The IN THE HEIGHTS Film Adaptation Thread- Page 40

[kidbroadway2]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 3:04am

" The studio will still make money on this in the longer term, and...the fact is...MUCH worse movies have been made and have recovered worse ROI. "

 

No they won't. This movie cost $55 million, it made $12 million this weekend, not even factoring in promotion which was a LOT. It's going to have a tough time internationally, I'd be hopeful it makes even $40 million if they are lucky. 

[Impeach2017]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 3:32am

Oh dead God, people can't just sit back and enjoy a show anymore without conducting an Inquisition, torturing all who dare to participate in said entertainment, and finally banish or burn them at the stake for their supposed crimes against humanity.  It's a new game - shoot your friends for being imperfect messengers, because going after the real enemies is too hard and taxing on the feverish minds of the  twitterverse.  

[BWNUT]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 5:56am

The WOKE eating its own. So much more entertaining than what turns out to be 2 1/2 hours of Un-wokeiness.

[BigDisneyFan]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 8:56am

"The WOKE eating its own."  As the wokesters say "i'm here for it.  

"I love that this movie embraces being a musical and is itself a love letter to movie musicals of the past. "

haha, especially the casting!

[Kavana]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 9:18am

No one was annoyed with the product placements? I noticed a few but the one that stuck out was the tide stick during the dinner party

[JGPR2]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 9:23am

"God, shut up. You are acting ridiculous. 

The diverse casting of this movie is something to be marveled at. Period. 

“It’s like you can never do right, it seems, this is the man who literally has brought Latino-ness and Puerto Rican-ness to America. I couldn’t do it. I mean, I would love to say I did, but I couldn’t." As for her official position on the matter, Rita says that she’s “simply saying, can’t you just wait a while and leave it alone? There’s a lot of people who are puertorriqueño, who are also from Guatemala, who are dark and who are also fair. We are all colors in Puerto Rico.” She continued, “this how it is, and it would just be so nice if they hadn’t come up with that and left that alone, just for now. They’re really attacking the wrong person.”

- The incomparable Rita Moreno "

Best post on this subject !!!

[BigDisneyFan]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 10:41am

"No one was annoyed with the product placements? "

Get used to it!  Art isn't free and as you can see from the tepid box office, this movie needs to lean on more than a theatrical run to make its money back.  Given most of these streaming platforms are not able to consistently serve ads, their entire catalogs are soon going to dynamically server "branded content".  

"The diverse casting of this movie is something to be marveled at. Period. "

Is it? Seems like more run-of-the-mill colorism to me.  I feel like there is irony in the fact that this show's theme is community and Rita herself has been victim to a systematic colorism in Hollywood.  Anyone in the Latin community that consumes media can tell you how rampant colorism really is in it.  This goes for US media and Latin countries.  Don't get me started on the well-known drama like casting JLo as a Mexican.   Black face is still very much a thing and acceptable in many places.  I assume LMM would have seen telenovelas and observed the blatant colorism abound and understood the impact on the PR/DR community. Does he live under a rock?  White skin gets preferential treatment and these studios and creators know it and cater to the mentality.   I still marvel at that Netflix hasn't been cancelled for their INSANE "The White Slave" telenovela (circa 2016!).  

My point is, that just because LMM is Puerto Rican, doesn't mean he is above reproach.  Rita's last name is Moreno for gosh sakes!  I'm glad they're called out.  That said, they are both trailblazers and at the mercy of some very large media companies and cultural bias.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 11:37am

BigDisneyFan said: ""The WOKE eating its own." As the wokesters say "i'm here for it.

"I love that this movie embraces being a musical and is itself a love letter to movie musicals of the past. "

haha, especially the casting!"

Ha! Listen, I agree about the representation and colorism. I’m Southeast Asian and saw all of the complaints about the predominantly East Asian voice cast of Raya. I am one to agree with all the people saying they should have done better while also celebrating and amplifying the representation that did happen. And with that said, the people creating absolutely need to do better and learn from this. But I still loved the movies for what they are.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 12:13pm

Kavana said: "No one was annoyed with the product placements? I noticed a few but the one that stuck out was the tide stick during the dinner party"

Oh please, it was fine. In fact, I thought it was pretty clever and organic a way to work it in, since it started in the bodega scene as part of their meet-cute.

