In the Heights (2021) | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

94% Tomatometer 372 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Verified Ratings

The creator of "Hamilton" and the director of "Crazy Rich Asians" invite you to the event of the summer, where the streets are made of music and little dreams become big... "In the Heights." Lights up on Washington Heights... The scent of a cafecito caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies this vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is the likable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines and sings about a better life. "In the Heights" fuses Lin-Manuel Miranda's kinetic music and lyrics with director Jon M. Chu's lively and authentic eye for storytelling to capture a world very much of its place, but universal in its experience. Read More Read Less

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In the Heights

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In the Heights

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Critics Consensus

Lights up for In the Heights, a joyous celebration of heritage and community fueled by dazzling direction and singalong songs.

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Audience Says

Casting, choreography, songs, and story all come together In the Heights to offer pure joy in modern movie musical form.

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Critics Reviews

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In the Heights (2021) | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Deborah Ross The Spectator The choreography (by Christopher Scott) is always terrific and there's that unstoppable energy which, given the film's running time, might eventually have you shouting: "Stop. Stop with the unstoppable energy! I'm over it!" But, you know, what the hell. Jul 29, 2021 Full Review In the Heights (2021) | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Esther Zuckerman Thrillist Ramos instantly secures his future as a leading man, but every single member of the cast is giving it their all, infusing their vocals and movements with life. Jul 29, 2021 Full Review In the Heights (2021) | Rotten Tomatoes (3) David Stratton The Australian While the individual musical sequences range from the exciting to the charming, the film drags in spots. Despite that it's a must for musical lovers... Rated: 3.5/5 Jun 29, 2021 Full Review In the Heights (2021) | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Denise Pieniazek Puesta en Escena (AR) Both Jon M. Chu and Miranda are first-generation Americans, therefore, they had several points in common to think together about transposition, through rootlessness and otherness that are two of the main themes of the musical. Rated: 6/10 Aug 16, 2024 Full Review In the Heights (2021) | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Zach Youngs InSession Film In the Heights celebrates that the people in our lives should be the most important part of any dream. We can achieve more with each other than without. Jul 3, 2024 Full Review In the Heights (2021) | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Sarah Vincent Sarah G Vincent Views While In the Heights deserves kudos for depicting authentic immigrant characters in an urban setting, its discomfort with exploring the natural consequences of their actions and demand for a happy ending undercut the film’s authenticity. Jun 12, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Movie goer The singing and the story Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/01/24 Full Review James H Qué calor, qué calor, qué calor, qué calo-o-or 🕺 #InTheHeightsMovie Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/19/21 Full Review Renee The choreography was fantastic! The subject was timely! I took my 17 year old granddaughter, not sure who loved it most. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/09/21 Full Review MARCELA K Great story, great music, dancing and acting. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/22/21 Full Review Lawrence This movie was just awful!!! We walked out an hour early… I couldn’t understand what the movie was about at all! Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 09/22/21 Full Review Laura L Great songs and dancing overpower the predictable plot. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/15/21 Full Review Read all reviews

In the Heights

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Cast & Crew

Jon M. Chu Director Anthony Ramos Usnavi Melissa Barrera Vanessa Leslie Grace Nina Rosario Corey Hawkins Benny Olga Merediz Abuela Claudia
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In the Heights

In the Heights: Movie Clip - If I Won the Lotto In the Heights: Movie Clip - If I Won the Lotto 0:59 In the Heights: Movie Clip - Fly this Flag In the Heights: Movie Clip - Fly this Flag 1:18 In the Heights: First Eight Minutes In the Heights: First Eight Minutes 8:31 In the Heights: Movie Clip - We Gotta Go In the Heights: Movie Clip - We Gotta Go 0:39 In the Heights: Movie Clip - We Have a Date In the Heights: Movie Clip - We Have a Date 1:01 View more videos

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In the Heights

‘In the Heights’ Stars: “This Is for the F—king Culture” ‘In the Heights’ Stars: “This Is for the F—king Culture” 56:38 Lin-Manuel Miranda Breaks Down the Songs of ‘In the Heights’ Lin-Manuel Miranda Breaks Down the Songs of ‘In the Heights’ 13:56 In the Heights: Trailer - 96,000 In the Heights: Trailer - 96,000 1:27 In the Heights: Trailer 4 In the Heights: Trailer 4 1:30 In the Heights: Trailer 3 In the Heights: Trailer 3 2:23 In the Heights: Trailer 2 In the Heights: Trailer 2 2:20 In the Heights: Trailer 1 In the Heights: Trailer 1 2:22 View more videos

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Synopsis The creator of "Hamilton" and the director of "Crazy Rich Asians" invite you to the event of the summer, where the streets are made of music and little dreams become big... "In the Heights." Lights up on Washington Heights... The scent of a cafecito caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies this vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is the likable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines and sings about a better life. "In the Heights" fuses Lin-Manuel Miranda's kinetic music and lyrics with director Jon M. Chu's lively and authentic eye for storytelling to capture a world very much of its place, but universal in its experience.

