Hot off the heels of the premiere of his new movie musical, In The Heights, comes the trailer for Lin-Manuel Miranda's directorial debut tick, tick... BOOM!. Based on an autobiographical musical by acclaimed RENT composer Jonathan Larson, the film stars Andrew Garfield as Larson as he navigates turning 30 and struggles with feeling unaccomplished.
tick, tick...BOOM!'s trailer received plenty of acclaim on Twitter, especially from fans of musical theater and Lin-Manuel Miranda's other work. From anticipation over future musical movies set to debut in 2021 to celebrating Andrew Garfield's singing, there's plenty to be excited over.
tik, tok... BOOM!
Now that's a way to update tick, tick... BOOM! to be relevant for modern audiences. The joke pitch for 'tik, tok... BOOM!' is full of various small details, from the shortening of Jonathan Larson's name to 'Jayson' to being aged down from 30 to 18. What sends this into the ridiculous territory is the notion of Nick Jr.'s The Backyardigans parodying famous songs from tick, tick... BOOM! as part of the musical.
That being said, 'tik, tok... BOOM!' does have the potential to be a tongue-in-cheek college humoresque parody of the source material. Otherwise, some things are better off not being updated to appeal to the youth, as @kelsfar seems to suggest.
Lin-Manuel Miranda Just Keeps Winning
June 10, 2021, is a great day for Lin-Manuel Miranda. He's opened the Drama Book Shop in New York City after saving it from financial ruin, has two musical films about the immigrant experience on streaming services, and now has a third musical movie on the way to Netflix. Add in the fact that it's his first outing as a director and it's no wonder some fans of his are having trouble keeping up with him.
@bemoresam may seem a little bit daunted by the idea of Lin-Manuel Miranda releasing everything at once. By the time he's finished all of Murder, She Wrote, however, tick, tick... BOOM! will probably have made it to Netflix.
tick, tick... BURNHAM!
Bo Burnham's Inside released on Netflix earlier this year. His song 'Turning 30' has drawn many comparisons with the plot of tick, tick... BOOM! and its music, primarily the song '30/90'. It's easy to understand why @mscuottowriter draws parallels: 'Turning 30' and tick, tick... BOOM! both address the turmoil of turning 30 years old and feeling as if nothing substantial has been done by then. It's a similar knawing feeling of unfulfillment that can affect anyone.
It may be a bit much to suggest that Bo Burnham is this generation's Jonathan Larson. On the other hand, it just goes to show that the existential horror of turning 30 years old is universal.
Evan Hansen Doesn't Stand A Chance
Dear Evan Hansen's trailer was released last month with mixed responses from Twitter users. Naturally, when tick, tick... BOOM! released, fans, like @Chivancillo, were quick to draw comparisons. A major sticking point was with the posters for the films, both featuring their lead actors in mostly dark rooms facing left. Considering both are musicals, the similarities are even more striking.
It remains to be seen which of the movies wins this battle. One thing is for certain, though: Andrew Garfield makes a more convincing 30-year-old than Ben Platt makes a convincing high schooler.
Andrew Garfield Highlight Post
'Yes' perfectly describes how @_farfrombucky feels about Andrew Garfield's portrayal of composer Jonathan Larson in the trailer. With his messy hair and eclectic style, Garfield is a dead ringer for Larson himself and perfect as a dissatisfied bohemian in New York City. Plenty of fans have also caught onto how Andrew Garfield looks in the trailer as well - but sometimes the appreciation is for very different reasons than just accuracy.
No matter how Andrew Garfield looks, however, what's most important is how his performance as Jonathan Larson turns out. Andrew Garfield is a talented actor, and there's little doubt that he will nail the role. Hopefully, the final product will excite fans just as much as the trailer did.
A Real Theater Kid Movie
David Gordon isn't any ordinary musical theater fan. As the Managing Editor of TheaterMania, he knows his stuff when it comes to a good movie musical. If he says that tick, tick... BOOM! is aimed at the fans of the theater, then chances are that it will be a hit. 'Boho Days' is a particularly popular song from the musical and is known for its stomp-clap percussion part that theater kids love to emulate.
The fact that the trailer leads with 'Boho Days' instead of a more mainstream number like '30/90' is a call for theater kids to tune into Netflix and watch. Considering the pedigree behind tick, tick... BOOM!, it makes sense why the film targets theater superfans as its primary audience.
One Fan Missed The Memo
@tbhcabel, in particular, had the misfortune of being gone all day and missing the initial drop of the trailer. While it's certainly unfortunate to not be one of the first to see tick, tick... BOOM!'s first teaser, it's thankfully not going anywhere anytime soon. Thanks to the power of the Internet, the trailer will be up for viewing whenever the fans want.
Not to mention that once the movie arrives on Netflix, it's up there as long as the streaming service is running. Moral of the story? Don't fret about missing out on a trailer; movies are eternal, and they are always available to watch no matter what.
Eager For Esparza
Beloved actor Raúl Esparza originated the role of Jonathan Larson in the original run of tick, tick... BOOM! and appears on the cast album for the show. As a result, many fans, including @whatyouxwn, are clamoring for him to make an appearance in the movie. Even if he's not playing Larson this time around, a small cameo in the film at the very least would satisfy the majority of the fanbase. They will just have to wait and see.
Wait, Andrew Is Singing In This?
First things first, the implication that tick, tick... BOOM! could potentially have been adapted without Jonathan Larson's score is absolutely horrifying. It feels like a crime to remove the music from one of the most well-known Broadway composer's musicals.
Thankfully, Miranda intends to keep the music in tick, tick... BOOM!, but that doesn't mean some fans, like @peachybaz, aren't caught off guard by the prospect of Andrew Garfield singing. However, a quick YouTube search reveals videos upon videos of Garfield demonstrating his singing chops during interviews.
Just Take Our Money, Netflix!
Scott Menzel, the founder of the Hollywood Critics Association, only needed one trailer to sell him on the tick, tick... BOOM! movie. Thankfully, what he got was enough to instantly hook him on the movie and anticipate Lin-Manuel Miranda's first outing in the director's chair. Films that manage to excite critics this early on usually give good signals about the quality of the film; of course, there's no way to be truly sure until the movie drops.
The jubilance in Scott's tweet echoes that of many casual fans. It's clear that whether a regular moviegoer or a film critic, sometimes one good movie is all it takes to bring people together.