AFI World Premiere: "tick, tick... BOOM!"
Friday, November 12, 2021 at 12:50AM by Nathaniel R
Tiny gasps and squeals gave way to shrieking and thunderous applause at the world premiere of Lin-Manuel Miranda's directorial debut tick, tick... Boom last night at the AFI Festival. And that was just from one of the numbers. We shan't spoil the surprises but let's just say that if you're a musical theater nut, you won't have a single greater high at the movies this year than during its "Sunday" setpiece. That song by Rent's gone-too-soon composer, Jonathan Larson, is a personalized silly riff on Stephen Sondheim's transcendent song of the same name from Sunday in the Park with George.
For those who are unfamiliar with "tick, tick... BOOM!" in its original form, it was a rock monologue that Jonathan Larson wrote and performed a few times in the early 90s...
The monologue was about his own life and self-proclaimed calling as "the future of American musical theater". Five years after his shocking death, the very day that "Rent" was starting performances Off Broadway, "tick, tick BOOM!" had its own Off-Broadway run, restructured as a three-character play. This convoluted many-formed origin story is infused in the very spirit of the film. Lin-Manuel Miranda's spirited adaptation, scripted by Steven Levenson (Fosse/Verdon) plays like collage of ideas, influences, moments, fantasies, and memorabilia. A creator's notes scribbled down on any paper that's handy.
Andrew Garfield lets it all hang out as the young composer trying to make his mark. Garfield's wide darting eyes, big expressions, loose limbs, and emotionially fervent performance is a true high-wire act. He risks caricature but then Jonathan Larson was, by all accounts, a 'character'. The performance starts so big with a lengthy performance of "30/90" (Garfield is backed up by Broadway star Joshua Henry and Vanessa Hudgens in the monologue/stage scenes) that I feared he -- and by extension the film -- wouldn't have anywhere to go thereafter. But then Garfield keeps going there, but with increasing flop sweat... I mean this in a good way. Garfield captures the frazzled desperate and impulsive energy of a man brimming with creativity and on the brink of greatness who also fears that his time is up.
Larson's fate lingers over the film but not in a bathetic way. If anything common knowledge of Larson's tragic early death (from an undiagnosed condition) prevents the film and performance from feeling over-indulgent in its youthful anxiety around turning 30... a common enough fear that always feels ridiculous to anyone on the other side of that arbitrary number.
Garfield's heartfelt performance is ably supported by a wonderful warm ensemble. Judith Light is typically entertaining in her brief scenes as Larson's agent and Bradley Whitford does fun Sondheim mimicry. But the heart and soul of the piece, if Garfield is the body, are Alexandra Shipp (Love Simon), understated but incisive as Larson's increasingly distant girlfriend Susan, and Robin de Jesus (Camp, Boys in the Band) as Larson's longtime best friend, an out gay man who has chosen stability and corporate America over the arts. De Jesus, often cast in the more flamboyant role in these equations, surprises by ballasting the film's bohemian exuberance with a different kind of measured strength, gathering cumulative power until his final powerful scenes.
It's been such a thrill this year to see not one but two musicals (hello, In the Heights) cast with an abundance of actual song and dance talent (Hollywood take note!). The musical numbers are often truly vibrant as a result. That said the energy of the movie and the individual scenes is often all over the place, which at least fits Larson's crazed rush to his own unfortunate finish line. Still, this could prove too much for those who aren't naturally drawn to the genre. One example of tick, tick, Boom!'s more ragged hyper quality is the interpretation of one of the best songs from the stage show, "Therapy" a comic duet between Jon and Susan. In the film, it's performed by Jon and the workshop actress Karessa (Hudgens) instead from the stage. Their performance is crosscut with Jon and Susan having a fight that's been a long time coming. The filmmakers risk losing the audience in both tonal directions, the inspired comedy jarringly slammed up against the painful drama and vice versa for the length of the song. It's a disorienting and strange choice but its rescued and elevated by its tragicomic punchline, sneakily delivered with tapping fingers and genuine heartbreak.
Boisterous and messy, exhausting but alive, tick, tick... BOOM! is a joyful party for musical theater fans. It really goes for it. The musical ends with the rousing number "Louder than Words" which packs quite a wallop. In its spirited defense of a life devoted to the arts and creation, it's tick tick... BOOM!'s version of A Chorus Line's iconic but often misunderstood "What I Did For Love?" The closing song's lyrical treasure “Cages or wings, which do you prefer? Ask the birds” hits hard. The question is rhetorical, of course, tossed to the heavens with head thrown back. A-
Reader Comments (12)
I just hope it has a few calm scenes. IN THE HEIGHTS was turned up to 11 in the first two minutes and it stayed there for the whole 2 hours and 23 minutes. I got exhausted. Great musicals like MEET ME IN ST LOUIS, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, CABARET, CHICAGO, and LA LA LAND offer quiet scenes so that when they take flight in the big numbers there's that exhilarating sense of taking off and flying into the sky, cinematic jouissance.
How's MJ in this?
Thank-freakin-gawd! Didn't think I could bear another meh movie musical, although I enjoyed In the Heights and Everybody's Talking About Jamie much more than most. Yay, Andrew Garfield!
Also, glad for LMM in his directorial debut. Weary of him getting so much vitriol online. He's brilliant, full stop.
So glad you loved it! Sounds like Garfield has a great shot at getting a slot in the competitive Best Actor race.
This sounds a bit like All That Jazz except the lead is grappling with turning 30 rather than 60 (and death).
I gather that all the leads do their own singing and dancing? If so, I'm excited to see what Andrew Garfield can pull off.
working stiff -- adorable. But it's a tiny role.
Dave -- it's not really a dance movie though there are a few jumping around while singing moments but everyone is doing their own singing.
I'm so excited to see this! Happy this role is a good fit for Garfield.
Question for Nathaniel or anyone else who's seen it: is this one we should try to see on a big screen? It's hard to convince anyone I normally see movies with to see anything in a theater that is also available on streaming, short of a Marvel or DUNE-like movie. But I'm willing to go see it by myself if necessary.
Lynn - my answer is always "see on the big screen" no matter what kind of movie it is. But I guess it's not really a visual spectacle so I understand that a lot of people will enjoy it on the small screen with no problem. And it hits Netflix one week from now (it's only getting a single week in theaters)
Really excited to read this review. I agree that Lin gets a lot of puzzling, unwarranted vitriol. It's great to see Garfield leading such an exciting project, and more Bradley Whitford is always welcome.
I would love to see it on the big screen. Unfortunately, Netflix isn't giving it a theatrical release here, even though we have Passing and we are getting The Power of the Dog. I guess it's a lower priority for them.
I absolutely LOVED this one. Saw it on a big screen and flipped. I was so happy to see a musical that looked like a movie (I liked IN THE HEIGHTS, but it often felt a bit plastic) and wanted to be a musical. "Sunday" is excellent. Maybe the best cast movie of the year I've seen. Every role is just spot on.
Nathaniel, thank you for this review. I'm so looking forward to this one! And thank you for the warning about the single week in theaters--I'm glad I know so I can make this a priority. Garfield is having quite the year.