In the Heights (film)

In the Heights
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jon M. Chu
Screenplay by	Quiara Alegría Hudes
Based on	In the Heights by Quiara Alegría Hudes Lin-Manuel Miranda
Produced by	Lin-Manuel Miranda Quiara Alegría Hudes Scott Sanders Anthony Bregman Mara Jacobs
Starring	Anthony Ramos Corey Hawkins Leslie Grace Melissa Barrera Olga Merediz Daphne Rubin-Vega Gregory Diaz IV Jimmy Smits Lin-Manuel Miranda
Cinematography	Alice Brooks
Edited by	Myron Kerstein
Music by	Lin-Manuel Miranda Alex Lacamoire Bill Sherman
Production companies	5000 Broadway Productions Barrio Grrrl! Productions Likely Story SGS Pictures Endeavor Content
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date	June 4, 2021 (2021-06-04) (LALIFF) June 10, 2021 (2021-06-10) (United States)
Running time	143 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$55 million[1]
Box office	$43.9 million[2][3]

In the Heights is a 2021 American musical drama film directed by Jon M. Chu from a screenplay by Quiara Alegría Hudes 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, Jimmy Smits and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The film follows a similar plot to the musical, telling the story of a corner in the predominantly Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, where every member of the community pursues their dreams of a better life.

In the Heights was originally set to be adapted by Universal Pictures in 2008, with Kenny Ortega hired to direct. After that version fell through, the project was eventually started back up in 2016, with Chu set to direct and Ramos being cast in October 2018. The rest of the cast joined in April 2019, and filming took place around New York City that summer.

Originally intended to be released in 2020, In the Heights was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival on June 4, 2021, and was released in the United States on June 10 in theaters and streaming on HBO Max under a 30-day simultaneous exhibition window. It received acclaim from critics, with praise for Chu's direction, the performances, and musical numbers, but some criticism for its lack of representation of Afro-Latino Americans. The film was a box office bomb, grossing just $43 million against its $55 million budget and $200 million break-even point.

Plot[]

Usnavi de la Vega tells four children a story of Washington Heights. 10 years earlier , Usnavi is the owner of a bodega in the neighborhood. After chasing off "Graffiti Pete", a street artist who was attempting to spray paint the bodega's security shutters, he introduces: Abuela Claudia, the neighborhood matriarch and woman who raised him after the death of his parents; Kevin Rosario, who runs a taxi company; Kevin's employee and Usnavi’s best friend Benny; the beauty salon ladies Daniela, Carla, and Cuca; his cousin Sonny, a teenager who works in the bodega; and Vanessa, on whom Usnavi has an unrequited crush ("In The Heights").

Alejandro, an attorney and family friend, informs Usnavi his late father's business in the Dominican Republic, which he dreams of reviving, is for sale. Meanwhile, Kevin's daughter Nina returns from Stanford University. After seeing Benny ("Benny's Dispatch"), she finds her father, telling him she cannot pay tuition, but he brushes her off, telling her not to worry ("Breathe").

Daniela's salon is moving to the Bronx due to rising rents in Manhattan. Nina arrives for a treatment and reconnects with the ladies, but eventually reveals she has dropped out of Stanford, and leaves ("No Me Diga"). Vanessa submits a rental application downtown, where she dreams of becoming a fashion designer, but her application is rejected ("It Won't Be Long Now"). She heads to Usnavi's bodega, where Sonny asks her out for him.

Sonny learns a lottery ticket the bodega sold won $96,000. At the public pool, everybody in the neighborhood fantasizes about what they would do with the money ("96,000"), while the neighborhood piragüero laments how he has lost business to a Mister Softee truck ("Piragua"). That weekend, Benny and Nina reminisce about their childhoods. She expresses her doubts and fears, but he reassures her she is destined for greatness ("When You're Home"). Meanwhile, Usnavi talks to Sonny's father about letting Sonny come with him to the Dominican Republic, but Sonny's father implies he and Sonny are undocumented immigrants and cannot leave.

That evening, Kevin reveals he sold his business to pay for Nina's tuition. Outraged, she refuses the money and storms out. Usnavi and Vanessa head to the salsa club for their date. At the club, Usnavi is nervous and aloof, and he declines to dance with Vanessa. A man steals her away for a dance, allowing multiple men to dance with her. In return, Usnavi tries to make Vanessa jealous by dancing with another woman ("The Club"). The power goes out, and Sonny and Graffiti Pete light up fireworks, illuminating the neighborhood. Vanessa and Usnavi argue, and she rejects him ("Blackout").