Director
Jon M. Chu

Producer
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Scott Sanders, Anthony Bregman, Mara Jacobs

Screenwriter
Quiara Alegría Hudes

Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures

Production Co
Scott Sanders Productions, Warner Bros., Likely Story, 5000 Broadway Productions

Rating
PG-13 (Suggestive References|Some Language)

Genre
Musical

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 10, 2021, Wide

Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 10, 2021

Box Office (Gross USA)
$29.9M

Runtime
2h 23m

Sound Mix
Dolby Atmos

Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
Most Popular at Home Now
In the Heights (2021) | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

Why was Camila cut from In the Heights? ›

The most significant of these cut characters is Camila Rosario, Nina's mother, who is still alive in the musical: Hudes cited a desire to focus on two specific matriarchs in the community, Abuela Claudia and Daniela.

Why did they cut the mom from In the Heights? ›

7 Nina's Mom Was Cut From The Movie

Screenwriter Quiara Alegria Hudes decided to take out Camila not because she wasn't a good character, but she wanted to push a contrast of Nina and Usnavi. This decision strives to show Usnavi and Nina as young adults who were trying to forge their own paths after losing a parent.

Is In the Heights kid appropriate? ›

Content that may disturb children

There are no scenes in In the Heights to scare or disturb children under five years. There are some scenes in In the Heights that could scare or disturb children aged 5-8 years. For example, Abuela Claudia lies down on her bed and dies during a heat wave.

Who is the older lady in In the Heights? ›

Olga Merediz is an American actress who most notably originated the role of Abuela Claudia in Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway musical "In the Heights", for which she received a 2008 Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical.

Why isn't Nina's mom in In the Heights? ›

"I made the decision to cut Nina's mom, not because I don't like the character, but we really wanted to push the idea of Usnavi and Nina as they grew up together...and they're taking different paths," Hudes said (via Variety). "Her path is to leave the community, and his path is to stay in the community.

Why did Nina drop out In the Heights? ›

Today, the Rosarios' daughter Nina is coming home from Stanford University with a secret she's ashamed of: She lost her academic scholarship because she couldn't keep her grades up while working two jobs to maintain her tuition payments.

Did HBO remove In the Heights? ›

Chu's delightful musical “In the Heights” leaves on Jan. 27. Noteworthy films leaving HBO Max on Jan. 31 include the first three “John Wick” movies, the first three “Jurassic Park” films, the first two installments in the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise, and the 1961 version of “West Side Story.” Fill up your queue!

Did they lip sync in In the Heights? ›

Was the majority of the singing done live on set? The movie has a very large percentage of singing from set, as well as pre-recorded music vocals and studio-recorded vocals.

What happened to Abuela Claudia In the Heights? ›

She and Usnavi decide to go to his parent's old home at Playa Rincon in the Dominican Republic and open a bar on the beach's shore (Hundreds of Stories). However, she died on the fourth of July at noon (Atencion), a result of the intense heat, her neglecting her medication, and her overall age and health.

Are there any inappropriate scenes in In the Heights? ›

Suggestive clothing throughout, no nudity but very strong sexual imagery in one very quick scene. Comedic adult jokes that don't end up being dirty but are heavily referenced such as a character saying 'he's got a big... (pause).... taxi!'

How old is Vanessa supposed to be in In the Heights? ›

VANESSA (Mezzo-Soprano, Strong Belt, Latina, Reads Late Teens to 20s) A 19 year old shampoo girl and Daniela's Salon, Vanessa is strong, intelligent and grew up with Benny and Usnavi.

What are the trigger warnings for In the Heights? ›

The MPAA rating has been assigned for “some language and suggestive references.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a couple of kissing scenes, dancing sequences, sexual references, many cleavage revealing outfits, a death by heart failure, discussion of the death of parents, a blackout that lasted several days ...

Are there any white characters in In the Heights? ›

Though a large portion of the neighborhood's real-life population is Black Latinx, in the movie, all but one of the main cast members are light-skinned — and many viewers immediately noticed what seemed to be the erasure of the Black Latinx community.

Is In the Heights based on a true story? ›

While Miranda drew on some real-life experiences for inspiration, In the Heights and its characters are not based on a true story. Hamilton, by contrast, featured the real-life Founding Father and other prominent figures from U.S. history, but that isn't the case for this musical.

What race is Nina from In the Heights? ›

Rosario was Jewish, and Nina was Hispanic (but adopted by white parents) Benny and Sonny were African American. One of the cast member's father was from Washington Heights (grew up there) and said that we captured the spirit of the neighborhood that he grew up in...

Why did they cut songs from In the Heights? ›

Despite the popularity of In the Heights' original score, the creators of the film, led by director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), removed a handful of tunes. Reasons for these tweaks could have ranged from everything to pacing or accommodating for the film's other story-related changes.

Why did Nina come back In the Heights? ›

Nina is the first person in her family to go to college (Stanford University), and everyone in the barrio admires her as the "one who made it out." However, she returns home from school for the summer to reluctantly tell her parents that she has become overburdened and dropped out.

What episode did Camila get kicked off? ›

Around episode 6, she physically assaulted. Even though he didn't want her to leave, producers removed her from the house, making her the first contestant disqualified for breaking the rules.

What happened to Benny and Nina In the Heights? ›

In the film, Nina and Benny dated before Nina went off to college, but broke up when she left New York to go to Stanford. Their story is fairly straightforward—they reconnect, fall in love, spend the summer together, and decide to try long distance dating once Nina's back at school.

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