Hamilton

You know there is a bad situation when a planned theatrical release, one that was guaranteed to get so much money from the box office, not only gets the date delayed to an entire year, but instead gets put on a streaming service instead of a theatrical release. However, that’s the situation we are in currently. If there’s a good thing about living in a pandemic, it’s that you got to watch Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning play “Hamilton” (with the original cast) on Independence Day weekend instead of next year.

Pete Vonder Haar said in his review, “That said, the act of reviewing Hamilton is almost entirely superfluous, not just because it's one of the most anticipated movies of the last few years (even before it was moved) but because of the scarcity of other marquee options (not to take anything away from that upcoming Suzi Quatro documentary). Not only are we starved for something — anything — to distract us, but when that something is a film of a celebrated musical most of us never got to see, this is as close to a slam dunk as it gets.”

During this pandemic, the one movie with one “I” in the title is king, or something.

Haar noted, “Wisely eschewing a cinematic reimagining (a la My Fair Lady), Miranda and director Thomas Kail also avoid a minimalist presentation that would do little more than ape the full theatrical experience.” The method helps bring supporting actors like Daveed Diggs (Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson), Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schuyler), and Anthony Ramos (John Laurens/Philip Hamilton) to the front.

Haar noted, “Hamilton the movie was filmed over three nights back in 2016, and while it's nice to hear the audiences's reactions to King George's (Jonathan Groff) bon mots or Okieriete Onaodowanit's bawdy Hercules Mulligan, it's hard not to feel a kind of sorrowful frisson at their (and the cast's) enthusiasm, viewing it in the present day.”

Sure, on one hand it’s about “immigrants getting the job done,” but it’s more than that. “Hamilton” overall is about a look of the combination of firmness, weakness, and kindness we see as being uniquely American, or used to be, in any way.

Releasing this on Independence Day weekend was good for two reasons. First, it got so many more Disney+ subscribers. Second, it gave everyone the chance to feel about the U.S.A. when that feeling is in an extremely short way.

I don’t think I really need to add anything new that everyone who has seen the production hasn’t already said. I watched this over the course of two days and we watched it with the closed captions on because the raps were so fast that it was hard to understand what everyone was saying. However, I got the soundtrack on my iPhone and it is a song that you could workout or run a marathon while listening since it’s so upbeat and energizing. I like all of the actors on how they played these roles. If you haven’t seen it and you’re a Disney+ subscriber, see it because it is one production that you must see.

Alright everyone tomorrow is it. We’re going to finish up “Disney Month 2020” with the other film that was released on Disney+ this year.