West Side Story (2021 | USA | 157 minutes | Steven Spielberg)
With his last two films being the perfectly adequate Ready Player One and the wholly unnecessary The Post, I had forgotten how remarkable of a filmmaker Steven Spielberg can be when he’s working on the right project. Remaking a movie musical from sixty years ago that is as close to perfect as a non-Bob Fosse musical can be might seem daunting in a lesser filmmaker’s hands, but nearly everything in West Side Story felt like it hit exactly as it should. Spielberg’s version of this legendary film doesn’t so much surpass the original, a near impossibility, but runs parallel and that pays tribute to and complements its source marvelously.
The Jets and Sharks are back to again fight over turf in their fast-gentrifying Manhattan circa 1950’s neighborhood. From a comfortable distance, it’s easy to see that the problems are not the warring gangs but the capitalist system that is forcing them from their homes to make way for wealthier tenants. But, of course, the feud becomes personal between the Jets and Sharks when Tony (Ansel Elgort), a founder of the Jets, falls for Puerto Rican beauty Maria (Rachel Zegler), sister to the top Shark Bernardo (David Alvarez). One of the best things of Spielberg’s film is that the 1961 Anita, Rita Moreno, has a big role as a Puerto Rican shopkeeper that tries to keep Tony from reverting to his hooligan past.
There is just so much to love about this movie. Rachel Zegler was such a great find: her acting, dancing, and singing are first rate and perfect for the part. The same could be said of Ariana DeBose, who plays Bernardo’s girlfriend Anita. Ansel Elgort is great as Tony – he’s a charming actor and nimble dancer, and Rita Moreno is always a pleasure to see on screen. The colors are so vibrant, the choreography is superb, and the Puerto Rican characters are played by actual Latino actors.
Justin Peck was tasked with adapting Jerome Robbins’ original choreography for this 2021 film, and he was definitely up for the job. Each dance sequence felt like a show-stopper. My favorite might have been “Gee, Officer Krupke” because it was my favorite song from the original film but I was also floored by “Cool,” a duet with Ansel Elgort’s Tony and his Jet co-founder Riff (Mike Faist) that came shortly before the epic rumble where the Jets and Sharks face off.
I went into West Side Story protective of the original film and dubious of what Spielberg would do with a film and story I revere, because he has never made a musical before and his previous two films were okay and lackluster. But nearly every moment I was delighted with something I saw on screen. Something I caught on Tony Kushner’s updated script, or an ode to Robert Wise’s best picture winner from sixty years ago, or something fresh with the late Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics on top of Leonard Bernstein’s music. From the opening moments to the tragic ending, this movie never felt inauthentic or predictable.
I don’t think West Side Story will be my very favorite movie of 2021 when I make my EOY list (though it will definitely be close to the top), but I do think seeing it in a theater was the best filmgoing experience I had since the pandemic ended.
West Side Story will be in theaters on December 10.