tick, tick... BOOM!

At first glance, this didn't seem like my kind of movie. I wasn't familiar with the main character, and the thought of a musical — a genre that's always hit or miss for me — didn’t excite me. But then I saw some clips of Andrew Garfield being his quirky self, and I figured it might be worth a shot. Turns out, it's pretty much what I expected: Garfield is as wild and committed as I hoped, but the rest of it felt overly polished and a bit too much like a sugary pop concoction. Sure, there are some clever moments, with songs about things you wouldn't expect, but the overall vibe was so relentlessly upbeat and 'fun' that it gave me a headache. The whole time, I kept thinking, 'You can make a great, fresh musical,' like La La Land, but this one just had me praying for it to be over. Garfield gives it his all, but for me, it was a tough watch. (2022.01.18)

Better as a biographical drama about the hardships of the creative process of a "I can't see the forest for the trees" bohemian from the early nineties than an autobiographical musical about (not only) the same. The problem is that even as a biographical drama, it's bland at best, because you've seen the same thing countless times before, and better. The musical passages work out mainly on the fact that they are not "in the same spirit". So one minute it's overly stylized with a ton of magical realism "where random people around start at five", the next the song is realistically set in everyday life, etc. It's like five musicals with different styles. This is enhanced by the fact that it is a drama (and a bit of satire between the lines) about the life of a musical author, in which he autobiographically processes his inner demons and life into songs, while also being about the inspirations for the iconic musical Rent, and a "minimalist recital about a musical within a musical". Another problem is the inconsistency of the musical numbers. There may be plenty of them, but the trio (led by Therapy, who is the essence of everything it's trying to be for the entire five minutes) towers over all of them far too dominantly. In contrast, the apparent weaknesses, in the form of Miranda directing a film for the first time and Garfield singing, are surprising strengths. With Miranda, with reservations; after all, the meta level of "three narrative planes" was a tough bite for a debut, but it mostly held up (despite the sloppy stylisation of the musical numbers). With Garfield, on the other hand, no reservations; he is the biggest asset. But the rest are certainly not just for show. A solid piece of work, but nothing memorable. (2021.12.13)

Andrew Garfield plays piano, composes, sings, works in a diner, helps come up with marketing slogans, and in between it all, learns how bitter life as a "real" non-commercial artist can be. The whole autobiography is underscored by the intense groping and uncertainty of what comes after 30, and Andrew Garfield really portrays Jonathan Larson in a very impressive way. It's a long way from being a conventional musical, but it's pretty close to being a sensitive biographical narrative that includes moving and breathtaking musical numbers. One of those less flashy films that is definitely worth seeing. [80%] (2022.01.16)