tick, tick...BOOM!

Between now and the end of the year, there's a lot of movies (and games) left to review, not to mention the Rath Awards (yay!) so please excuse any brevity you may find in the remaining 2021 reviews. 

tick, tick...BOOM! (which will lovingly be referred to as ttB for the remainder of this write up) is a film that I fully intended to skip originally, mainly because I just didn't know much about it. Thanks to some "Stop what you're doing and watch this film" glowing reviews from a few movie groups/Instagram accounts I'm part of, I quickly added it to my list. 

It's a shame this film wasn't marketed more. Andrew Garfield is a bankable actor - not to mention all the Spider-Man fervor at the moment - and Lin-Manuel Miranda is...well...the dude puts butts in seats. This being his directorial debut is incredibly exciting and I'm almost a bit ashamed that I had to really discover that I should watch this one via social media.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how I got here as long as the destination was worth it and - for the most part - ttB is every bit as good as the reviews shouting from the mountaintops would indicate. It's a special story that I had absolutely zero knowledge about and there's a palpable spirit that runs through the production, probably not surprising anyone familiar with Miranda's work. 

The only aspects of tick, tick...BOOM! that didn't really work for me were the timeframe of which it captured Jonathan Larson's (Garfield) life. It's a pivotal moment in his life where he's pitching a play that he's been working on for 8 years. Surrounding that is the turmoil of his life otherwise...turning 30, his girlfriend potentially moving away, and the AIDS epidemic claiming the lives of his close friends. But where the film stops felt somewhat heartbreaking, without giving anything away, and then closing out the rest of his life via documentary-style text updates. I'm not sure how you could have included several more years (an epilogue perhaps?), but it's a strange ending for a film that builds and builds and builds. The music, while often fantastic, has some [rare] misses too (a song about brunch is particularly forgettable). Those expecting the rap, sing/songs of Miranda may be disappointed that these are more typical Broadway showtunes because the music is all from Jonathan Larson himself. 

"Spider-MEN. So. Many. Spider-Men!"

Aside from my feelings toward the end of the film and a few musical "meh"s, ttB is pretty incredible. For Lin-Manuel to be a first time director is wildly impressive as this is a layered, well shot, and well edited musical. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Miranda has more than a couple films under his belt and/or had some major help so kudos to him. The way the plot is presented is a ton of fun too, telling a story within a story of sorts. Larson created an autobiographical musical: tick, tick...BOOM!, and the film is told through the standpoint of Garfield and Co. on stage, recalling these events with song. At first, it's a little hard to know what's going on, but by the end I was in love with this approach...almost allowing for Garfield to act as a narrator of the past while living in the present, creating a lot more emotion and understanding during key moments. 

By the way, Garfield is a superstar in this, potentially giving the best performance of his career, which is saying a lot. Not only did he (somewhat famously) learn how to sing for the role, but Larson is an eccentric man with quirks. For Garfield to balance the singing, dancing, staying in character, and emotional range that he does - sometimes all within a single scene - is remarkable and he absolutely should get awards nominations. You can be damn sure he will be in the Rath Awards! The remainder of the cast features no weak links either with highlights being Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesus, Vanessa Hudgens, and Joshua Henry. Together, they're a diverse and talented cast that supports this musical in both acting and singing. 

The songs are great too - and is where ttB anchors most of its emotion. They're not all iconic hits that will push this soundtrack up the charts like say...The Greatest Showman, Hamilton, or La La Land...but in terms of Broadway ballads, they hit the mark and often come coupled with fun performances or setpieces within the film. Many are catchy in that Broadway sort-of-way, and Miranda's dedication as a director (and understanding of the material) couple nicely with how they're presented.

tick, tick...BOOM! is a film that has been woefully undersold and should not be missed if you're a lover of Broadway, Lin-Manuel, or Andrew Garfield. Even if you're a fan of 2 out of 3, there's likely enough here to entertain you and your loved ones around the holidays. 

CONS

• Framing of story/time period feels off. Either that or the ending feels rushed...I can't quite put my finger on it, but it leaves me wanting more
• Not all the music is amazing. Some could have been left on the cutting room floor
• Meanders for a bit here and there. Almost feels like it's endlessly building to the "rehearsal" of the play but never quite getting there

PROS

• Amazed that this is Miranda's directorial debut. It has (mostly) solid pacing, filming, editing, etc. 
• Garfield's performance is incredible and deserves awards
• The remainder of the cast is similarly great
• The "story within a story" approach from the autobiographical play is a good way for the film to create extra context and earn a narrator without it being overbearing
• Emotion-packed songs that have fitting film segments to accompany and amplify them
• Entertaining from start to finish, with a distinct spirit, and about a story that probably not many know about (outside of Broadway "geeks")

Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10