Tick, Tick... Boom! Review: Musical Adaptation Reminds Us Why Rent Was Better

[Night hunter]

While Andrew Garfield gives a driven and kinetic performance as Larson, Tick, Tick… Boom! is messy, missing a distinct spark and emotional depth.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, who’s best known for writing the musical Hamilton, has officially made the jump from musical theater to directing his first feature film. That Miranda chose Tick, Tick… Boom! — which is based on the semi-autobiographical musical by the gone-too-soon Jonathan Larson (Rent), who composed the play/film’s music — to direct in his first outing isn’t surprising considering the subject is also a musical theater icon. While Andrew Garfield gives a driven and kinetic performance as Larson, Tick, Tick… Boom! is messy, missing a distinct spark and emotional depth. 

Written by Steven Levenson, Tick, Tick… Boom! follows Jonathan Larson (Garfield) in 1990. He’s a struggling musical theater composer who is trying to workshop Superbia, a sci-fi space rock musical he’s been working on for eight years. Eight days before he turns 30, Jonathan doesn’t feel like he’s achieved anything in his life — his musical still lacks the most crucial song, he hates his job at the local diner, he overlooks his girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp), a dance teacher, and is uninterested in living the corporate life of his best friend Michael (Robin de Jesús), who left the world of acting for something more stable. As the clock ticks away, Jonathan feels like time is running out and he's still stuck in the same place as an artist.