West Side Story

 

Score:  A-

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Starring Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist

Running time: 156 minutes

Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  All-time great director Steven Spielberg took on the challenge of updating an all-time great musical in West Side Story with high-quality, entertaining results.  Whether you're seeing this story for the first - or the thousandth - time will, of course, affect how you receive it.  But the music and dancing will blow away even the most skeptical audiences, enough to override some concerns with the lead actor and - to me - some elements of the story/structure itself that haven't aged as well.  Highly recommended.

In 1950s New York City, two gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, vie for control of a neighborhood that will soon be taken from them both.  Riff (Faist), leader of the Jets, pleads with recently-parolled Tony (Elgort) to help his old gang push out the Puerto Rican Sharks once and for all.  Tony is conflicted, having a sense of opportunity after being released from prison, and he meets Maria (Zegler) - sister of Sharks leader, Bernardo (Alvarez) at a dance.  Romance blossoms quickly between the two, but tension between the gangs also increases.  The outcome for the community seems inevitable, but choices by individuals still have the power to change hearts and minds.

West Side Story, Steven Spielberg's adaptation of the famed musical, is a faithful, crowd-pleasing production that will dazzle a wide audience.  Before getting to the details of this film, though, my own - and likely many others' - reaction to it is strongly affected by context.  I'm referring, of course, to the audience's familiarity with the musical - on stage and/or the 1961 film version.  I confess that I had not seen West Side Story in any form before this, though I knew the broad outline. So, I personally had few expectations and no direct comparisons.  What I did see earlier this year was another musical, In the Heights.  These musicals are much different in many ways, of course, but they still share some important similarities: historic, tight-knit NYC neighborhoods on the verge of major change; focus on immigrant experiences; and so on.  The sensation of seeing these two within six months was a bit like drinking Coke with a brownie - both taste great on their own, but together, their similarities are not a great mix.  Both are great movies, without a doubt - I just wish that they'd been released further apart.

What stands out most to me about West Side Story is the music. This is actually what I was most familiar with before seeing the movie: not only had I heard all the main tunes, I had played several of them in band.  The music was stuck in my head for days after, particularly "Tonight" which is reprised or adapted throughout the film.  My favorite, though, is "America", and this also goes to the next best thing about West Side Story: the dance routines.  The choreography and performances are spellbinding; the precision and athleticism to the creativity, emotion and storytelling.  "America" is where this all comes together best, I think.  But there are plenty of other great numbers, too, from the bravura "Mambo" dance to the silly "Gee, Officer Krupke" to the quietly affecting "Maria".  The teams of performers that bring these numbers to life are led by a strong cast - though the supporting players outshine the leads.  Ariana DeBose as Anita and Mike Faist as Riff are the true stars; unsurprisingly, both have extensive stage experience.  They both let it rip, whether in the dance numbers or just the raw expressiveness of their dramatic roles.  Rachel Zegler as Maria is also a tremendous singer, but in my opinion the part is simply not very good; she is Tony's love interest, that's about it.  And Ansel Elgort as Tony is probably the weakest link in the cast, unfortunately.  He is a decent singer, but his acting is a bit embarrassing next to DeBose and Faist.  Finally, the movie was a bit long for my taste - though it's almost exactly as long as the original, so I sympathize with Spielberg for prioritizing faithfulness in his adaptation.  Still, the strengths are easily worth putting up with a few weaknesses - which may not be weaknesses based on your own context!

***

West Side Story is the second-consecutive Oscar-caliber movie I've seen in the theater, but shares little else in common with the first, Belfast.  I'll repeat: your own familiarity with West Side Story will probably determine just how good you find this adaptation.  Another element to consider is that, though Spielberg has updated the visuals (it still takes place in the 1950s) and other framing details, the story and structure is - I think - left mostly untouched.  Bringing back my comparison to In the Heights, there is a considerable difference - plot, characters, and music aside - between a musical made in the 1950s and one made in 2005 (when Lin Manuel Miranda launched Heights).  I highly recommend giving this 2021 adaptation (by one of the greatest directors of all time, no less) of one of the best musicals of all time a chance in theaters!

* By http://www.impawards.com/2021/west_side_story_ver6.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68730791