“In The Heights” is an original Broadway musical adapted into a movie. The musical follows Latin Americans in their path to success in a failing neighborhood in New York. The Broadway show was originally written by Lin Manuel Miranda and the movie was directed by Jon M. Chu and released in June 2021.

The musical breaks the mold as they follow four childhood friends, Usnavi played by Anthony Ramos alongside Nina (Leslie Grace), Vanessa (Melissa Barerra), and Benny (Corey Hawkins). Usnavi dreams of moving back to the Dominican Republic to start up his father’s shop again, as running his own shop now in Washington Heights isn’t quite enough. As Nina returns from college in California, she has no money and doesn’t want to return to Stanford in the fall. Benny is working in the dispatch office and to move away and start his own business, while Vanessa has similar dreams. She wants to move upstate and go to fashion school to start her own clothing line.

The musical is filled with fun, head bopping music that will get you on your feet. “In The Heights” ought to catch your attention with a mixture of Spanish and English that shows the roots of their community and culture. The musical perfectly portrays how Latin Americans are treated and what struggles they have to overcome to succeed.

The movie is riddled with easter eggs of Manuel-Miranda’s past works from past characters to words sneaked into lyrics. Christopher Jackson, Olga Merediz, and Lin Manuel-Miranda are just some of the few who returned to the much larger stage of “In The Heights”.

“The dancers, chorus members, co-stars, and featured actors put their heart and soul into every moment of this movie,” Aisha Jordan, writer of Black Nerd Problems said. “You can see it in their glowing faces, beaming smiles, and every step they take on that set.”

As the community battles loss and many hardships, they show that even when you don’t have it all, keep your hope and family close and anything is possible. “In The Heights” is guaranteed to make you smile, sing, and cry all within minutes. The movie musical is available on HBO Max and CD.