Tick… Tick, Boom!

TICK, TICK… BOOM! (12)

D: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Netflix / Imagine / 5000 Broadway (Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Julie Oh & Lin-Manuel Miranda)

US 2021

121 mins

Biopic/Musical

W: Steven Levenson [based on the musical by Jonathan Larson]

DP: Alice Brooks

Ed: Andrew Weisblum & Myron Kerstein

Mus: Jonathan Larson

Andrew Garfield (Jonathan Larson), Alexandra Shipp (Susan Wilson), Robin de Jesus (Michael), Vanessa Hudgens (Karessa Johnson), Joshua Henry (Roger Bart)

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s directorial debut is a musical biopic of composer Jonathan Larson’s formative years in musical theatre, charting his life prior to the workshop that will either make-or-break his career.

Miranda uses Bob Fosse’s approach of contrasting significant events with musical numbers to underpin the plot, as the aspiring composer, approaching his 30th birthday juggles his work and social life whilst suffering with writer’s block composing his latest work.

Andrew Garfield delivers a superb performance in the lead role and the supporting cast are all fine too, and the disjointed narrative may feel a little jarring for the first half hour or so, but is ultimately one of the movies strengths.

Amongst the best films of 2021, and certainly one of the most original.

7/10