bad

Fantastic musical sequences, but I thought the movie dragged in the second half. Too many characters, story could have streamlined, could have been edited down to two hours. But still a nice watch.

In the Heights is a pleasant surprise full of energy and some wonderful musical numbers. The performances all around are pretty solid with Anthony Ramos being the standout for me, making for a wonderfully charming lead to follow. I had a pretty good time with this one. It's a great film to come out during the summer season and is a nice feel-good time overall.

I think it's somewhat charming but falls a little flat in the smaller moments. Chu is able to make some big bold colorful choices when it comes to crowds but the magic doesn't carry through into the more intimate moments. The bigger messages on dreamers, gentrifiers and barrio kind of fizzle before the end, while the romance advances in steps so big it mostly leaves the audience behind.