In the Heights is a 2021 American musical drama film directed by Jon M. Chu from a screenplay by Quiara AlegrÃa Hudes. It is based on the stage musical of the same name by Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The film stars Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, and Jimmy Smits. The film follows the same plot as the musical, telling the story of a New York City bodega owner who saves his money in hopes of a better life.
In the Heights had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival on June 4, 2021, and is scheduled to be released in theaters in the United States on June 10; it will also be available on the HBO Max streaming service for a month. It received acclaim from critics, with praise for Chu’s direction, the story, and the musical numbers.
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 likeable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines and sings about a better life.
The film’s soundtrack album was released on June 10, 2021 – the same day as its U.S. release – on Atlantic Records/WaterTower Music. It was produced by Miranda along with Alex Lacamoire, Bill Sherman and Greg Wells. The film contains one new song, “Home All Summer”, which is the last track on the album. The title track was made available with the album’s pre-order on April 23, 2021. The song “96,000” was released via streaming on May 3, 2021. All tracks are written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It was previously scheduled to be released on June 26, 2020, but it was delayed to June 18, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before being moved up a week to June 11, and later up again by a day.
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