HOW MUCH TIME DO WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING GREAT?
Lin-Manuel Mirandaās first film as a director is an adaptation of a stage musical that āRentā creator Jonathan Larson wrote a few years before dying. We follow his struggle as an aspiring composer in the AIDS era, hoping to earn Broadwayās attention with a futuristic musical, becoming so obsessed with his work that heās neglecting the people in his life that provide him with love, friendship and (if only heād pay attention) inspiration. Staged to great effect by Miranda, making this movie an overlong but still very enjoyable show with energetic music numbers, anchored by Andrew Garfieldās joyful, emotional performance.
2021-U.S. 118 min. Color. Widescreen. Produced byĀ Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Julie Oh. Directed byĀ Lin-Manuel Miranda. Screenplay: Steven Levenson. Book, Songs: Jonathan Larson. Cinematography: Alice Brooks. Cast: Andrew Garfield (Jonathan Larson), Alexandra Shipp (Susan Wilson), Robin de JesĆŗs (Michael), Joshua Henry, Vanessa Hudgens, Jonathan Marc Shermanā¦ Bradley Whitford.
Trivia: Among the Broadway stars who show up in cameos: Bebe Neuwirth, Joel Grey and Phylicia Rashad.
Golden Globe: Best Actor (Garfield).
Last word: āI pushed [Garfield] out of his comfort zone a little bit. Heās singing and heās playing the piano. But he knew that he wanted to do that. He knew those were ways that he wanted to express himself that he hadnāt had the opportunity to do. And I knew that if he wanted to do it, he could do it, because I just left ‘Angels in America’ [a Broadway revival starring Garfield] thinking, ‘That guy could do anything!'” (Miranda, Remezcla)