Lying in bed, Abuela reminisces about her childhood in Cuba, and how she came to Nueva York, enduring hardships to be where she is today ("Paciencia y Fe"). She dies peacefully, and the neighborhood comes together to mourn and sing her praises ("Alabanza"). At a protest for DACA, Sonny learns that he cannot go to college, as he is an undocumented immigrant. Learning this, Nina resolves to go back to Stanford to find a way for undocumented immigrant children to find a pathway in life.

Usnavi finds Vanessa's rental application in the trash. He visits Daniela, asking her to co-sign on Vanessa's application. Disappointed with the block's negativity over the blackout and Abuela's death, Daniela rouses the neighborhood into a celebration ("Carnaval del Barrio"), as the blackout ends. Vanessa and Usnavi reconcile.

A month later, Nina is about to return to Stanford. Benny promises to find a way to join her in Palo Alto, and they kiss ("When the Sun Goes Down"). As Usnavi prepares to leave for the Dominican Republic, he discovers that Abuela held the winning lottery ticket, and has left it to him. Vanessa arrives with champagne, having found out that Usnavi got Daniela to co-sign on her lease. She suggests Usnavi stay, but he refuses. She kisses him, lamenting that she was too late in realizing her feelings before leaving ("Champagne").

Usnavi gives Alejandro the lottery ticket, telling him to use it for Sonny's DACA fees. The next morning, Vanessa takes Usnavi to the bodega and shows him a fashion line she created the previous night inspired by Graffiti Pete's work. Seeing Pete's murals celebrating Abuela, Usnavi decides to stay. The story returns to the present day, where it is revealed that Usnavi is telling his story in the remodeled bodega, and that one of the children is Usnavi and Vanessa's daughter, Iris. Everyone sings and dances in the street, while Usnavi expresses his elation at being in Washington Heights, where he has always belonged (“Finale”).

In a post-credits scene, the Mister Softee truck breaks down and the piragüero celebrates his victory by raising prices by a dollar, then gifts the ice cream man a free cup of shaved ice ("Piragua (Reprise)").

Cast[]

The film includes cameos by original Broadway cast members Seth Stewart and Javier Muñoz, as well as background vocals by Andréa Burns, Janet Dacal, Mandy Gonzalez, Joshua Henry, Krysta Rodriguez, and Jon Rua.^[4][5] Broadway actor Patrick Page appears as Pike Phillips.^[6] Miranda's parents Luis and Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda make cameo appearances during "Breathe".^[7] The Kid Mero provides the voice of the DJ at the start of the film.^[8] Valentina appears as a patron of Daniela's salon.^[8] NPR journalist Maria Hinojosa appears as the protest leader at the DACA rally.^[8] The film also features an appearance from Rennie Harris.^[9]

Production[]

Development[]

On November 7, 2008, Universal Pictures announced that they planned to adapt the original musical as a feature film for release in 2011.^[10][11] Kenny Ortega was set to direct the film, which was slated to begin filming in summer 2011 with a budget of $37 million.^[12][13][1] However, the project was canceled in March 2011;^[14] reportedly, this was due to the fact Universal was looking for a "bankable Latino star" like Shakira or Jennifer Lopez instead of unknown actors.^[1] In January 2012, Lin-Manuel Miranda stated that the film adaptation was back under discussion;^[15] in the meantime, he went on vacation and started to read a biography of Alexander Hamilton, which would lead to his next project, Hamilton.^[1] In May 2016, it was announced that Miranda would co-produce the film with Harvey Weinstein and backing from The Weinstein Company.^[16] On June 10, 2016, Jon M. Chu came on board to direct the film adaptation of the musical.^[17] In the aftermath of numerous sexual misconduct allegations made against Weinstein, his producer credit on the film was removed, with the rights to the film eventually auctioned off to Warner Bros. for $50 million.^[18] Warner Bros. was one of several studios wanting to produce In the Heights—due to the success of Hamilton; to persuade Miranda and Chu, they built a backlot bodega with piragua carts and set up performances of songs from the show.^[1] The budget was set at $55 million.^[1]