 

[Rainah]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 2:10pm

Rumpelstiltskin said: "Nina sings: "Now back in high school when it darkened, You'd hang out in Bennett Park and" Benny: "Usnavi would bring his radio", Nina" As I walked home from Senior Studies, I'd see you rapping with your buddies . . . etc. Either the implication is clear and they were in school together, or Nina at 17 (or thereabouts) walked home from school and saw the others in their mid/later-20's, meaning that Usnavi and Benny regularly hung out in the park mid-day as adults which makes no sense in light of their jobs and Benny's career ambitions.

- Does everyone believe that the source of the conflict between Benny and Nina's dad was clear in the stage version? I've been talking about this with friends for years. Some of us recognized the race issue but others felt that he was reacting to Nina choosing someone whose ambitions were no greater than his own. It was never explicitly stated in the script; I assume that was intentional."

My belief, to the point re: their ages, was Benny and Usnavi were early 20s to Nina's late teens. She was walking home after it 'darkened' so significantly later than the school day ends - probably doing extra studying, extra curriculars, etc. So Usnavi and Benny are hanging out after work (or, for Usnavi, probably on dinner break). At least where I live, "senior studies" could be read as AP courses, which include extra instruction/studying time (often done after school).

I always interpreted Kevin not liking Benny as

- racism, as he makes clear ("not Latino"

- Being protective of his daughter, in a "no one is good enough for my girl" sort of way. He wants the very very best for her, and it's hard for any human to measure up.

- Knowing Benny from a young age. Normally if Nina would bring a boyfriend home, her dad is meeting him for the first time, he's on his best behaviour and delicately throwing out some accomplishments to show he's 'worthy' and get that parental approval. Kevin's known Benny for well over a decade, and in a cut song (Hear me out) it's implied he wasn't the most presentable kid - dressing in what Benny now considers to be not great clothes, breaking open fire hydrants, etc. Kevin has had a front row seat to Benny being human - messing up, making bad calls, falling down. It requires a bit of a knock on the head and laying it out to show him that, yeah, Benny's a great guy.  

Benny's plans per 96,000 seem to be quite ambitious. He wants to go to business school and get an MBA (compared to Kevin's own lack of education) and he explicitly wants to be richer than Kevin, and to participate at least somewhat in investing. Unless there's some lines from book scenes I'm not remembering, I don't think it's at all implied that Benny's ambitions are not greater than Kevin's.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 3:42pm

@Rainah - thanks for your reply to my post. 

Rainah said: " . . . My belief, to the point re: their ages, was Benny and Usnavi were early 20s to Nina's late teens. She was walking home after it 'darkened' so significantly later than the school day ends - probably doing extra studying, extra curriculars, etc. So Usnavi and Benny are hanging out after work (or, for Usnavi, probably on dinner break). At least where I live, "senior studies" could be read as AP courses, which include extra instruction/studying time (often done after school).  . . . "

You may have missed the conversation between Usnavi and Abuela Claudia (regarding the move to DR) where he says that he is in his late 20's.  I don't remember the exact wording (late 20's, close to 30, ??) but the implication was clear.  I hear your thoughts about late afternoon possibilities (Usnavi's dinner break and after work for Benny) but I think it's a stretch.  Sonny at 13-14 was minding the store?  I think it's more likely that the writers chose to change the facts of the story without updating the song lyric.  That's unfortunate because the change to Usnavi/Benny's age was unnecessary and makes Benny and Nina's relationship when she was in high school a little icky.

Rainah said: " . . . I always interpreted Kevin not liking Benny as
- racism, as he makes clear ("not Latino" . . . "

Many thanks for that.  I don't remember that line in the script, despite watching for some clue to his feelings the many times I saw ITH on stage.  I'll pay closer attention next time.  I think many viewers agree with the other points you made which can be summed up as "no one is good enough for my daughter."  Ultimately, I thought many of us interpret his actions based on our own experience, which is why I thought his backstory was kept intentionally vague, but I stand corrected in light of the "not Latino" line.

