< centre>Here I am. The musical to which I have devoted my youth is about to be put on public display for every producer in New York. I haven't written a single note or a single lyric in the most important song in the show. I have no electricity. My best friend is furious with me. My girlfriend isn't speaking to me. And there is only one thing I can think of to do; Swim.
~Andrew Garfield as Jonathan Larson
(tick, tick...BOOM!)
Introduction
tick, tick...BOOM! is the 2022 Academy (Oscar) Award-nominated musical autobiography starring Andrew Garfield as Jonathan Larson, a real-life music theatre composer who wrote so many award-winning musical theatre pieces, with 1995's "Rent" earning the most acclaim.
I think this is the best and most mature musical I've seen since "Les Miserables." It was directed by the iconic "Lin Manuel Miranda," widely renowned for his work on Broadway musicals like "In the Heights" and "Hamilton." For the latter, he garnered numerous accolades, including the renowned Tony Award. Personally, I remember him as the composer of the "You're Welcome" Maui song from the Academy Award-nominated animated movie "Moana".
Plot
tick, tick...BOOM! tells the story of Jonathan Larson, an incredibly creative musical theatre writer who is terrified of turning 30 in a few days but has nothing to show for it.
His 30th birthday is this coming Sunday, but before he turns 30 on Sunday, he has the opportunity to present his current play "Superbia" to a small group of Broadway producers and a few friends on Thursday, which he hopes will be his big break.
He is tired of working shifts at the Moonlight Diner, although it's the only job that affords him time to compose musicals. He occasionally envies all his friends who appear to take on day jobs to make ends meet while he pursues his goals in musical theatre.
His beautiful girlfriend Susan, played by "Alexandra Shipp," is a dancer who loves, adores, and supports him, but he doesn't seem to pay close attention to her as much as he should because of how badly he needs to prepare for his upcoming musical play, which, according to his mentor Stephen Sondheim (Author of another musical classic "West Side Story"), is missing the most crucial song.
His best friend Michael would really like it if he could talk to his friend as freely as they always do, but Michael is always confronted with a rock wall anytime he attempts to chat with Jonathan, who seems to be primarily preoccupied with his upcoming musical.
In order to finish his musical play and, in particular, to find the missing component of his musical, he neglects personal hygiene, self-grooming, bills, and even meals.
With a lot of effort and inspiration, he is able to compose the one remaining song a day to the show.
Thursday has arrived, and Jonathan is nervous. He is afraid that his often unavailable producer would forget about the event, and that the RSVP he invited for the play will not show up.
The play is a hit, and everyone in the audience is talking about how he is the future of musical theatre. He isn't totally content with the positive response to his play since the million-dollar question "What Next?" remains unanswered.
Jonathan Larson needs to figure out what he needs to do next after Superbia, and we accompany him on that trip.
The Official Sound Track (OST) of tick, tick...BOOM!
The quality of the music in this musical is excellent, indicating that the director and producers of this film had a great time creating this masterpiece, as evidenced by the delight flowing from the actors as they did their parts.
The song selection is excellent, and it will leave an indelible imprint on your soul. What's more impressive is how realistic the songs are, as there are YouTube videos where the real Jonathan Larson performs the songs in question in front of a live audience, and there appears to be little to no difference between the musicals presented in the film to what he originally made.
The list of the songs on this musical as they appear are
30/90; This is the film's opening sequence, and the monologue leading up to the song is excellent.
Boho Days; Wonderful Acapella rendition in their living room with everyone buoyed in joy.
Green Dress; This song didn't get enough airplay in the movie but I listened to it on Spotify and it is amazing.
Johnny: This song has a great tune and the instrumentals on it are first-rate.
Sunday: This scene in the film was packed with theatre heavyweights who knew Jon Larsson personally and wanted to pay homage to his musical brilliance. The homeless people in this scene are the original cast members of Jonathan Larsson's musical "Rent."
Play Game; A rap song in this amazing collection of songs that I think I enjoyed a little too much thanks to the just-finished NFL halftime show that was dedicated to hip hop.
Suberbia Sextet; This is, by far, the best song in the film, in my opinion, because of how intricately woven it is, with first-rate lyrics and tune. This one has been playing on loop in my house for quite some time.
Therapy; I believe this is the only cheesy song in the movie, although I believe it is only in execution because it was used in a scene where a couple was fighting. However, after seeing it performed on Broadway, it seemed a lot more serious to me.
Come to your senses; For the fear of overselling this song I'm going to keep quiet but it's an absolutely great song.
Real life; For a feel-good movie, this song makes us remember the movie is in many regards a tragedy.
Louder than words; The actual Jonathan Larson's sister is in the audience while Andrew Garfield performs this really beautiful song. This is the one I've spent the most time listening to.
Academy Award Nomination
Andrew Garfield is my least favourite Spiderman, perhaps because Tobey Maguire has endeared himself to me and Tom Holland is just a lovely human being, but with this masterclass of a presentation, Andrew Garfield has won my heart back. Especially since, prior to this movie, he didn't sing or play the piano much but worked very hard to become extremely good at both, and for his efforts, he has been nominated for "Best Actor" in a leading role, and I must say, I'm rooting for him at the moment to win the award. Although it is highly contested with giants like Benedict Cumberbach, Denzel Washington, Will Smith amongst others in the running.
tick, tick...BOOM! was also nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Film Editing", which I believe it should easily win because the images in this film are consistently lovable and engaging. In fact, I'm very certain it will win in this area.
My Opinion
tick, tick...BOOM! is one of the few movies I've seen in a long time in which I have little or no complaints. I'd say it's flawless, but I don't believe in perfection.
Regardless, I'm awarding it a 9.5/10 and wishing with all my heart that it wins an Academy Award on March 27th.
Conclusion
tick, tick... BOOM! can be seen on Netflix and I strongly suggest that you see it if you have an eye for a good movie and ears for great tunes.
Thanks for stopping by, please drop by again tomorrow when I will be reviewing "The Power of the Dog"
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