Casting[]

In October 2018, Anthony Ramos was cast in an undisclosed role, later revealed to be the lead of Usnavi.^[19] Miranda, who played the role in the Broadway production, watched Ramos play the part in the 2018 Kennedy Center production and praised him on Twitter.^[1] In January 2019, Corey Hawkins was cast in the role of Benny.^[20] In April 2019, Jimmy Smits, Melissa Barrera, Leslie Grace, Olga Merediz, Gregory Diaz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Stephanie Beatriz and Dascha Polanco were cast.^{[21][22][23][24]} In June 2019, Marc Anthony and Lin-Manuel Miranda joined the cast, with Miranda cast as Piragüero.^[25][26] Miranda revealed in an interview on The Tonight Show that he initially did not plan on appearing in the film at all, having decided he was too old to play Usnavi during development.^[1] Chu and Hudes subsequently pushed for him to play the Piragüero, which he was reluctant to do. He relented when Hudes threatened to cut the song "Piragua" unless he played the role.^[27]

Filming[]

Filming began on June 3, 2019, in New York City.^[28][29] The bulk of filming was done at the intersection of 175th Street and Audubon Avenue, where STO Domingo Grocery Inc. was used as the exterior of the bodega.^[30] The musical number "96,000" was filmed at the Highbridge Pool featuring synchronized swimming and shot over two days with 500 extras.^[1] Christopher Scott, who had worked with Jon M. Chu on the YouTube series The LXD as well as the films Step Up Revolution and Step Up All In, served as choreographer.^[31] "Paciencia y Fe" was shot in the abandoned lower level of the Brooklyn Ninth Avenue station, which had previously been used in the film Joker (the "Joker Stairs" were also used as a filming location). The team had wanted to film the sequence inside the New York Transit Museum but could not as they were only allowed to use the space for the one day the museum is closed to the public. However, they were able to rent vintage subway cars from the museum for use in the number. The tunnel sequence at the end of the song was shot in the pedestrian tunnel at the 191st Street station. As the tunnel is a public access point for the station, the team was only given permission to close it for filming at night. The lights, which were rigged during the day while the tunnel was open, were initially designed to display a rainbow of light, but at the last second Chu had them changed to red, white, and blue – the colors of the Cuban, Puerto Rican, and American flags.^[32]

The vocal performances in the film are a mix of the actors singing live on-set, pre-recorded audio, and re-recorded in the studio during post-production. The production team's choice to use one or the others depended on the environment of the scene and tone of the song. Usnavi and Vanessa's duet, "Champagne", which is one continuous shot, was recorded entirely on-set.^[33]

The film is dedicated to the memory of Doreen Montalvo, a member of the original Broadway cast who appears in the film as one of the singers during "Breathe" and reprises her role as the Bolero singer performing "Siempre". Montalvo died in October 2020, after the film's postponed release date.^[7]

Differences from the musical[]

Several changes were made from the musical, which first ran in 2005, such as adding references to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy and microaggressions, and cutting certain characters and songs.^[1]

