Hamilton (2020)

(Spoiler warning for major plot points.)

From the same man who brought us In the Heights and Hamilton comes Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Vivo (2021) on Netflix! The story follows the journey of the titular character by the same name who is a musical kinkajou. Taken in by his human companion Andrés, Vivo learns to play different instruments and the two perform together in the town square of Havana, Cuba. When a letter from an old friend and music partner of Andrés comes, he reveals that he loved her and never got to confess. Andrés even wrote a song about his feelings, and through a series of events, it's up to Vivo to deliver it.

My first surprise from Vivo is how Andrés dies early on in the film. That caught me off guard! Based on what I knew of the movie, I assumed he’d be a main character throughout. I think this was ultimately a good narrative decision. It adds a bittersweet undertone throughout the story beats, and stands as a connection between Vivo (Lin-Manuel Miranda) and Gabi (Ynairaly Simo), as she's also lost someone close to her — her father. Gabi herself was far less irritating than I anticipated. I fully expected her to solely be a jokey comic relief archetype, but she does have depth. Sure, she’s has a big personality and is outgoing, but she can be taken seriously when the scene calls for it.  And despite being displayed throughout most of the movie to be untalented, Gabi has decent vocals, which was a nice detail. I liked how as their relationship developed, Vivo eventually taught her to have more rhythm. It’s a nice way to further establish their bond outside of both of them experiencing loss.

As can be inferred, just as many other of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s properties. Vivo is thoroughly musical, with many songs throughout its run time. Something I appreciated about the movie is how the lyrics are actually understandable. The characters sing fast, but I still received what they were trying to convey. This was a problem I had with Hamilton — I could barely keep up with what was being said and plot details were lost on me.

It was also enjoyable how throughout many of the music numbers, animation suddenly became stylized! The 3-D animation is polished and smooth enough, but it's not as impressive compared to bigger companies like Pixar or Dreamworks. However, the instances where the graphics are experimented with in 2-D or neon colors getting incorporated were exciting to look at!

Seven years before the Pulitzer Prize-winning global phenomenon that is Hamilton opened on Broadway in 2015 and blew the roof off staged musicals forever, creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Broadway musical, the Tony Award-winning In the Heights, opened in the same theater in 2008. Now, like Hamilton, it’s also a movie, a glorious movie more powerful than the original staged production. This cinematic reincarnation tweaks the order and number of some of the songs and characters and expands the physical and thematic landscape using all manner of movie craft which could be mustered by Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu. The result is a visual and emotional feast that lifts the original material to dizzying heights at a time when its themes around immigration, diversity, identity, and the American dream are more elevated in our consciousness than ever before.

The film begins quietly, sweetly like a fairytale about a “suenito,” a little dream of a better life and a place that was disappearing. A young man named Usnavi (Anthony Ramos as a soulful everyman in the role Miranda played on B’way) sits by a beautiful island beach telling this story to a group of wide-eyed children. This new framing device is a little confusing as his tale flashes back to a tight-knit NYC neighborhood called Washington Heights, home to a diverse Latinx community– Dominican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, South American, and beyond–“where the streets were made of music.”

The film begins to pulse as the camera (Alice Brooks, cinematography) roams the street, scaling fire escapes and windows framing families watching kids playing on the pavement below. We follow Usnavi, now rapping out the title song and stepping on a manhole cover, setting it spinning to the beat of the lives on this block. This opening sequence is a dazzler, every edit (Myron Kerstein) a spark illuminating a cross-section of characters, each in search of some version of the American dream, each instantly charismatic and relatable.

Usanavi runs the bodega but dreams of opening his own restaurant bar back in the Dominican Republic. He’s crushing on gorgeous Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) who dreams of becoming a fashion designer. Strolling back to the block fresh from her first year at Stanford is Nina (Leslie Grace) brilliant, independent, and the pride and joy of her hardworking father Kevin Rosario (Jimmy Smits) who owns the car service. Nina reconnects with her love interest, the dynamic Benny (Corey Hawkins) the car dispatcher, and Usnavi’s best friend. Daniela (Daphne Rubin-Vega) and her team have big dreams for her beauty salon. Hovering over all is Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz who played the role on Broadway) a character written for maximum schmaltz. Childless herself, “Abuela” has adopted the entire neighborhood, a grandmother to all. I always have trouble with this character as written, and always want it played a little against the grain, less overtly wise and wonderful. No luck here…