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Parents' Guide to

tick, tick...BOOM!

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Moving tribute to late composer has language, drinking.

Movie PG-13 2021 115 minutes
tick, tick...BOOM! Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 5 parent reviews

doctora
doctora Parent of 5-year-old
June 17, 2022
age 13+

If you like Rent and musicals similar to Rent then go for it, if not then stay away!

This film is everything I dislike about musicals. The style, the outbursts, the elaborate stagings that the audience is supposed to invest in that then goes back to a less glamorous reality. I am not a fan of Rent and this film is in the style of Larson's Rent (obviously) hence my extreme displeasure in watching this film. A lot has been said about Garfield's performance. I cannot critique it since I just wanted him to stop for an hour and 50 minutes.
audiogirrl
audiogirrl Adult
February 19, 2022
age 13+
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Marking Tony Award-winner Lin-Manuel Miranda's directorial feature debut, TICK, TICK ... BOOM! is an adaptation of the late Jonathan Larson's autobiographical musical, which he composed before the mega-hit Rent. Starring Andrew Garfield as Larson, the musical is a "rock monologue" chronicling how the Manhattan-based up-and-coming composer (who barely sustains himself working as a waiter at a downtown diner) tries to mount a workshop for a musical he wrote called Superbia leading up to his 30th birthday. As Larson struggles to write a final song for the musical-within-a-musical, his dancer girlfriend, Susan (Alexandra Shipp), tries to convince him to move to the Berkshires, where she's been offered a dance teaching position. Meanwhile, Larson's best friend, Michael (Robin De Jesus), encourages him to consider getting a day job in jingle writing, and friends deal with HIV-positive diagnoses.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (28 ):

Miranda's adaptation of Larson's musical is a brilliantly performed, heartwarming homage to a legend who died before his genius was appreciated. With Larson's music and Steven Levenson's (Dear Evan Hansen, Fosse/Verdon) screenplay, the musical comes to life thanks to Garfield's excellent portrayal. The actor enthusiastically conveys Larson's passion for musical theater, the reverence he feels for his influences -- particularly Stephen Sondheim (who's played by Bradley Whitford) -- and the possibility of making his dreams come true. The songs are funny, candid, and evocative of life as a struggling artist in New York City in 1990. "Sunday" is a fabulous tribute to Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George and offers musical-theater fans a cameo-filled sequence featuring a host of award-winning Broadway legends (including Miranda himself). It will spoil the fun to mention who's in the number, but it's clear that LMM's reach is far and wide.

In addition to Garfield, the talented cast features Pose star M.J. Rodriguez as Larson's fellow diner waiter, The Boys in the Band star De Jesus as his best friend, and Vanessa Hudgens in a noteworthy supporting role as one of the two main singers in the show within a show. The ensemble is fabulous, but this is definitely Larson's show, and Garfield is award-worthy in his performance. Miranda could easily have cast himself in the part (he acted in a limited production of tick, tick ... Boom in 2013, with Leslie Odom Jr. and Karen Olivo), so it's noteworthy that he chose Garfield instead and stayed (mostly) behind the camera. Regardless of whether audiences know that Larson -- who, tragically, died of an aortic dissection just before Rent's first off-Broadway preview performance -- had written a musical before the seminal show that won him posthumous accolades, they'll be delighted to see this musical go from stage to screen.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how compassion, empathy, and perseverance are depicted in tick, tick ... BOOM!. Why are those important character strengths?

  • Discuss the sense of place and time in the movie. What's going on that makes it clear the movie is set in New York City in 1990? Did you learn anything that makes you want to research the time period?

  • The movie features diverse racial and ethnic representation, as well as LGBTQ+ representation. What about generational representation? How is Generation X depicted by Larson and his friends? Why does representation matter in movies and pop culture?

  • Do you have to be a musical theater fan to enjoy this movie? What did you learn from it? Does it change the way you think of the musical Rent and the struggles of trying to become an artist/composer?

  • This musical is known for its tribute to Stephen Sondheim (and, in particular, Sunday in the Park with George). For those familiar with musical theater, in what ways did Sondheim influence Jonathan Larson? In what ways can you also see how Larson's music impacted Lin-Manuel Miranda?

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