• The most significant of these cut characters is Camila Rosario, Nina's mother, who is still alive in the musical: Hudes cited a desire to focus on two specific matriarchs in the community, Abuela Claudia and Daniela.^[34]
• In the musical, Nina loses her scholarship to Stanford after her grades dropped from taking extra jobs to support her family. This influences her decision to drop out. In the film she drops out due to a combination of experiencing racism and her guilt over her father's sacrifices in order for her to attend college.^[35]
• "Paciencia y Fe" was originally placed after "96,000" and ended with the reveal that Abuela Claudia bought the winning lottery ticket. This is the impetus for Usnavi's impending move to the Dominican Republic. In the film, Usnavi and the audience do not learn about this until towards the climax, and a new backstory of Usnavi buying his father's old store in the Dominican Republic is given as the reason for his desire to move.^[35]
• A majority of Nina and Benny's relationship is different from the musical: a major source of conflict in the stage version is Kevin's disapproval of Benny dating Nina due to not being Latino. This conflict is absent in the film, with the implication that Benny and Nina dated prior to her moving away.^[35]
• Vanessa and Usnavi's romance was recentered as the film's focus, as opposed to the musical's focus on Benny and Nina. Notably, Benny and Nina's argument from the musical's version of "The Club" and "Blackout" is given to Vanessa and Usnavi.^[35]
• As a result of these changes, "Inútil," "Sunrise," "Hundreds of Stories," "Atención," and "Everything I Know" were cut from the film.^[35]
• In the musical, Abuela Claudia's death occurs after "Carnaval del Barrio," a few days into the blackout. In the film she dies only a few hours into the blackout.^[35]
• A reference to Donald Trump in "96,000" was changed to Tiger Woods.^[1]
• Sonny's status as an undocumented immigrant is new to the film.^[35]
• Alejandro, Cuca, and Gapo de la Vega were created for the film.^[35]
• Daniela and Carla are scripted and played as being in a romantic relationship. This is new to the film, as their relationship appears to be purely platonic in the musical.^[36]
• During "Benny's Dispatch", a reference to Manny Ramirez was changed to Big Papi.
• With "Everything I Know" being absent from the film, Nina's reason for returning to college was changed to fighting for undocumented immigrants after realizing that Sonny may never go to college due to his status.
• In the film, there is no fight at the club, and Usnavi's store is not ransacked during the blackout as it is in the musical.
• In the musical, Vanessa wants to move out of Washington Heights to get away from her mother. In the film, she appears to live alone and wishes to move downtown to pursue her fashion design dreams.

Music[]

In the Heights (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Released	June 10, 2021 (2021-06-10)
Genre	Film soundtrack
Length	72:17
Label	Atlantic WaterTower Music
Producer	Alex Lacamoire Bill Sherman Lin-Manuel Miranda Greg Wells

The film's soundtrack album was released on June 10, 2021 - the same day as its U.S. release - on Atlantic Records/WaterTower Music.^[6] It was produced by Miranda along with Alex Lacamoire, Bill Sherman and Greg Wells.^[37] The film contains one new song, "Home All Summer", which plays during the end credits and is the last track on the album.^[6] The title track was made available with the album's pre-order on April 23, 2021.^[38] The song "96,000" was released via streaming on May 3, 2021.^[39] The album peaked at number one on Billboard's Soundtracks Chart.^[40]

"Piragua (Reprise)" is not listed on the track as it is part of a post credits scene.

Two songs created for the film but not included on the soundtrack are "Always", a doo-wop version of "Siempre" performed by original Nina Mandy Gonzalez in the background of the dry cleaners scene, and "Cuándo Llega El Tren", performed by Bronx musician Flaco Navaja, which plays in the background of the bodega when Sonny helps Usnavi ask Vanessa out. Both songs feature backing vocals by Miranda, Lacamoire, and Sherman. In addition, a hold music version of "You'll Be Back" from Hamilton plays as an easter egg during the scene where Kevin Rosario calls Stanford.^[8]

All tracks are written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

In the Heights (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) track listing^[41]

No.	Title	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"In the Heights"	Anthony Ramos Lin-Manuel Miranda Olga Merediz Jimmy Smits Daphne Rubin-Vega Stephanie Beatriz Dascha Polanco Corey Hawkins Gregory Diaz IV Melissa Barrera	7:41
2.	"Benny's Dispatch"	Hawkins Leslie Grace	2:20
3.	"Breathe" (featuring Rubén Blades and Doreen Montalvo)	Grace	4:06
4.	"No Me Diga"	Rubin-Vega Beatriz Polanco Grace Barrera	2:24
5.	"It Won't Be Long Now"	Barrera Ramos Diaz	3:38
6.	"96,000"	Ramos Hawkins Diaz Noah Catala Rubin-Vega Beatriz Polanco Barrera	5:45
7.	"Piragua"	Miranda	1:42
8.	"When You're Home"	Grace Hawkins	5:23
9.	"The Club"	Ramos Barrera Hawkins	4:48
10.	"Blackout"	Ramos Hawkins Barrera Merediz Diaz Catala Rubin-Vega Beatriz Polanco	3:20
11.	"Paciencia y Fe"	Merediz	4:39
12.	"Alabanza"	Ramos Grace Smits Catala Barrera Hawkins Diaz Polanco Rubin-Vega Beatriz	3:18
13.	"Carnaval del Barrio"	Rubin-Vega Beatriz Polanco Barrera Ramos Miranda Hawkins Diaz Grace	7:00
14.	"When the Sun Goes Down"	Hawkins Grace	2:52
15.	"Champagne"	Barrera Ramos	2:53
16.	"Finale"	Montalvo Ramos Beatriz Rubin-Vega Polanco Smits Miranda Grace Barrera	5:29
17.	"Home All Summer" (featuring Marc Anthony)	Ramos Grace[6]	3:48
Total length:			1:12:17

