Parents' Guide to

In the Heights

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Joyous, touching musical has some innuendo, language.

Movie PG-13 2021 143 minutes
In the Heights Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

  • 1:05
  • In the Heights Movie: Scene #1
  • In the Heights Movie: Scene #2

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age 10+

Based on 13 parent reviews

Jaho1
Jaho1 Adult
July 1, 2021
age 10+

4 sets of thumbs up from this family

So if your child enjoyed Hamilton and you thought it appropriate, same applies here! I agree with the other reviewer that kids younger than 10 may be bored because there is a lot of dialog. Our kids 11 and 15 loved it and it gave us a lot to discuss, about what is truly important in life. This is a great big screen experience, the choreography and cinematography... truly great first "back to the movies since pandemic" movie. I would have given 5 stars but it was very long for our 11 year old!
UmaLaz
UmaLaz Adult
June 16, 2021
age 11+

Not for kids, fine for mature ages 11 and up

This film was all in all amazing. I listen to the original Broadway soundtrack all the time. There's some swearing and s*xy references from the latinx stereotype of gossipy hair salon ladies, which you probably don't want your kid repeating. A main character beloved by the barrio (neighborhood) dies from what seems to be a heart condition (mentioned to be failing to take medications) or heat stroke (stress and the heat), and the moment seems to give most, if not all characters some sense of clarity. The film does include some language as well, and again don't take your kids if they're not mature enough to watch. (This film is not for my almost eight year old sister, maybe for my 12 year old brother, I'm almost 20). I highly recommend this, especially if you're looking for extremely accurate Latinx representation and diversity in a two and a half hour film.
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What's the Story?

IN THE HEIGHTS is the big-screen version of Lin-Manuel Miranda's first Tony Award-winning musical, which tells the story of a group of friends living in the predominantly Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan. It's structured as a flashback, with bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) telling a bunch of kids about the corner where he lived and ran his store. On the hottest day of the summer, he decides to close his bodega and buy the place on the beach where he and his late father spent the "best days of his life" in the Dominican Republic. Then he finds out that someone has bought a $96,000-winning lottery ticket at his store, and everyone starts to wonder about what they'd do with the money. Usnavi's friends and neighbors include Daniela (Daphne Rubin-Vega), whose beauty salon is about to move to the Bronx because of gentrification, and Benny (Corey Hawkins), who works as a car-service dispatcher and eagerly awaits the arrival of his boss's (Jimmy Smits) daughter, Nina (Leslie Grace), who just finished her first year at Stanford. There's also Usnavi's lifelong crush, Vanessa (Melissa Barrera), a stylist at Daniela's who dreams of moving to the West Village and working in the fashion industry, and Cuban American matriarch Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz, reprising her Broadway role), who cooks for and looks after everyone, especially Usnavi and his younger cousin, Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV). Miranda appears as the local piragua seller, who walks around peddling the flavored shaved ice from a cart.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (13 ):
Kids say (55 ):

Director Jon M. Chu's adaptation of Miranda's first deeply personal Broadway musical is a jubilant, powerful tribute to the robust lives, loves, and dreams of a beloved neighborhood. Hamilton veteran Ramos is brilliantly cast as Usnavi (a role Miranda originated on Broadway), who's torn between fulfilling his father's dreams in the Dominican Republic and continuing to build a life in the United States. The entire ensemble is wonderful, from the young Diaz as Usnavi's clever cousin to the gorgeous, talented Barrera as Vanessa. Hawkins and Grace share a striking chemistry as former couple with lingering feelings Benny and Nina; Grace, in particular, authentically conveys the struggles of first-generation college students who attend elite institutions. Nina's first song, "Breathe," is a touching commentary on the burden of being the "star" who's supposed to make it big. The cast benefits tremendously from the presence of Merediz as Abuela Claudia, a character it's difficult to imagine anyone else playing. And the trio of beauty salon stylists (Rubin-Vega, Brooklyn 99 star Stephanie Beatriz, and Orange Is the New Black's Dascha Polanco) are hilarious as the musical's gossipy chorus.

Hamilfans will happily recognize LMM's signature style in all of the songs: They're boisterous, moving, and crowd-pleasingly catchy. "96,000" is an amusing reverie on the myriad ways the characters would spend the loot, and "Paciencia and Fe" is Abuela Claudia's beautiful personal narrative about her mother's favorite saying ("patience and faith"). Marc Anthony, who has a small but pivotal role as Sonny's father/Usnavi's uncle, lends his voice for the soundtrack's original track, "Home All Summer," which plays over the credits. In the same way that Chu's book-to-screen adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians amplified and elevated the talents of East Asian (and diaspora) characters/actors, In the Heights revolves around New York City's Latino population, albeit with a focus on light-skinned Latinos despite Washington Heights' large Afro-Latino population. Usnavi is Dominican, the Rosarios are Puerto Rican, Abuela Claudia is Cuban, and the rest of the characters represent various Latin American cultures. The "Carnaval del Barrio" number -- which is reminiscent of West Side Story's "America" -- is a triumphant reminder of the neighborhood's working-class immigrants united in a new homeland.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the popularity of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musicals, and why Hamilton and In the Heights seem to strike a chord with large audiences -- even those who often aren't into musicals.

  • Discuss Nina's experiences with prejudice and racism at college. How did those incidents affect her? How can you combat racism when you are confronted with it?

  • Which characters are role models in the musical? Which character strengths do they demonstrate?

  • Talk about how the musical addresses immigration and the idea of the American Dream. In what ways is the musical a tribute to Spanish-speaking immigrants who settle in New York City?

  • In real life, the Washington Heights neighborhood has a large Afro-Latino population. Is that fact reflected in the film?

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