Underplayed Gems

In the Heights (2021)

In the Heights poster
Directed by
Jon M. Chu
Genre
drama film, musical film
Country
Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, United States
Runtime
2h 23m
Rated
PG-13
Rating
7.1 of 10 from 800 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

In the Heights is set in Washington Heights, a mostly Dominican neighborhood in New York City. It follows several residents as they work toward their small but meaningful dreams for a better life.

hopefulenergeticwarmbittersweetcommunity-centeredcelebratoryupbeatnostalgic

What happens

In the Heights is a 2021 American musical drama film directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Quiara Alegría Hudes, based on her and Lin-Manuel Miranda's 2005 stage musical. It stars Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace (in her film debut), Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, and Jimmy Smits. Like the musical, the film is set in the predominantly Dominican community of Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, and follows various residents as they pursue their sueñitos (little dreams) for a better life. In the Heights was originally set to be adapted by Universal Pictures in 2008, with Kenny Ortega hired to direct. After that version fell through, the project was eventually started back up in 2016, with Chu set to direct and Ramos being cast in October 2018. The rest of the cast joined in April 2019, and filming took place around New York City that summer. Originally intended to be released in 2020, In the Heights was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival on June 4, 2021, and was released in the United States on June 10 in theaters and streaming on HBO Max under a 30-day simultaneous exhibition window. It was widely praised for Chu's direction, the performances, musical numbers and the cinematography, but it was a box-office bomb, grossing just $45 million against its $55 million production budget and $200 million break-even point. For his performance in the film, Ramos was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the category Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Since its release, the film has been included in lists of the best musical films of the 21st century. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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