Tick, Tick… Boom!: What Fans Are Saying About The Lin-Manuel Miranda-Led Musical
Fear or love, baby?
![Andrew Garfield as Jonathan Larson in Tick, Tick... Boom](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ueSLQo5idYmjjUCVH6W3id-320-80.jpg)
“Wait, Andrew Garfield can sing? What can’t he do?” Those are a couple of the questions that are floating around right now following the release of Tick, Tick… Boom! on Netflix. The musical, which is directed by Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda, recently landed on the streaming service. It has, in fact, been getting some great buzz. Let’s get into what the fans are gushing about regarding the movie.
Tick, Tick… Boom! Is an adaptation of a 2001 semi-autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson about his journey as a composer in New York City. The movie tells the story of the playwright behind Rent before he was known for Rent. It doubles as a tragic true story and thought-provoking tale about the life and complexities of being an artist.
The movie has received rave reviews from critics overall and audiences are also in agreement this time as well. But what about Tick, Tick… Boom! specifically is getting people talking? It’s time to break it down.
Andrew Garfield Is Incredible As Jonathan Larson
One prominent thought that is pulsating through the internet is how good Andrew Garfield is as Jonathan Larson. The actor has been in the press a lot lately for rumors that he might be returning as Spider-Man, but now that people have seen Tick, Tick… Boom!, some people are a bit annoyed that it has dominated the conversation when this performance exists.
Let’s stop asking Andrew Garfield about the next Spider-Man film and let’s start asking him about the Oscar he’s getting for #TickTickBoom 🏆 @Lin_Manuel pic.twitter.com/Qa37y7tyIWNovember 20, 2021
The big conversation now is whether it may actually be Andrew Garfield’s year to win the high accolade of the Oscar for Best Actor. He was previously nominated in 2017 for Hacksaw Ridge and his chances are good for a nomination this year.
Andrew Garfield’s name is definitely going to be on the Oscar’s nominee list#TickTickBoom pic.twitter.com/R38XoTn6yKNovember 19, 2021
If you’re wondering, it’s quite likely that Andrew Garfield will nab that Oscar nomination, but he has some hefty competition in the category. Will Smith, Benedict Cumberbatch and Denzel Washington are among the prestigious actors who may also score nominations. Outside of Oscar talk, Andrew Garfield’s performance is so spot-on that someone created a side-by-side video of Garfield and Larson performing the same song. Take a look:
This shows how brilliantly Andrew poured himself into the character of Jon Larson. Not just his all over look but his stares and head movements are so exact. Another exceptional performance loading...... #TickTickBoompic.twitter.com/7JYM7g9JdVNovember 17, 2021
Amazing, right? Andrew Garfield truly embodied the role of the composer and must have seriously studied his movements and performance tons of times to achieve the result.
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Fans Are Impressed With Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Direction
Aside from Andrew Garfield blowing our minds, Tick, Tick… Boom! is also the directorial debut for Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is well-known for crafting the stage musicals for In The Heights and Hamilton. As fans are checking out the movie, they are especially impressed about Miranda.
#TickTickBoom was fucking phenomenal. Andrew Garfield was outstanding man, give him all the Oscars. Lin Manuel’s direction was also surprisingly fantastic considering this was his directing debut pic.twitter.com/9EQFp77lnBNovember 20, 2021
I mean, he has created the most iconic musicals of our time, become a composer for Disney animation among many other things and he’s a good director? It wasn’t exactly for sure that this element of the medium would be Miranda’s thing, but he really does some exciting and creative things with Tick, Tick… Boom!
My main takeaways from #TickTickBoom are:A) Lin-Manuel Miranda has an innate grasp of staging, framing a protagonist's journey, and energetic direction. He's going to be a good filmmaker.B) Andrew Garfield is still very talented. pic.twitter.com/tthIYpkaK3November 22, 2021
I don’t have to tell you, but musicals are not easy to make. We’ve all seen it when it fundamentally does not work. Yet, Lin-Manuel Miranda understood the assignment. Apparently, Rent and Tick, Tick… Boom! have been transformative musicals for Miranda in his own work, so he’s always wanted to adapt it and he delivered.
