I don’t have the constitution for modern musicals. They just sound like people singing conversations and I hate that. But tick, tick… BOOM! had just enough of a mix to keep me engaged.

It’s the story of Rent creator Jonathan Larson and the years and musicals before he came to Rent.

Story: The beginning of this film had me lost, but, I stuck with it and focused on Jonathan. That did the trick. Jonathan Larson was a whirling dervish of talent. Before this film, I knew nothing of Jonathan Larson… I only knew his work through Rent, but not even that he was the creator… I didn’t even know what he looked like.

Hats off to the writers because I now know who he is and the important impact he made on the theater community. Tick, Tick… Boom! connects the dots on the life and career of Jonathan Larson.

Performances: Andrew Garfield as Jonathan Larson is phenomenal. My litmus test for Oscar nominations is whether or not I can see the actor or the character. After some research into Jonathan Larson, the performance is almost a reincarnation.

The only other performances of note are Robin de Jesus as Michael, Jonathan’s best friend from childhood and Judith light as Jonathan’s agent, Rosa Stevens. Both strong, authentic performances, but, the Oscar goes to Andrew Garfield.

Visual: Looks like New York City in 1990. Sounds like New York City in 1990. Probably smells like New York City in 1990 too but…
In addition, we see the fear of the moment shown through the ominousness of AIDS throughout the theater community which later comes to be a central theme in Rent.

Rating: when I stopped to focus on Jonathan and his struggle to be relevant, the musical conversations ceased to be an issue. tick, tick… BOOM! is a well told story that doesn’t leave you feeling like you’re missed something. Gets an A…

If you’re an Andrew Garfield fan, see this film…
If you’re a fan of Broadway and musical theater, see this film…
If you loved Rent, see this film…