tick, tick… BOOM! ✔️💯

And just like that, I came to my senses and fell completely in love with this movie!

Somehow, between midnight and 3AM, I found this musical gem on Netflix.

It’s the story of musical theater writer Jonathan Larson trying to make it big on Broadway in his 30s. This was before the Tony Awards, the Pulitzer prize and the successful run of his major work, Rent.

And it rocks, in so many levels. Let me give you five:

1. ANDREW GARFIELD 😲

Less than a minute into the show and I could literally feel my jaw dropping. Over and over, my mind goes .. Whaaattt?! He can sing?! Since when…how? Who is this totally unkempt, crazy, brilliant guy on screen?! From Spiderman to..to… this Jonathan Larson persona. Almost didn’t recognize him. Had to double check the cast list if he was the same one. In my mind, Andrew Garfield has always been this cute Marvel actor… you know, one of the cool guys — a Spiderman. Never did I imagine him to be perfect for this kind of role, too. Yep, he is amazing (pun intended) indeed.

2. SO ORIGINAL (story and execution)

Kudos to director Lin-Manuel Miranda for giving us a taste of something different. He did such a good job in showing us that a story could be told in many ways. He directed and arranged it so creatively, I was afraid to even blink the entire time lest I miss a line or frame about the ordinary yet talented Jonathan Larson, whose name didn’t even ring a bell for me previously, he was so completely off my radar. And yet, in the span of two hours, Miranda made him all too real for me.

Maybe because I’ve been immersing myself in Asian dramas (Korean, Chinese, Thai) the past year or so, I was unaware of who or when the late Jonathan Larson trended online once more when tick, tick… BOOM! was released in 2021.

Better late than never, though, to get to know such an inspiring artist. He moves you not really because he experienced the theater success he so desired, but because he fought for his art against time, his fears, limits and the very real and frustrating blocks that life loves to dish out more often than we like.

I feel his story and questions so much, that now I’m scrambling to find the music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical Rent.

3. The QUESTIONS

For those in their 30s or 40s, have you found your answers to these yet:

• Are you being led by Fear or Love?
• To compromise or persevere?
• Can we still make our mark if we give up our spark?
• Why should we try to be our best, when we can just get by and still gain?
• How do you know when it’s time to let go? When do you give up a dream? * Are we doing enough? Is there not enough time or are we wasting time?

4. The ANSWERS

My takeaways from the movie:

• Come to your senses, defenses are not the way to go
• There’s only one You
• Be real. Write what you know.
• When your story or art is rejected, produce the next one. And after you finish that one, you start on the next. And on and on. You just keep throwing them on the wall, hoping against hope, that eventually something sticks. That’s what it is to be a writer or artist.
• Five words of praise could be enough to keep you going through 2 years of struggle.

5. THE LINES AND LYRICS

My favorite — this particular dialogue towards the end, after yet another rejection. Jonathan just failed to get his musical Superbia, which he’d worked on for 8 years, off the ground:

Susan, the (ex)girlfriend: “What are you gonna do now?
Jonathan: “I’m gonna start the next one.”
Susan: “Got any ideas?”
Jonathan: (shakes head) “Just questions.”
Susan: That seems like a really good place to start.

I went into this movie not knowing who Jon Larson was, nor reading a single review or news feed on what the story was about, as I’m prone to do with dramas.

But then, I’m glad that – a lot like love – you often stumble on something real and wonderful when you least expect it, or in this case, when you randomly click on an unfamiliar, weirdly titled show… just because.

Two hours and a box of tissues later, came the darkest hour of day. Yet, my mind still raced. And for a long moment, just before dawn, I felt alive. 💕🔥💯