This movie was absolutely beautiful and gut-wrenching and artistic and everything that a movie musical should be. Thank you Andrew, thank you Lin, but most of all, thank you Jonathan Larson. #TickTickBoom #TickTickBoomMovie pic.twitter.com/Y1NzSJ4BzMNovember 19, 2021
Wow, it’s even being called a “masterpiece.” Many people are also calling it among their favorite movies of the year.
Fans Love The Broadway Easter Eggs
Tick, Tick… Boom! is a show that is close to the Broadway community and due to that Lin-Manuel Miranda really involved them throughout the film. For those who are not tapped into the community, we may see backup dancers or extras, but to those who are keyed into that world, there’s a lot of beloved people to spot. Audiences had some fun spotting all of them as this tweet shows:
Me spotting every side actor related to other musicals I could find this morning while watching #TickTickBoom #TickTickBoomMovie 😂 pic.twitter.com/jUOqXZSLTyNovember 19, 2021
Seriously, there are SO many. Almost every “extra” is someone in the Broadway world. Such as when Jonathan sings one of his songs for the workshop, a bunch of the people in the audience are composers and lyricists of musicals. The biggest moment to look for Easter Eggs are in the “Sunday” song number. They are literally everywhere.
“Sunday” in #TickTickBoom is literally an Easter egg hunt of Broadway stars, but the ones that made me cry were Adam Pascal, Daphne Rubin Vega, and Wilson Jermaine Heredia, who were in the original cast of Rent pic.twitter.com/mOXDmXFZrqNovember 20, 2021
For fans of Hamilton, there's a quite obvious moment in the diner with Phillipa Soo and Renée Elise Goldsberry, aka the musical’s original Eliza and Angelica Schuyler. The actresses are even wearing the colors their characters wear as they hold their arms in the same way seen in the poster of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s most popular work.
Tell me this isn’t intentional… #TickTickBoomMovie #TickTickBoom pic.twitter.com/XuNBOgu1NJNovember 19, 2021
It’s a really fun element of Tick, Tick… Boom! that fans are really latching onto it as they watch it on Netflix.
Tick, Tick… Boom! Is An Affecting Film
Overall, people really love the movie because it speaks to so many themes that people in creative industries can relate to. That idea of trying to “make it” while also trying to make a living and tell the kinds of stories that will resonate with people. As one fan shared, it was made for “theatre lovers”:
#TickTickBoom is something truly special. A film that truly is made for theatre lovers & oh my god what a performance by Andrew Garfield give this man a award. This film made me remember why I loved film this beauty. Lin has made another masterpiece. What a film! pic.twitter.com/wZFIhzzTp1November 20, 2021
Tick, Tick… Boom! is a really affecting movie for many and it shows through the social media postings. Another person talked about how it touches on channeling one’s pain into music in a way that “hit really close.” He’s surely not alone in how he feels about the movie.
#TickTickBoom really hit close in a way I’ve rarely experience. It’s a beautiful story of chasing your dreams, the struggle of artistry, channelling anger and pain into music.Andrew Garfield gives such a mesmerising performance and does a magnificent job carrying the film pic.twitter.com/2nGaFmTw8QNovember 20, 2021
I’ll close out with a short and sweet tweet that likely sums up how many of us took in the movie. I balled my eyes out obviously.
Thanks Jonathan Larson. #TickTickBoom pic.twitter.com/AfiFP31DeXNovember 23, 2021
Overall, there’s a lot people love about Tick, Tick... Boom! It’s available on Netflix if you’ve yet to see it. If this article hasn't convinced you the flick is your cup of tea, do check out what other movies are coming next with CinemaBlend’s 2021 new movie release schedule.
![Sarah El-Mahmoud](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JzKno8hDRMwvB4euQ5nXVS.jpeg)
Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.