5/5 stars
Spoilers ahead
Netflix's 'Tick, Tick...Boom!' directed by Lin Manuel-Miranda (Hamilton 2020 and Moana) is a musical masterpiece based on the life musical composer Jonathon Larson; the genius behind Broadway show 'Rent'. The composer tragically passed away at the age of 35 after an aortic failure just before the opening night of 'Rent'.
Manuel-Miranda adapts Larson's 1991 semi-autobiographical musical 'Tick, Tick...Boom!' to create the emotional rollercoaster that is the same titled Netflix movie adaptation. The 1991 musical features heavily with it being the spring board of the rest of the plot.
Audiences will recognise many of the film's cast members including Vanessa Hudgens ('High School Musical' trilogy) who plays Karessa - Larson's friend and performer in 'SUPERBIA' and 'Tick, Tick...Boom!'. Larson's best friend is portrayed by Robin de Jesús ('The Boys in the Band' and 'In The Heights' 2007) who is diagnosed with AIDS in the second half of the film.
However, new to the movie-musical scene, Andrew Garfield - best known for his role in the 'Amazing Spider-Man' duology - provides an amazing as the musical composer himself Jonathon Larson. Garfield prepared for the role by taking singing lessons from seven different vocal coaches and even learning some basic piano.
Set in the 1990s, the film shows the story of Larson living in New York City whilst trying to finish his newest musical 'SUPERBIA', a sci-fi musical that he has been working on for almost five years. Now, on the cusp of turning 30 and with the musical's presentation coming up, we see Larson struggling to write the show's final song.
Pressure is coming from all angles of his life as his girlfriend - Susan (Alexandra Shipp) - wants to leave NYC to chase her dream, and his best friend - Michael - wants Larson to look at other career prospects which offer more financial stability.
The soundtrack really is the icing on top of the cake when it comes to this project. The opening number '30/90' is a rock monologue that explains everything that is going through Larson's head as he is about to turn 30. The song shows how much vocal preparation Garfield put into this musical and it pays off.
Another stand out track is 'Therapy' performed by Andrew Garfield and Vanessa Hudgens. This comes after Larson and his girlfriend have an argument about him not caring about anything but his musical. Hudgens and Garfield provide a fantastically comical performance of the track with their facial expressions and how they interact with each other - it's unhinged in the best way possible. The track is a back-and-forth mimicry of couples therapy - hence the title of the track.
A personal favourite is 'Why' which comes towards the end after Michael reveals that he has been diagnosed with AIDS. The song is a beautiful piano ballad that tells the story of Larson and Michael's friendship throughout the film and their childhood. Garfield's performance gives me chills whenever I listen to it.
'Tick, Tick...Boom!' is available to stream on Netflix. Subscription required.
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