Review of tick, tick... BOOM! (2021) by Jluis_001 — 20 Nov 2021

The story of Jonathan Larson, upon which this autobiographical musical came to life, is both inspiring and crushingly sad.

Someone who worked so hard to get into Broadway and had his life cut short just before the musical he created became one of the most famous musicals in history is certainly one of those stories that is hard to digest.

And while I'm all for his story being told in film, it is also fair to admit that the director, a first-time director, makes constant mistakes in a story that basically just builds itself in a style that is too simplistic to create a better impression.

The most crucial of these mistakes is how the structure of the film feels rushed and cramped.

There are scenes that verge on the corny and implausible because Lin-Manuel Miranda doesn't make them flow properly.

One problem I've always had with musicals is when in one scene the characters suddenly start singing without the musical number coming naturally, and tick, tick....BOOM! suffers a lot from that, and I didn't like it.

But I can also admit its good stuff and especially mention the really good work of Andrew Garfield, who gets right into the role.

He certainly carries the whole weight of the film and does it quite well.

He's the only member of the cast to stand out, but that's okay, the film does after all belong to his character and Garfield owns the screen.

Ultimately, this little musical won't do much for those involved, not even for its director who is already quite famous for other things, but who evidently feels a strong connection to the story, but tick, tick....BOOM! is still a film worth enjoying as entertainment. It has nothing more to prove.

I don't doubt that people who see it and don't know the story of its main character will be inspired by it, and that's really the best profit this film will get, because credits for posterity isn't something it's really going to achieve.