I’m late to this party because there was a pandemic, not because I wasn’t champing at the bit to watch West Side Story. If I’d felt comfortable going to a movie theater in early December, I would have been in the front row (well, maybe not the front row, because that’s really uncomfortable in movie theaters, but you know what I mean). But, it became available on HBO, so I finally had my opportunity to watch it.
Before I get into the meat of this review, though, I think it’s important to reiterate that I’m not usually a fan of musical movies. Not the La La Lands or the Greatest Showmen of the bunch (though I’ll admit I’ve failed to finish either of those), but the film version of stage productions. I find that they tend to get lost in translation when you switch mediums, and I’d rather it if filmed productions be produced and broadly distributed to make theater a more accessible artform by itself without Hollywood as some big benefactor.
However. However, 2021 was the year for movie musicals. Between Netflix’s revitalization of Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick… Boom! And Spielberg’s West Side Story, I’ve been won over. I was convinced, at first, that it was just that Larson’s works are magnetic onscreen (I know, I Know, eugh! Rent! But I love it, okay?), but after West Side Story, I’ve realized that, like real theater, it’s all about staging.
I mean, think about why Chicago works as a movie: Most of the musical numbers in that movie take place on an actual stage, under hot lights, with bright theater props. It doesn’t lose the magic of Roxie as a celebrity fantasy, or We Both Reached for the Gun as an eerie ventriloquist number.
In the past, I thought West Side Story was fine. I like a lot of the music. I tolerate the Romeo and Juliet love story. I think the lyrics, “Say it loud and there’s music playing/ say it soft and it’s almost like praying” are some of the most romantic song lyrics I’ve ever heard. I’m a casual viewer. To me, West Side Story has always been a staple of musical theater, but it’s never been a show, and it’s definitely never been a movie that I default to. In fact, I turned it on to play in the background while I did my homework, expecting to be as uninterested in it as I was in the 1961 film, but it ended up distracting me because I couldn’t stop watching it. It takes all the interesting parts of the story– All the pain, and the grit, and the desperation and turns it into something the viewer has no choice but to care about. Maria and Tony love each other ’til death; Maria and Tony love each other despite other people’s deaths.
Plus, West Side Story doesn’t limit itself to screen actors the way a lot of movie musicals tend to do. David Alvarez (Bernardo) played Billy in a broadway production of Billy Elliot; Ariana DeBose (Anita) and Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino) were both previously in Hamilton; Mike Faist (Riff) originated the role of Connor Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen, and was also in the original regional and Broadway production of Newsies. Even Ansel Elgort (Tony), who is known predominantly for his screen work in The Fault in our Stars, Divergent, and Baby Driver has experience in theater work.
And, of course, I would be remiss not to gush about Rachel Zegler’s Maria. Even though I’ve seen the show countless times and countless ways, I still gasped when she grabbed the gun. This was her debut film, and it’s obvious she’s going to be a star. I mean, seriously– she made everything look effortless, including her incredible, operatic high notes in “A Boy Like That/I Have a Love.” I read an interview once where Spielberg said he’d known he was going to cast Zegler from her first audition, and it’s obvious why: she’s fantastic. I can’t wait to see her in Shazam 2.
Now, let’s get into the meat of any musical: the music.
While “Gee, Officer Krupke” is bound to be the stand out moment of any production of West Side Story, Spielberg’s is extra show-stopping. The number is choreographed like it would be onstage– there’s no leaving the police station, every motion is carefully planned, every prop comes from the room itself. Even the camera work, which is made up of wide shots for a majority of the number, is reminiscent of how one would view the show from the audience and even, with a few overhead shots, from a balcony. After the number, when Krupke storms in and sees the disaster left in the Jets’ wake, there’s a long moment of silence, like a hold for applause, where the actors catch their breath.
(Compare that to the ‘61 film, which stays relatively stagnant and uses very little of the set. That one is clearly made to be a movie scene, and loses the drama and bombasticness of musicals. There’s no flair.)
I actually think “Gee, Officer Krupke” encapsulates why this movie works so well: West Side Story takes the best parts of both mediums.
“Cool” is one of my favorite songs in the show, and it falls flat easily. Seriously– if you’ve ever been to a mediocre community theater production of West Side Story, you know what I mean. I was delighted to find that I couldn’t look away from the screen during this number. The back and forth of the choreography, the facial expressions. I’d say this is the one number where Elgort knocked it out of the park, even if I could argue that it’s because he was opposite Mike Faist, who was on his A-game the entire film.
I’m obsessed with “America.” The bright colored dresses in the crisp sunlight shot on real film? It’s like a dream. Again, Ariana DeBose is a legend. The choreography is fun, the shots of the street are bright and colorful compared to the cooler-toned lighting we see when we’re focused on the Jets. “America” is one of, if not the most iconic number from West Side Story, and this version didn’t disappoint. It’s fun, it’s beautifully shot, and the performance is stunning.
I was grateful for a version of the show that gave Anybodys more depth than just “some chick following the Jets around.” Making Anybodys trans was bold, and new, and it makes perfect sense. Also, the scene where Anybodys gets called a boy and then lights up with what can only be described as euphoria? I nearly cried.
My biggest complaint of the movie: Ansel Elgort’s performance is dry throughout most of the run (the exceptions being the aforementioned “Cool” as well as “Something’s Coming”). That being said, I still think the film gave Tony more depth than any other performance of it I’ve seen. Tony singing “Cool” to Riff rather than Riff singing it to the jets shifts the context just enough to really solidify that Tony doesn’t want there to be a fight. He knows it won’t end well. He wants Riff to live to “live it up and die in bed.” I actually cared about him for once. I got emotional when he died.
Actually, I lied. My biggest complaint was that “Maria” was boring. I think it’s one of the most romantic musical theater songs ever written, but it just fell flat. The vocals were fine, but the staging, to me, felt unexciting. I think it’s because it was an Elgort-centric scene, though, so I guess that falls under the umbrella of the last complaint. (I’m also willing to admit that it might be because no one will ever live up to Jeremy Jordan’s cover).
All this to say: I think West Side Story (2021) is the best film adaptation of a musical I’ve seen. Spielberg didn’t try to out-do the original medium, he took inspiration, and it worked perfectly. So, if you haven’t seen West Side Story yet, or if you’ve seen it and, like me, would love to watch it again: go watch it! Right now!
featured image via tomandlorenzo.com
