Movie musicals made a comeback this year, and Tick, Tick…BOOM! unsurprisingly wipes the floor with all of them. The story genius of Jonathan Larson and the theatrical flair of Lin-Manuel Miranda (in his directorial debut no less) sounds like a mixture too great to meet expectations. However, the end result, thanks in no small part to the finest performance of Andrew Garfield’s career, surpasses any predisposition and results in a masterpiece for the year.

Tick, Tick…BOOM! is the film adaptation of the semi-autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, a composer in 1990 SoHo, New York City. As he approaches his 30th birthday, so does the deadline to finish his first workshop musical Superbia. Larson faces a crisis of identity as his best friend and his partner move to professional fields while he feels his time start to run out.

Tick, Tick…BOOM! relies on the central performance of Jonathan Larson, and Andrew Garfield delivers and more in the central role. Not only his voice exceptional, but Garfield has to navigate the arrogance of an artist and the crippling anxiety of life that threatens to break him. Garfield’s performance is nothing short of masterful, disappearing into the role despite the showy nature of a musical lead role. He possesses the manic energy, always at the edge as Larson spirals down and then soars up.

Garfield is hardly the only strong player in Tick, Tick…BOOM! though. Alexandra Shipp is a solid supporting character as Larson’s partner Susan, taking a strong but simple character and elevating her. Vanessa Hudgens and Bradley Whitford likewise deliver strong work in more limited roles, but the true standout after Garfield is Robin de Jesús, the best friend of Larson. de Jesús gets some of the most dramatic and impactful moments, capable of keeping up with the high energy of Garfield but delivering the heaviest moments of drama as well.

Despite Tick, Tick…BOOM! being Miranda’s directorial debut, the theatre star shows the innate talent of an experienced filmmaker. Part of this is thanks to the skill of cinematographer Alice Brooks, whose camera captures the swelling scale of the musical scenes and follows up with the tight, claustrophobic moments of the drama. Her usage of lighting and staging is a natural combination with Miranda’s theatrical experience, resulting in a fruitful combination.

Surprisingly, Tick, Tick…BOOM! is the rare musical to thrive from a filmmaking perspective outside of the musical scenes. Many musical films have the difficult task of maintaining momentum after each setpiece, yet Miranda and his editors Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum accomplish doing so. This is thanks to Miranda’s willingness to lean into the fantastical capabilities of the film medium, meaning that the frame remains intimate despite the elaborate dancing and music.

The job of Steven Levenson, the screenwriter of Tick, Tick…BOOM! is both easy and complex thanks to the source material. Jonathan Larson’s play serves as a fantastic piece to bring to the screen, featuring an artist with a human degree of arrogance and realistic conflicts with the world around him. Levenson’s screenplay is faithful to the playbook, wisely allowing the beauty of Larson’s own music and story to take center stage.

Speaking of which, Tick, Tick…BOOM! goes without saying that the music is exceptional. Every song carries impact and a purpose, with none of them standing out as misplaced or unnecessary. A personal favorite is 30/90, the song that kicks off the film, and the same applies to Louder Than Words, the finale. Garfield’s dramatic talent gets to star in Why, while he and de Jesús get to show off exceptional chemistry in No More.

Tick, Tick…BOOM! is an exceptional and entertaining film, with not a single flaw in its creation. It’s a reminder of why movies and musicals capture audiences’ attention and provide so much inspiration and hope for them. Lin-Manuel Miranda has assembled a piece of art that, in many ways, surpasses all his efforts on the stage, while Garfield displays why he will go on to become one of his generation’s greatest actors. A great credit likewise to the late, great Jonathan Larson, who gave Miranda and the world a fantastic story to witness. It’s one of the best films of the year and surpassing it will be near impossible.

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tick, tick...BOOM!

10

Score

10.0/10

Pros

• Exceptional performances and cast
• A gripping story that contains emotion and character
• Entertaining musical sequences and songs to astound
• A confident and stylish debut from Lin-Manuel Miranda

Cons

• It's a really, really good musical, but if you don't like musicals you won't like this one