Regarding Benny's dreams in 96000 ... when I wrote "he was reacting to Nina choosing someone whose ambitions were no greater than his own", I should have written "he was reacting to Nina choosing someone whose ambitions he believed to be no greater than his own."  He hadn't seen the musical yet so he didn't know Benny had dreams beyond the dispatch booth!  . . . and, as you wrote, he had known Benny since he was a boy and probably didn't allow for the possibility that he had matured beyond the wild kid who was "always getting in constant trouble" and Kevin "would act all snide" but would let him hide at Rosarios.

[teddy1996]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 4:50pm

another thing that bothers me about this movie was that there was barely a plot and the characters motivations were wishy washy. vanessa has no story beside wanting to move downtown and liking clothes. we never see she has an actual connection with downtown/fashion. she’s a nail technician wanting to live below 96 st. it’s so unrealistic and naive. and there were so many characters that they weren’t developed enough. especially with benny and nina. we barely know anything about benny in this movie and i hate that they cut down his storyline tremendously. cuca was seriously not needed in this movie at all. what was the point of adding her? she literally had nothing to do in this movie but be pretty. and she barely had any lines. and we needed more of abuela’s story in this movie before she died. that way her death would be more impactful. i hated that they cut camila too. there was no need for that at all. it’s a visually stunning movie but the plot inconsistencies, the inaccuracies, and the colorism makes it a very lackluster film imo.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 5:41pm

teddy1996 said: "another thing that bothers me about this movie was that there was barely a plot and the characters motivations were wishy washy. vanessa has no story beside wanting to move downtown and liking clothes. we never see she has an actual connection with downtown/fashion. she’s a nail technician wanting to live below 96 st. it’s so unrealistic and naive. and there were so many characters that they weren’t developed enough. especially with benny and nina. we barely know anything about benny in this movie and i hate that they cut down his storyline tremendously. cuca was seriously not needed in this movie at all. what was the point of adding her? she literally had nothing to do in this movie but be pretty. and she barely had any lines. and we needed more of abuela’s story in this movie before she died. that way her death would be more impactful. i hated that they cut camila too. there was no need for that at all. it’s a visually stunning movie but the plot inconsistencies, the inaccuracies, and the colorism makes it a very lackluster film imo."

We get it -- you don't like the film.  Time to get over it and move on with your life...

[teddy1996]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 6:11pm

JSquared2 said: "teddy1996 said: "another thing that bothers me about this movie was that there was barely a plot and the characters motivations were wishy washy. vanessa has no story beside wanting to move downtown and liking clothes. we never see she has an actual connection with downtown/fashion. she’s a nail technician wanting to live below 96 st. it’s so unrealistic and naive. and there were so many characters that they weren’t developed enough. especially with benny and nina. we barely know anything about benny in this movie and i hate that they cut down his storyline tremendously. cuca was seriously not needed in this movie at all. what was the point of adding her? she literally had nothing to do in this movie but be pretty. and she barely had any lines. and we needed more of abuela’s story in this movie before she died. that way her death would be more impactful. i hated that they cut camila too. there was no need for that at all. it’s a visually stunning movie but the plot inconsistencies, the inaccuracies, and the colorism makes it a very lackluster film imo."

We get it -- you don't like the film. Time to get over it and move on with your life..."

i never said i didn’t like it. i think it’s a beautiful movie but it’s just not the best. 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 6:56pm

I don’t like that Rita minimized herself and her influence to pay homage to Lin. Could we give this man any more due? He’s incredibly talented but he’s not the second coming. Without Rita there wouldn’t be a Lin! I just saw the doc on her and she tends to defer to others. She didn’t need to say he did what she could not. That is a gross overstatement.

She did apologize for the statement she made.

