tick, tick … BOOM!

The fight to overcome your fear of failure, to follow your heart’s true ambition, is never an easy one, especially when it’s in a genuinely creative pursuit.

Tick, tick … BOOM! Is the story of Jonathon Larson, the man who most famously wrote and composed the hit Broadway musical, Rent. He’s determined to follow in the footsteps of his Broadway heroes by having his own musical finished by his 30th birthday. He just needs to write one more song.

Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton and Moana fame directed this creative exploration into Jonathon Larson’s life and his specific writing process, with Andrew Garfield making his musical debut as Larson.  

The film cleverly switches between the build-up to the workshop and Larson’s second play, ‘Tick, tick … Boom!’ which works as a narrative device to reflect on his own experience. As someone ignorant of Larson’s work, I was unaware that ‘Tick, tick … Boom!’ was his second play – I just thought it was a particularly clever creative device to explore Larson’s life. And even though that’s not the case, it doesn’t diminish the effect. Weaving between the two works incredibly well, giving Larson a chance to reflect on his journey which in turn gives us a greater understanding of his character. 

Larson was clearly driven by his work and is far more comfortable in a creative environment than he is confronting his emotions and engaging in more personal conversations. He has an integral support team, who at times he finds it hard to connect with, preferring to express himself in a lyrical form. It’s clear that Garfield has really embodied this role and thoroughly deserves his Oscar nomination.

I’m a big fan of Garfield, I think he’s incredibly articulate, with a rich understanding of language and life, and we know Miranda is a supreme wordsmith thanks to Hamilton. Which why I think they’re the ideal candidates to tackle this story. Garfield proves he can sing and move in a way that feels both energetic and graceful, his movement has a fluidity that reflects both Larson’s devotion to his craft and in turn Garfield’s commitment to the role. 

The film very eloquently explores themes of a corporate life versus a creative one. Those who choose a more financially comfortable and secure lifestyle over a creative career. Those who hold onto their dreams as long as they can before having to push it aside for financial security ­– but in turn sacrifice so much.

An example of this is the character Michael, played by Robin de Jesus. It’s through Michael that the film explores themes of homophobia and the AIDs crisis. Michael is an actor whose frustration is expressed through one of the more powerfully moving songs of the film – it sent shivers down my spine. He’s chosen the financial security of a corporate lifestyle but must now hide who he is as a gay man, caged by his security, whilst in the more creative world of Broadway he’s welcomed with open arms but struggles financially.

A notable mention is Vanessa Hudgens, who plays a smaller role than I expected. She’s one of Larson’s singers in his second musical, and while she does have a few moments of dialogue, here she’s a full-on singer and performer of stage and screen and is wonderful to watch. There’s an incredibly memorable and physically demanding duet she performs with Garfield which was one of my many highlights of the film. Hudgens shines as I’ve never seen before. Easily her best role to date.  

Though I’d never heard of Larson before watching this film, he seems to have been a very relatable, genuine, and hugely empathetic person. His constant curiosity and desire to understand the world by asking bigger questions clearly fuelled his ability to write Broadway musicals, one that even reached uneducated people such as myself.  

He clearly struggled to balance friends and family with his absolute devotion to his craft. His refusal to compromise and find more financially stable work shows his devotion which borders on madness. There’s a lot to consider and analyse here, but my biggest takeaway is this; we need to nurture and grow creativity as much as we focus on corporate and intuitional ideals.

4/5