Mike recommended a terrific film musical, produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame. 

In The Heights

Based on the stage musical of the same name, the film tells the story of a corner in the predominantly Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, where every member of the community pursues their dreams of a better life.

Corey Hawkins is my favourite. I got to like him first in 24: Legacy.

All tracks are written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Plenty of smart rap lyrics.

I love how it’s cut like a YouTube video.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Unfortunately, it was a box office bomb, grossing just $43 million against its $55 million budget and $200 million break-even point, though it was successful on HBO Max. Hopefully the success of the new West Side Story will motivate folks to check this out, as well.

It’s long at 143 minutes. Too long, I’d say.

YET I highly recommend you watch it. Fast forward through any slow sections. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, In the Heights holds an approval rating of 94% based on 351 reviews with an average rating of 8.3/10.