Charts[]

Chart performance for In the Heights (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Chart (2021)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[42]	59
US Billboard 200[43]	45
US Billboard Soundtracks[44]	1

Release[]

In the Heights was first screened virtually for critics on April 15, 2021.^[45] It had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on June 9, 2021, following an advanced screening at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival on June 4, 2021 at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood.^[46] It was released in the United States on June 10, 2021, in both theaters and on HBO Max.^[47][48][49] According to Samba TV, the film was streamed on HBO Max by 693,000 households over its first three days of release, lower than previous day-in-date Warner Bros. titles like Mortal Kombat (3.8 million) and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (1.6 million).^[50] Research firm Screen Engine reported the film was the third-most streamed film across all platforms in its opening weekend behind Mortal Kombat (which was available via PVOD) and Awake.^[51]

It was previously scheduled to be released on June 26, 2020,^[52] but it was delayed to June 18, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic,^[53][54] before being moved up a week to June 11,^[55] and finally one day earlier to June 10.^[56] On May 9, 2021, select Cinemark, Regal Cinemas and AMC theaters hosted a free advance screening in honor of Mother's Day.^[57]

Internationally, the film was released in the United Kingdom on June 18, 2021.^[58] Other markets like European and Australasian countries have scheduled dates planned for between July and September 2021.^[59]

Reception[]

Box office[]

As of August 11, 2021, In the Heights has grossed $29.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $14 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $43.9 million.^[2][3] Due to its $55 million production budget and another $50 million spent on marketing, Variety estimated the film would need to gross around $200 million worldwide in order to break-even.^[60]

In the United States and Canada, In the Heights was released alongside Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, and was initially projected to gross as high as $25–35 million from 3,456 theaters in its opening weekend,^[61] though an estimate of $10 million to the midteens was also suggested.^[62] A poll by Fandango Media found that the film would be the first seen in a theater since the pandemic began for 96% of people pre-ordering tickets for it.^[62] After grossing $5 million on its first day, weekend estimates were lowered to $13 million. It went on to debut to just $11.5 million, finishing second behind holdover A Quiet Place Part II. 67% of the audience was over the age of 25, with 63% being female; 40% of the opening weekend audience was Latino.^[63] While some analysts, such as Anthony D'Alessandro for Deadline Hollywood, suggested that the film's underperformance could be partially blamed on its simultaneous release on HBO Max,^[63] Rebecca Rubin posited in Variety that it could be attributed to alternate factors, such as the film's 143-minute runtime reducing the number of individual screenings per day, 25% of American theaters remaining closed at the time of release (and many theaters which had opened limiting audiences due to social distancing measures), and the film's source material and lead cast members having relatively low name recognition.^[60] The film fell 60% in its second weekend, grossing $4.5 million and finishing in sixth.^[64]

Critical response[]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, In the Heights holds an approval rating of 95% based on 332 reviews with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Lights up for In the Heights, a joyous celebration of heritage and community fueled by dazzling direction and singalong songs."^[65] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 based on 54 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[66] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported 88% of audience members gave it a positive score, with 67% saying they would definitely recommend it.^[63]

Monica Castillo of the TheWrap wrote: "Like Crazy Rich Asians, not everyone is going to feel represented when they watch In the Heights. That's an impossible task for any movie. Yet In the Heights can represent many things for many different viewers. It can be a story about ambitious, hard-working people chasing their dreams. It can be a reflection on the immigrant experience and the struggle to find where you belong. It can also be a tribute to our parents' sacrifices."^[67] From The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney said: "The movie glows with an abundance of love for its characters, their milieu and the pride with which they defend their cultural footprint against the encroaching forces of New York development that continually shove the marginalized further into the margins. The resilience with which the characters claim their place in the fabric of city life is exhilarating."^[68] In his review for Variety, Peter Debruge praised Chu's direction and wrote: "Like its source, the movie is a blast, one that benefits enormously from being shot on the streets of Washington Heights."^[69] IndieWire's David Ehrlich gave the film an A-, saying: "So exuberant and full of life that it would probably convince you the movies were back even if they hadn't gone anywhere, In the Heights is the kind of electrifying theatrical experience that people have been waxing nostalgic about ever since the pandemic began — the kind that it almost seemed like we might never get to enjoy again... Seeing this massive, guileless, heartfelt piece of Hollywood entertainment on the big screen is like coming home after a long year in exile only to find that it's still there, and maybe even better than you remembered."^[70]

