Usnavi is a bodega owner in Washington Heights with dreams of moving back to the Domincan Republic. He has a crush on Vanessa, a hairstylist from Daniela's Salon, who has dreams of being a fashion designer. His best friend is Benny, who works for Kevin Rosario's cab company. Kevin's daughter, Nina, has just returned from her freshman year at Stanford. She and Benny had a thing that may rekindle. Claudia, an elderly woman from Cuba, has become the abuela (grandmother) to most of the youth on the block. Sonny is a teenager who works for Usnavi. There are other lesser characters, including Lin-Manuel Miranda's cameo as a street vendor.
Much like Hamilton, the majority of the story is told in song. There is dialogue, but rapping is the driver of most of the action. It is a singing, dancing extravaganza. The characters can be charming but their 'problems' are often juvenile. Usnavi is too shy to ask Vanessa on a date. Nina doesn't have a Puerto Rican community to support her at Stanford. Vanessa needs a cosigner to rent a place closer to the fashion district. It is hard to get invested in the numerous little dreams of the plentiful characters. It is very busy and, at nearly two and a half hours, quite long. There are imbedded messages about racism, immigration, and gentrification. This often came across as whining. When Sonny turned out to be a Dreamer, it was just par for the course. America is so unfair. Nonetheless, every backstory about the 'old country' is always a much worse situation; America offered opportunity and employment, but a lot of focus goes to the negatives. Wonderful.
Not being a fan of rap, this was mostly boring. It drags on as every story is a foregone conclusion. Well, Usnavi's story was a bit of a mystery on account of the framing, but it all turns out as the standard happy endings. My favorite part of the movie was the revelation of Usnavi's naming; when his father migrated to America, he saw a ship and liked the name: US Navy.
If you are a Lin-Manuel Miranda fan or like rap, this might be for you. Otherwise, skip.
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