Washington Heights is a mostly Latino area of upper Manhattan, near the George Washington Bridge. This movie is an adaptation (and expansion) of the stage musical of the same name. It focuses on several Latino characters living in the area. One is a young woman just home from a year at Stanford and not knowing if she will go back. One is a young man who has inherited his father's dilapidated place in the Dominican Republic and he has to decide if he will go back to his ancestral home. Plus a few others.
All this happens in the summer on the backdrop of a heat wave then a widespread electrical power outage. It is a musical, much of the dialog is replaced with singing or rapping. In addition there are a number of very energetic production numbers. Many of the cast are experienced Broadway stage actors so the singing and dancing are mostly excellent all the way through.
My wife and I watched it at home on BluRay from our public library. The picture and sound are excellent. One way I gauge a movie is if I plan to watch it again and for this one, yes, I will watch it again.
(And I did, two weeks later. I enjoyed it even more by knowing what the story would be and watching it develop.)
Of special note - Olga Merediz, in her 60s, does a very moving 4 1/2 minute musical number starting at 1 hour 23 minutes into the BluRay version, moving through her familiar places and recalling her entire life and wondering if she should return to her homeland. She is a wonderful singer and her acting during the musical number is superb. For me she was the highlight of the cast.
The BluRay has a number of interesting extras on the "making of" this movie. A lot of effort went in to make it authentic.
All this happens in the summer on the backdrop of a heat wave then a widespread electrical power outage. It is a musical, much of the dialog is replaced with singing or rapping. In addition there are a number of very energetic production numbers. Many of the cast are experienced Broadway stage actors so the singing and dancing are mostly excellent all the way through.
My wife and I watched it at home on BluRay from our public library. The picture and sound are excellent. One way I gauge a movie is if I plan to watch it again and for this one, yes, I will watch it again.
(And I did, two weeks later. I enjoyed it even more by knowing what the story would be and watching it develop.)
Of special note - Olga Merediz, in her 60s, does a very moving 4 1/2 minute musical number starting at 1 hour 23 minutes into the BluRay version, moving through her familiar places and recalling her entire life and wondering if she should return to her homeland. She is a wonderful singer and her acting during the musical number is superb. For me she was the highlight of the cast.
The BluRay has a number of interesting extras on the "making of" this movie. A lot of effort went in to make it authentic.