A. O. Scott of The New York Times gave the film a positive review, writing that "It’s a piece of mainstream American entertainment in the best sense — an assertion of impatience and faith, a celebration of communal ties and individual gumption, a testimony to the power of art to turn struggles into the stuff of dreams."^[71] From The A.V. Club, Danette Chavez wrote "In The Heights’ slice-of-life portraiture suggests a less ambitious undertaking than Hamilton, but it tells a story as expansive as that of a fledgling nation. Through both musicals, Miranda demonstrates how ingrained people of color are in this country’s history: Before he reimagined a pivotal chapter in United States history with Black and Latinx actors, the acclaimed multi-hyphenate threw a spotlight on marginalized people's fight against displacement. At the core of In The Heights, on stage or screen, is movement—as migration, as immigration, as dancing, as code-switching, as the shift from friends to lovers."^[72] K. Austin Collins of Rolling Stone rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars. He praised the setting, music, and cast performances of the film, and also wrote that "In The Heights spins its lively, complicated tale. An aspirational immigrant story, but flows and overlaps and grows dense in unexpected ways. In both Miranda and Chu's trademark style, this is all threaded together with life spilling into the streets, musical numbers that fold reality into fantasy with an aplomb that's as pleasurable as it is overwhelming."^[73]

Accusations of colorism[]

The film has drawn criticism for its casting choices, which seemingly excluded Afro-Latino actors with darker skin colors and misrepresented the demographics of Washington Heights, leading to accusations of colorism. Miranda issued an apology on social media regarding the matter shortly after the film's release.^[74] He also addressed the controversy during an appearance on The Daily Show, where he stressed that while "there's so much Afro-Latinidad in the movie, the beef really was specifically dark-skinned Afro-Latinos in leading roles... and I totally understand that and I receive it and I just have to do better on the next one."^[75] Lead actor Anthony Ramos also accepted the criticism, stating in an interview with the Associated Press that "there's no debate about it. You know you can't, right? Like there's nothing to debate."^[76]

Actress Rita Moreno defended Miranda during an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, saying: "It's like you can never do right, it seems... This is the man who literally has brought Latino-ness and Puerto Rican-ness to America[n entertainment]". She added in reference to Miranda, "They're really attacking the wrong person."^[77][78] Moreno's comments received further backlash, with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists calling them "unacceptable." She subsequently issued a statement walking back her remarks, stating in part, "I was clearly dismissive of Black lives that matter in our Latin community. It is so easy to forget how celebration for some is lament for others."^[75]

However, political commentator Bill Maher felt the criticism was unfounded, calling Miranda's critics "Internet bullies" and "children," and opined that Miranda should not have apologized.^[79]

Political commentator Ana Navarro criticized the backlash, calling the film a "labor of love" to the Latino community, and also noting that two of the films leads are Afro-Latinos, referring to Anthony Ramos and Leslie Grace as well as supporting cast members Daphne Rubin-Vega and Dascha Polanco.^[80][81]

Accolades[]

Ceremony	Year	Category	Recipient(s)/Nominee(s)	Results	Reference
National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Awards	2020	Visionary Impact Award	In the Heights	Won	[82]
Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Awards	2021	Best Picture	In the Heights	Won	[83]
		Best Actor	Anthony Ramos	Won
		Best Actress	Melissa Barrera	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actor	Corey Hawkins	Nominated
			Jimmy Smits	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Leslie Grace	Nominated
			Olga Merediz	Nominated
		Best Filmmaker	Jon M. Chu	Won
		Best Screenplay	Quiara Alegría Hudes	Nominated

See also[]

• Dominican Americans
• Nuyorican
• Puerto Ricans in New York City

References[]