Andrew Garfield a blast to watch in ‘tick, tick...boom!’
Lin-manuel Miranda has racked up Tonys, Grammys, Emmys and a Pulitzer Prize, plus pretty much changed the Broadway game forever with “Hamilton.” So, of course, his directorial film debut also is a remarkable feat that makes you wonder what else this guy can do.
An adaptation of “Rent” creator Jonathan Larson’s autobiographical musical, “tick, tick...boom!” (in theaters now and streaming on Netflix Friday) is a moving and joyous exploration of creativity, inspiration and one man’s desperation to create something that matters before it’s too late. Andrew Garfield turns in an amazing, multifaceted performance as Larson’s semi-fictional avatar in the kind of colorful, fantastical but still realistic New York City landscape that only a musical-theater guru such as Miranda could carve out.
The film pays homage to the different incarnations of Larson’s musical, existing as both a rock monologue where Jon and his band perform in front of a crowd as well as a musical narrative that plays out a talented young theater composer’s maddening search for the perfect song.
It’s 1990, and Jon is eight days from a make-or-break workshop for his dystopian sci-fi rock musical “Superbia,” which he’s been working on for eight years. Also around the corner is Jon’s 30th birthday, and he’s beginning to lament not reaching the same success at as young an age as such folks as his hero, Stephen Sondheim.
Jon is one Act 2 tune away from completing his work yet it’s been a tough nut to crack. The deadline to get it done is stressing him out, as is the mountain of unpaid bills next to his keyboard, the always-busy Sunday brunch he works at the Moondance Diner in Soho, his best friend Michael (Tony nominee Robin de Jesús) – who gave up acting for advertising – wanting him to rethink his work situation, and Jon’s dancer girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp) asking for (but not getting) his thoughts on an out-oftown, potentially life-altering opportunity.
As the frazzled “boy wonder,” Garfield internalizes all of this and bounces between situations and musical numbers with wild-haired, jittery abandon.
Exuding youthful enthusiasm, soulbaring gravitas and absolute joy, he pulls off one of his best acting performances on screen, and the fact that Garfield learned to sing and play piano for this role makes it impossibly impressive.
Notable turns by Shipp, de Jesús, “Pose” Emmy nominee Mj Rodriguez (playing Jon’s diner co-worker) and Vanessa Hudgens (as Jon’s musical muse) add welcome character depth; Bradley Whitford and Judith Light have key supporting roles as the iconic Sondheim and Jon’s agent Rosa; and musicaltheater geeks will recognize many faces Miranda has sprinkled throughout the film.
Audiences familiar with “Rent” will recognize similar themes – for example, the AIDS epidemic hits home for Jon – as well as genre-mashing song stylings: There are rock anthems usch as “30/ 90,” the a cappella romp “Boho Days” and “Therapy,” a fast-paced countryfried duet between Garfield and Hudgens about a lovers’ spat.
Like Rob Marshall’s “Chicago,” Miranda’s “tick, tick…boom!” finds a creative way to ground the more wondrous aspects of musical theater while still keeping its signature wonder.
In one scene, Jon’s enlightening swim at the local YMCA turns a pool floor into a transformative, imaginative page of music. The filmmaker also keeps a ticking musical beat going through the movie, a metronomic reminder of Jon’s looming deadline that doubles as a bittersweet meta reminder of Larson’s own too-short life. (He died at 35 of a sudden aortic aneurysm just hours before the first public preview performance of “Rent.”)
“BOOM!” is an entertaining, heartfilling work that showcases two musical geniuses, putting a new spotlight on Larson’s musical legacy and giving Miranda another endeavor to gift us with his unparalleled artistry.