WHAT’S IT ABOUT
Lights up on Washington Heights…The scent of a cafecito Caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies this vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is the likable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines, and sings about a better life. “In the Heights” fuses Lin-Manuel Miranda’s kinetic music and lyrics with director Jon M. Chu’s lively and authentic eye for storytelling to capture a world very much of its place, but universal in its experience
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
Believe the hype. That’s right, a film that actually lives up to all that promotional talk. Great acting, great storytelling, and great music (of course). This movie has highs you can feel through each of its residents. A significant film about Latin American culture that needed to be told. Like other minority-heavy films, In The Heights is all about dreams, and this movie will definitely relate to the dreamer in all of us. Among those dreamers were Usnavi de la Vega’s dreams of going back to the Dominican Republic. Through him, we meet the rest of the block. Kevin, Carla, Vanessa, Abuela Claudia, Benny, and so many others with dreams of leaving for a better life. Surprisingly, they all have valid reasons, but heart-felt changes were made once their decisions had been evaluated. Throughout the movie, you experience the whole gambit of emotions watching the citizens of The Heights live their day-to-day lives. As a Black American, I can relate to the feelings of uselessness, hopelessness, anger, and pride in your neighborhood. This movie reminds us not to give up on what or who we believe in. Even when things are their darkest, never lose faith.
OUR RATING – UN SUEÑO 9.5
MEDIA
- Genre – Musical
- Street date
- Digital – July 30th, 2021
- DVD/Blu-Ray/4K – August 30th, 2021
- Video – 1080p
- Screen size – 2:39.1
- Sound – English: Dolby Atmos, English: Descriptive Audio, Dolby Digital 5.1: Latin Spanish, Castilian Spanish, Parisian French, Italian, Japanese
- Subtitles – English SDH, Latin Spanish, Parisian French, Castilian Spanish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finish, Danish, Korean, Cantonese, Complex Chinese Italian, Italian SDH, Japanese
Extras
- Paciencia y Fe: Making In The Heights (HD, 44 Mins.) – Set into six different sections with a Play All option, this bonus feature covers most aspects of pre-production, shooting on location, casting, performing the songs in the studio, becoming one with the characters and more. Every single cast and crew member gets their time to talk about the film, the history of the neighborhood, their childhood, and the music and choreography. Behind the scenes clips reveal rehearsals, Miranda and Chu talking with the actors, and so much more. This is a fantastic extra that shows how the film was made and what the story and characters mean to everyone in the film.
- In The Heights Sing-Along (HD, 8 Mins.) – Just the actual musical number in full with the animated subtitles below.
- 96,000 Sing-Along (HD, 6 Mins.) – Again, the musical number with the animated subtitles on display.
- Musical Numbers – All of the musical numbers that can be chosen and viewed on-demand, set up like scene selections.