‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’ Review: Andrew Garfield delivers the best performance of the year

Andrew Garfield and Robin de Jesús shine in what should be an awards contender for first-time director Lin-Manuel Miranda with Tick, Tick… Boom!

The film is a love letter to theater and creatives who have a lot to say, but feel like they are running out of time to get it all out. Tick, Tick… Boom! is also a cautionary tale about the dangers of having a dream or goal overshadow all other aspects of your life. Luckily in the film, Jonathan Larson is able to reconcile some of those things he’s cast aside, but not all.

Garfield is sensational as Larson and should be the odds-on favorite for best actor at the Academy Awards. He’s able to capture Larson’s anxiety over turning thirty and feeling like he has nothing to show for it. His obstinance can be grating but Garfield’s innate likeability helps maintain the right balance for such a difficult character. de Jesús is also fantastic and should be in consideration for a best-supporting actor nomination as Michael, Larson’s best friend since childhood. Michael constantly tries to help Jonathan get out of his own way. Jonathan has reason to fret. Not only have his idols accomplished goals before he did, but he’s seen many friends die before the age of 30 due to the Aids epidemic.

His girlfriend, Susan and Michael support him, but have fair limits for what they will tolerate. Larson’s dedication is so overboard that bills going unpaid is one of the smaller details he overlooks in his goal to get his show, Superbia, off the ground. Bradley Whitford also makes the most out of a small role as Stephen Sondheim, Jonathan’s idol.

The screenplay by Steven Levenson uses an interesting framing device. In the beginning, Jonathan Larson is on a stage sitting at the piano with a small band accompanying him. The onstage scenes serve as the film’s narration with great editing used to cut between the onstage one-night-only show sequences and events happening in the late 80s, early 90s time period.

The only major issue with the film is it does underutilize Alexandra Shipp. She’s a gifted actress but isn’t really given a platform to shine on the level of Garfield, de Jesus or even Vanessa Hudgens. Shipp does get one heart-wrenchingly beautiful song. Hudgens is essentially a backup singer in Larson’s band. However, Hudgen’s incredible voice and chemistry with Garfield on-stage work far better than it does with Shipp.

Tick, Tick… Boom! is a better overall film than In The Heights due to sustained character development and conflicts between characters that aren’t easily resolved. The one aspect that is lacking is the songs themselves while good and more complex aren’t quite as catchy as those in In The Heights.

Miranda’s confidence behind the camera is impressive.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the world of Superbia. There may be minor spoilers. Tick, Tick… Boom! is streaming on Netflix.

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Before Rent there was Tick, Tick… Boom!

Tick, Tick… Boom! uses the one-night-only performance to narrate the film’s story. Set against the late ’80s, early 90s Aids epidemic, Larson’s anxiety about turning 30 feels more prescient. After all, the number of friends he’s lost before the age of 30 isn’t small.

While the songs in Tick, Tick… Boom! aren’t as catchy as songs like “96,000” or “It Won’t Be Long Now,” I actually enjoyed the complex storytelling and the rock-infused songs in Tick, Tick… Boom! “Sunday” is an absolute showstopper featuring a number of broadway legends. The opening song, “30/90,” does a great job setting up Jonathan’s emotional state as well as setting the kinetic energy and musical tone of the film. The final song, “Louder than Words” is a powerful, thought-provoking song to close the film out.

Superbia

The show Jonathan is trying to get off the ground is a sci-fi dystopian rock opera called Superbia. He presents the show to luminaries one of which is his idol, Stephen Sondheim. Jonathan is stoked by the words of encouragement and takes Sondheim’s advice to heart. There’s a song missing for the female in the show.

The missing song is a major recurring theme and causes Jonathan to shut everyone else out so he can figure it out. For the first time, he’s simply unable to figure out the song, which is perplexing for a man that can make up a song on the spot about sugar at a diner.

I quite enjoyed watching Garfield and Whitford interact in the few scenes they have. In a lesser film or play, the protagonist would have been infuriated that his story didn’t receive effusive praise from his mentor. The mistaken sign of rejection spurs Larson on to prove his mentor wrong. That’s not the case in Tick, Tick… Boom! Jonathan registers the praise and criticism. His desire to improve upon his work is a smart move that helps you root for Jonathan. His obstinance isn’t mean-spirit. He’s just trying to figure his show out.

Ambition Eats Right Through You

The risk of having too much ambition is shown in his relationships with his girlfriend Susan and best friend Michael. Susan is a dancer looking to take a teaching job. Michael was a talented actor and singer who left for a job in an advertising firm.

In the face of the cascading pressure of trying to finish Superbia for the workshop, he distances himself in various ways from Susan, Michael and reality itself. Susan just wants Jonathan to talk to him as she’s considering taking a job in the Berkshires. When the pressure becomes too much for Jonathan, he pulls the ripcord of sorts by refusing to answer her phone calls. It takes her finally banging on the door for Jonathan to answer. To his credit, Jonathan does try to say the right things to save this relationship, but his mind can’t get out of the story he’s crafting.

His all-in approach to the show also impacts his friendship with Michael. Throughout the film, Michael recommends that Jonathan should take a job doing focus group work at his company. He could put money away while chipping away at his show. Jonathan views this as selling out. For the most part, Jonathan refrains from calling his friend a sell-out, but there’s a great scene between Garfield and de Jesús where their issues come to a full boil.

Every scene between these two gifted actors is phenomenal. Picking one moment that stands out is nearly impossible. However, there’s a painful reveal by Michael to Jonathan, which allows Jonathan to see how truly shut off he’s been in bringing his show to life.

Final Thoughts on Tick, Tick… Boom!

Garfield’s performance, Miranda’s energetic direction, Levenson’s impressive story and the real-life Larson’s lyrics make Tick, Tick… Boom! the best picture frontrunner at this point.