[BWNUT]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 7:28pm

Bettyboy72 said: "I don’t like that Rita minimized herself and her influence to pay homage to Lin. Could we give this man any more due? He’s incredibly talented but he’s not the second coming. Without Rita there wouldn’t be a Lin! I just saw the doc on her and she tends to defer to others. She didn’t need to say he did what she could not. That is a gross overstatement.

She did apologize for the statement she made."

She did what any actor with a BIG movie coming up would do:  apologize and make nice. She wouldn’t want any backlash or negative press that would in any way affect her next film negatively. Especially when it deals with the same delicate subject matter And I don’t care how big and important actor you are, you would not want to cross and cause a problem for THAT director.

 

[dented146]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 7:36pm

I agree with Impeach 2017. Just be thrilled it's an entertaining and beautifully crafted film. It, very much, bothers me that Miranda and Chita felt they had to apologize for anything. 

This competition to see who can be more "woke" creates a mean spirited society where tolerance becomes unforgivable and humor impossible. 

This whole thing is like racial profiling in reverse.

[smallvillefan16]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 9:14pm

I was shocked to find out how thin the plot of the musical was--- one of the thinnest I've ever seen.   Some songs are cute and fun but it could have been 90 minutes and told the exact same story.  I actually found the non-song scenes to be extremely slow and the lack of memorable tunes I think hinders the film.  However, Anthony Ramos and the cast [along with director] elevated the film.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 6/17/21 at 10:51pm

Rita... has dealt with the colorism herself quite explicitly. Just a few years ago she was talking about how she was upset that they darkened her skin in WSS. She's "Of an age" of course, but I think when really thinking about it I'm sure she did regret her statement on In The Heights. 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 6/18/21 at 1:23am

I think the box office is due to the fact that show is just fine. It’s not amazing and it’s not awful. It’s just not very exciting or interesting. And for whatever reason - I’d guess the musical reason - it just didn’t catch on like “Crazy Rich Asians.” I also think it’s tough having seen “Hamilton” and now seeing this.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 6/18/21 at 2:13pm

SouthernCakes said: "I think the box office is due to the fact that show is just fine. It’s not amazing and it’s not awful. It’s just not very exciting or interesting. And for whatever reason - I’d guess the musical reason - it just didn’t catch on like “Crazy Rich Asians.” I also think it’s tough having seen “Hamilton” and now seeing this."

I think we need to look at the lens of the average moviegoer, not as someone who may have some knowledge/opinion of the original show. In the end, it's a "slice of life" show, without the glitz or wackiness of  Crazy Rich Asians, or the gritty realness that most audiences prefer to see Latins portrayed in, and can easily see in any of the streaming shows out there. I do marketing leaned too much Lin-Manuel and John M. Chu, when it could've focused on the stars of the movie actually singing from the show, or the family elements. Anything besides those two.

[binau]

Posted: 6/18/21 at 2:51pm

Maybe I'm overestimating this but isn't there also an obvious reason that the box office would not be that high, which is because we are in a global pandemic? Are many films really meeting or exceeding expectations for what they would have done in a non-pandemic world? 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/18/21 at 4:17pm

I think The Quiet Place 2 did stellar at the box office, so I think that kind of proved to people that we are "back" so to say. I know plenty of people who saw this in the theaters. 

And agree, the marketing should have played up the music. There are some pretty and catchy songs that might have interested audiences. 

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 6/18/21 at 5:39pm

binau said: "Maybe I'm overestimating this but isn't there also an obvious reason that the box office would not be that high, which is because we are in a global pandemic? Are many films really meeting or exceeding expectations for what they would have done in a non-pandemic world?"

A Quiet Place II and Cruella opened well and have sustained themselves. While AQP and ITH were not far off in taking #1 this past weekend, the expectations for ITH kept creeping up to the point they were anticipating $20M the first weekend, so to eke out barely half of that? It's bizarre and sad, especially the critically reviled The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard has already pulling in $5.4 before the weekend. 

 

[rg7759]

Posted: 6/18/21 at 7:16pm

I suppose we should be thankful that being Bitchy here is a better outlet than shooting people like the rest of the country