Tick, Tick...Boom
I hope everybody watches Tick, Tick...Boom! I mean, there is no reason not to. It is right there on Netflix! And if someone told me they didn't have a Netflix account or access to one, O wouldn't believe them. Okay, well I guess there are some reasons. If you really don’t want to, you don’t have to, but even then, I think you’re just being defiant. It is so good! And it gives you an education and an appreciation for things a lot of people don’t appreciate. Well, that’s how I feel about theater in general, that it gives people appreciation and education about things, and people don’t listen to me about that, so maybe I’m wrong. Wrong and crazy! I’m not! I don’t think…😬.
For those who don’t know, Tick, Tick...Boom is a musical written by Jonathon Larson, the creator of the musical Rent about him turning 30. Jonathan Larson’s story is kind of famous in the musical theater world because, well (1) he created one of the most famous musicals of all time,
and (2) he died just the night before Rent’s first preview, when he was 35. The film is quite fascinating because it basically has two stories happening: the story of Jonathon Larson’s life that inspired the musical Tick, Tick...Boom, and Johnathon Larson putting on a reading or concert of the songs he has created. I really loved the way Lin Manuel Miranda chose to set the film up. To my knowledge, the show is NOT like that which adds an extra layer of complexity and fascination to the film. Ahhh! This is my year for film musicals! We had “In the Heights,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Tick, Tick...Boom,” and “West Side Story!” Man, what a great year!
Andrew Garfield was absolutely stellar in this role! I have yet to see “King Richard,” but I think Will Smith will win the Academy Award for best actor in a leading role, based on the buzz around the film. Andrew Garfield should at least be a lock nominee for his role in this film, though. He completely became the character of Jonathon Larson. So much so that during the film I tried to think of his name and I couldn’t get past Jonathon Garfield. He learned how to play piano and sing for this role, and to see him onscreen crying and acting the way he does with the other actors,
I defy you to try to tell me that wasn’t an acting job that garnered recognition. I have heard him say in interviews that he prepared more for this role than for other roles he had played before. That just adds to my respect for him and I think all that preparation was worth it and paid off. Jonathan Larson’s acceptance and inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community, whose voices are very loud and heard in the world of media, is something that will only play in this film's favor, I believe. Andrew Garfield’s performance as well as the film in general got Jonathon Larson’s view on the world across perfectly. He just loved everyone so much and saw value in every person which is such an admirable quality to have and to get across in a film. I never knew him but I feel like I did know him just from watching this film, which I think will give the film a longevity that not all films have.
Robin De Jesus, who plays Jonathon’s friend Michael in the film, was so good! Oh man, as the film goes, we learn more and more about his character and he just plays into all that so well! He needs recognition for the beast of a performance he gave! I was surprised by how small of a role Vanessa Hudgens had. I think she is beautiful! Absolutely gorgeous! The qualm I had with her performance was that we had seen it before. She didn’t do anything different. That was my one and only problem with this movie. But when it all comes down to it, that’s not that big of a problem. Bradley Whitford had a pretty small but impactful role as Stephen Sondheim in the film, and I thought he did a great job. He was able to command the respect and relay the essence that
Stephen Sondheim would relay. I thought he was absolutely great! I am just a fan of Bradley Whitford’s anyway.
The film did such a fantastic job at portraying New York City as a grimy, dark place where a lot of people are unhappy. Remember when I talked about Angels in America and how the trailer seemed to have the same feel as that? It was the realistic portrayal of New York City that put that feel in both projects. It was obvious that the film was actually filmed onsite in New York City rather than on some soundstage in Los Angeles made to look like New York City because that feel of New York was there in the film. I was happy that I am a die-hard Broadway fan during the scene in the diner. Almost every person during that Sunday brunch song was a well known Broadway star and if I wasn’t well versed in what Broadway stars looked like, I would have missed all the excitement in that scene. If you are able to spot everyone, it makes the movie even more fun.
Oh. and by the way, if you were thinking that the diner in the film looks like the diner Monica worked at in "Friends" when she met Pete (Jon Favreau), it's because it is. The Moondance diner was a real diner in New York City. it closed within the last 20 years.
I have been listening to the music of Tick, Tick...Boom for a long time, many years, now and I really love it! Well a lot of it. I LOVE the first song, 30/90. It is such a good song! And I love the last one, Actions Speak Louder Than Words. Therapy is also one of my favorites. I think the songs Johnny Can’t Decide and Come to Your Senses are good songs outside of the musical but they kind of just “hit the nail on the head” almost too perfectly for the musical. Maybe I am wrong but when he is told to write a song about someone knocking some sense into the character and writes Come to Your Senses? I’m sorry, that just seems too obvious. Let’s not get confused here, I love this musical! I would totally pay my money to see it on Broadway.
I love this movie! I have already watched it several times and I unapologetically plan to watch it several more times. I am not sure what else I can say to try and get people to watch this movie. Please, watch it. It will make me happier, it will make you happier, it will make you a better person, and, consequently, the world a better place. Ahh! I love it.
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