Jon feels the same way, even echoing his worries in the musical’s uproarious opening number 30/90. He can hear time ticking louder and louder as the deadline for his musical is fast approaching. He is near finish with only one song left to write. The problem is that he cannot produce one single idea that he likes and this scares him.
Then there is the matter of his personal life. As he is facing problems while finishing his musical, everything is crumbling too. His girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp) has been offered an opportunity to move to the Berkshires as a chance to revive her passion in dancing. This puts more conflict to Jon as he has to choose whether he will come with his girlfriend or stay in SoHo for his upcoming musical workshop.
His best friend Michael (Robin de Jesús) recently took a great leap in his life and accepted a job in advertising and moved out in Jon's apartment. Michael wants to help Jon earn some money by inviting him in the company's focus group, but Jon's disdain for the deceptive nature of advertising prevents him from accepting the offer, thinking that he would be selling out.
He gave all of his time to cure his musical with this one song. Like George, he ended up neglecting the most important people in his life. Susan, like George’s lover Dot, decided to leave for the sake of her own mental being. Michael had enough after Jon embarrassing himself in the focus group and told him how he, as a POC gay man, doesn’t have the same opportunity as he has, a straight, white male, and wants more out of life even if it means selling out to advertising.
Now, if you allow yourself to take a deeper look at Larson’s life including the time he wrote Rent, you will notice the lack of self-dissection of an artist’s ego here that Fosse did in All That Jazz. It explored Larson’s flaws but it seems surface. It ended up being two things: a self-aggrandizing piece of a tortured composer and a genuine exploration of the harsh creative process. It is up to the audience whether they can see it in either or both ways. We cannot fault Miranda with this direction. After all, the musical was written by Larson himself and he is only paying an homage to the late composer by adapting it.
Also, this mustn’t be treated as the absolute truth. That’s why there is ‘semi’ attached to the autobiography. Even at the beginning of the film, audiences were told that the events in the film are true except for the parts Larson created. With this, no one can really be sure of what is altered or not. Even if the characters are meant to be seen as works of fiction, Jon still has endearing qualities despite being a prick at times. In the emotional musical number Why, Jon lamented on the price he had to pay because of his behaviour towards his loved ones and apologized to them at the third act. Had he not realized this without failing first? No. But it’s better than the film rewarding his toxic behavior.
The film ends with Louder Than Words. Instead of answers, he asked questions he later on tried to answer. He might’ve not fulfilled his dream of Superbia going on Broadway, he at least mended his relationships with the people who mattered the most in his life and now ready to write his next piece of art. The song concluded with an emotional, solo piano rendition of Happy Birthday, a satisfying finale signifying Jon finally accepting the facts of life and embracing a new chapter in his life.
Left: Garfield as Larson; Right: Real-life Jonathan Larson
Who would’ve thought Andrew Garfield would be the perfect person to portray Jonathan Larson? Lin Manuel Miranda. Miranda reportedly said that he wanted to cast Garfield after seeing his performance in Angels in America (filmed production starring Garfield can now be viewed in National Theatre’s streaming service if anyone is curious to see his Tony Award winning performance). This is strange since Angels is not a musical, so is Garfield’s previous theatre credits (most notable is his Broadway debut in Death of a Salesman as Biff). This is the first time we are hearing him sing in a film and Miranda’s instincts are right. Andrew Garfield's lead performance is outstanding and undoubtedly what made the film work. There have been many stunt casting in the past with actors, despite having theatre experience, failed to hit the right chords. This is not the case with Garfield, for he was able to show off his astonishing vocals and duet with professional musical actors Vanessa Hudgens and Joshua Henry. Out of the two films Garfield starred in this year, his performance in this film may be the one that will garner him another Oscar nod. He perfected Larson's mannerisms and displayed the flaws and complexities of the late composer really well. After seeing his performance, it's hard to imagine another actor nailing the frenetic energy and passionate earnestness of Larson.
The supporting cast gave tremendous performances as well. Another real life figure featured in this was the late Stephen Sondheim, portrayed by Bradley Whitford. Much like Garfield, he nailed his portrayal of the theatre legend. His scenes may be few but they are a treat for those who adore Sondheim. Robin de Jesus gave a great supporting performance and one of the clear stand-outs of the film.
If you are looking for a new movie musical that balances its uplifting and emotional elements, then tick, tick... BOOM is for you. There is something for everyone here, not just for artists and theatre kids. Despite its minor flaws, its infectious score and outstanding performances will leave the audiences in awe. After the big releases of musicals made with utmost passion this year, like this and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, we can only hope that good musical adaptations will be the norm in the future.
tick, tick... BOOM is now available on Netflix.
