Lin Manuel-Miranda came out with his directorial debut in the movie world,tick, tick…Boom!, and it seems fitting that he directed a movie based on a stage musical.tick, tick…Boom!was asemi-autobiographical musical piecewritten by the creator ofRent, Jonathan Larson, before his name became synonymous with one of the biggest musicals of the decade. In this film adaptation, Andrew Garfield stars as Jonathan Larson, and some of Broadway’s biggest and most-established names, like Joshua Henry, Robin de Jesús, Alexandra Shipp, Vanessa Hudgens, André De Shields, Phillipa Soo, and many others.
Althoughtick, tick…Boom!representsmoments of uncertaintyin Larson’s life, this is not a movie that could just be contained to his life and what happened in it.tick, tick…Boom!is one of the rare movies that exemplifies what it means to be human, showing events and people familiar to many, even if they did not live in New York City during the 90s. It gives a platform to everyday issues and events, going beyond Larson’sjourney as an artistand writer to potentially connect with anyone who watches the movie.
Related:Here’s What Makes Tick, Tick…BOOM! One of the Best Musicals on Netflix
A Fear of Running Out of Time
tick, tick…Boom!was originally developed as a stage show for Larson, the main character of the movie, to describe the period of his life when he felt like he was not going to get anywhere. In his 30s, working at a New York City diner and living in an apartment that was not the nicest, it seemed like pursuing an artistic life led to many losses. The film adaptation hits even harder as Garfield’s Jonathan, struggling with money, writer’s block, and personal relationships, finds out that everything is not going as planned. He is about to hit 30 years old and has nothing to show for his life as a musical theater artist or playwright.
To make things worse, his best friend, Michael, has decided to move out of their apartment into a nicer apartment. He pursued a job in marketing and managed to work his way up the food chain, giving up his dreams of being an actor. This creates push-and-pulls for Larson as he grapples with the thought of giving up a life in the arts for comfort. Granted, it was a good thing he did not do that: the world would not have ended up with a piece likeRent. While his work was indicative of the experiences and time Larson lived through,he would not live to see the day when it finally opened on Broadway.Larson passed awaythe night before his magnum opus opened on stage despite seeming healthy.
Regardless of whether one is an artist, there is something very universal about Larson’s experience. Through the songs in the musical, a sense of the fact that time is running out consistently comes up. Whether Larson is moaning about his birthday or not being able to finish the lyrics of his music, there is never enough time to get everything done. At the same time, it feels like he is running out of time. Larson tragically did run out of time, but many can relate to the feeling where it seems like time’s up. It can be marriage, a planned life event, or even one’s career where this can manifest openly and deeply, making it cut deep when failure does arrive. You do not have to be an artist or writer to think that death is swiftly approaching, and you have not done everything you wanted to do with your life.
Related:These Are the Best New Movies Netflix Made in 2021
Finding Inspiration in the Lives We Lived
There is something beautiful about the way art, literature, and movies can replicate real life and the experiences of individuals, andtick, tick…Boom!does an excellent job of just that. As a figure, there is a clouded smokescreen over the success ofRentand Larson, even if one does not know his name specifically. Larson was not well-known for any of his previous works, andtick, tick…Boom!sets the viewer up to realize who he is as a human being. His writing and songs would not be the way they were if he did not borrow from his lived experience, which is what made them so great and stood the test of time. Some may sayRentis now dated, a portrait of the 90s, but it serves as an accurate portrait of working-class people and quote-unquote subcultures, like LGBTQ+ communities, of that era.
As a stage show,tick, tick…Boom!is an extreme show of vulnerability, especially when Jonathan himself performed it when he was alive. It reminds us of the intricacies of what it means to be connected to people, whether it’s fighting with a significant other over what the future holds, a friend who has moved on to greener pastures, or a dear friend or coworker coming down with a threatening illness. These are all scenarios that most people face in their everyday lives, andtick, tick…Boom!puts faces, images, scenes, and music to experiences most of its viewers have lived through already. Sometimes work sucks, and a diner customer starts to become too demanding. Other times, we all want to burst out into song together, find joy in intimate parties, or want to cry over the work to be done. In a movie world now run by special effects and Marvel, there is much to admire in simplicity.
