Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first feature film, “Tick, Tick…Boom!”, released on Netflix with universal praise. The film centers around late composer and playwright Jonathan Larson, played by Andrew Garfield, and his autobiographical stage musical production, “tick, tick…Boom!”.

Garfield’s performance is one of the strongest elements of the film. The charisma that he brings to the role makes it hard not to feel the emotions that he displays in the performance. Both his acting and singing were standout performances. Other noteworthy performances from the film include Robin de Jesús, Alexandra Shipp and Vanessa Hudgens. Every character had their own moment in the spotlight. The story, along with the relationship between de Jesús’ and Garfield’s characters, was wholesome and truly special to watch. 

The musical soundtrack was also one of the highlights of the film, with my personal favorite song being “Therapy.” Both Hudgens and Garfield gave impressive performances with this song. In fact, all of the songs were quite memorable. “Real Life,” performed by de Jesús, was another powerful song in the film. 

The film also paints an admirable picture of contemporary life in New York City. More often than not, films focus on the fabulous, excessive life that people have in NYC, but “Tick, Tick…Boom!” was not afraid to show the reality of living on a tight budget, and the measure of success, in one of the most popular cities in the country. 

Lin-Manuel Miranda has been the topic of success lately, especially with “Hamilton,” “Encanto,” “In the Heights,” and now “Tick, Tick…Boom!” in the spotlight. This film particularly felt like his own personal musical style in all the best ways. With this film being his directorial debut, I would love to see what he does going forward.

Overall, this film was fantastic from beginning to end, featuring an amazing cast and a terrific soundtrack. This film will definitely be rewatched over and over again. 

Did you watch “Tick, Tick, Boom”? What did you think of the film? Let us know in the comments below!