Andrew Garfield and Lin-Manuel Miranda give viewers a glimpse into the “bohemian life” with Netflix’s latest movie musical, tick…tick…BOOM!.

   The film tells the story of Jonathan Larson, famous RENT composer, as he navigates his career and love life, all while under the stress of turning 30. Through Garfield’s incredibly nuanced performance and Miranda’s faithful direction, “BOOM!” manages to captivate viewers, even those unfamiliar with Larson’s most famous work.

   As stated before, tick…tick…BOOM! details the life (and later, tragic passing) of Jonathan Larson. The narrative serves as a biographical tale, with a number of personal and professional events coming to a head in Larson’s life right around his thirtieth birthday, including the debut of his first musical, his best friend’s HIV diagnosis, and his eventual breakup with longtime girlfriend, Susan. While things don’t pan out exactly as Larson plans them, we’re left with a truly inspiring story about making the most out of the time we’re given. 

   tick…tick…BOOM! was originally performed by Larson as a one-man show in the ‘90s, before the success of his later work. The composer infamously died of a sudden aortic aneurysm on the eve of RENT’s first Off-Broadway preview performance; it’s a fact that the movie doesn’t try to hide, as the viewer is told almost immediately that Larson dies prematurely. Although we don’t know the details then, Larson’s constant fear of running out of time paired with his actual fate gives the rest of the film a melancholic feel, but one that doesn’t take away from the overall positive vibe of the movie. 

   This positive vibe can be specifically attributed to two main factors, one of which is the direction from Lin-Manuel Miranda. tick…tick…BOOM! is Miranda’s feature directorial debut and I couldn’t have imagined a better choice for the job. He made it his goal to be as faithful to Larson as possible, through utilizing real locations from Larson’s life as well as real objects and people he interacted with.

   His respect for the source material combined with his personal connections to a struggling, New York-based composer make the film a labor of love for Miranda. This immense feeling of love shines through in almost every scene, making the movie feel like a big party. Well… aside from all the sad stuff.

   The other reason the film is so enjoyable is due to Garfield’s shining performance as Larson. This role specifically may have been Garfield’s biggest on-screen challenge so far. In fact, he had never sung until about a year before shooting. Nevertheless, he completely dove into the role and committed his time for what I believe is one of the best performances of his career.

   Garfield captures the pure essence of Larson: the joy, the frustration, the regret, and talent. Over the course of the film, you grow to absolutely adore Larson, to the point where you could cry at just the thought of him passing on.

   Aside from the actors’ performances, another standout of this film is the soundtrack. All of the songs are written by the late Larson and were featured in both the one-man version and the off-Broadway production, but are given an updated sound that works perfectly for today. No instrument seems to stick out more than another and the flow of the entire album is remarkable. 

   Not to mention, the diversity of genres on this soundtrack makes it so that anyone can enjoy it. Overall, just a first-rate group of songs from Larson, and it is truly heartwarming to see him get the recognition he deserves. 

   At the end of the day, tick…tick…BOOM! is truly a love letter to the dreamers of the world. You don’t have to be a musical theater enthusiast to relate to Larson’s goal of doing something with your life before your time’s up. It perfectly sums up the pain, agony, and overall beauty of achieving your dreams, regardless of what it takes. This universal idea paired with amazing performances and a killer soundtrack make tick…tick…BOOM an instant classic.