tick, tick... BOOM! (2021)

tick, tick... BOOM! turns the messy, nerve-jangling act of trying to make art into a kind of electricity—part backstage confessional, part city symphony, all heartbeat. Lin-Manuel Miranda directs with the giddy precision of someone who knows how a song can crack open a feeling, and the film’s editing and staging make inspiration, doubt, and deadline panic move like choreography. Andrew Garfield is the secret weapon: funny, raw, and startlingly present, he makes Jonathan Larson’s ambition and fear feel less like “artist drama” and more like a universal countdown we all recognize. It’s a buoyant, bittersweet love letter to New York and to creative people under pressure, and while it helps if you enjoy musicals or theater culture, the emotional punch lands even if you’ve never set foot in a rehearsal room.

tick, tick... BOOM! is clearly trying to be a heartfelt love letter to artistic ambition and the panic of feeling like time is running out, anchored by Andrew Garfield throwing himself into the role with real commitment. But if you’re not already sympathetic to the “tortured creator” mindset, the film can feel like it’s shouting its anxiety at you—loud, busy, and occasionally a bit self-important—while the story beats land in fairly predictable places. The middle stretch can drag as it circles the same pressures (career, love, validation) without always deepening them, which may leave you admiring the craft more than feeling moved by it. If you want a tighter, more plot-driven drama or musicals that let the songs speak instead of insisting on their importance, this might test your patience—even though the performances and energy do give it genuine spark.