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Andrew Garfield portrayed a lot of challenging roles during his career. However, his new part might prove to be one of the most memorable. Garfield stars as Jonathan Larson in the Lin Manuel Miranda musical tick, tick...BOOM! As a 29-year-old musician who hasn't yet had his big break, Jonathan is feeling unsure about his upcoming birthday and he reflects on his life while he tries to move forward with his work.
Thanks to Garfield's performances, actors in the supporting paths, the relatable yet captivating story, and, of course, the high-quality musical numbers, tick, tick...BOOM! is an ideal watch for all who love musicals. Luckily for them, if they enjoyed the movie, there are other musicals and different movies they might like as well.
6 The Red Shoes (1948)
The Red Shoes is one of the half-forgotten classics that all people should see, especially if they enjoy musicals that don't spare its main heroes, like tick, tick...BOOM! also does. Moira Shearer shines as a talented dancer, Vicky, who gets her dream job. However, her boss makes it clear there's no time for a personal life if Vicky wants to be a star. So when Vicky meets the composer Julian and falls for him, she has a difficult choice to make.
The movie doesn't have a traditional happy ending, which makes it different from a lot of other musicals. Vicky is a relatable heroine for everyone who ever had to make a similar choice. And while her dilemma is different from Jonathan's, the result might be equally serious.
5 Black Swan (2010)
Darren Aronofsky often makes movies that draw people in and don't release them until the very end. Black Swan centers on a talented ballet dancer, Nina (Natalie Portman), who gets her dream role in Swan Lake but she has trouble portraying the Black Swan, the darker side of her character. As Nina buries herself further in the role and what it takes to master it, she loses more and more of herself.
tick, tick...BOOM! doesn't take such drastic steps as Black Swan does, but Nina and Jonathan both have a passion that separates them from the rest of humanity, at least in their world. And in both cases, it eventually takes them to a point from which there might be no return. One is fiction, one inspired by a true story, but the theme of self-sacrifice is present in both. It's no wonder that Natalie Portman won an Academy Award for this movie, and it also wouldn't be such a stretch to imagine Andrew Garfield might get nominated for an Oscar for playing Jonathan.
4 Maps To The Stars (2014)
David Cronenberg is known for creating unusual movies that dig deep into the minds of the characters. In this case, he focused on Hollywood and what living in the land of movies does to people. While both movies have a different setting, what connects them is the interest in what makes people behave in a way different from most of those whom they meet.
In other words, tick, tick...BOOM! and Maps to the Stars offer an insight into people's psyches that's rarely ever seen in movies. It helps that this piece has excellent performances from Julianne Moore, Robert Pattinson, John Cusack, Mia Wasikowska, and other well-known actors.
3 La La Land (2016)
The Oscar-winning 2016 musical with Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling is already a classic, and for a good reason. Just like tick, tick...BOOM! it works both with dramatic situations and ones that contain subtle humor.
The story about a young actress and a musician seems like a standard run-of-the-mill romance at first but the acting performances, as well as the bittersweet ending, make it seem much more realistic than musicals often are. Not every love story has a happy ending, just like Jonathan's life in tick, tick...BOOM! isn't perfect despite all the joy that making music brings him.
2 The Neon Demon (2016)
Just like Jonathan finds beauty in his music, this visually rich movie seeks out the beauty in innocence. Elle Fanning plays a young model, Jesse, who comes to Los Angeles and quickly draws attention to herself, which makes other older models feel jealous of her.
The Neon Demon doesn't have the realistic feel to it as tick, tick...BOOM! does but both movies manage to draw people in the same way and show what it feels like when art is the most important aspect in their heroes' lives. The Neon Demon is also a horror movie, but at its center, it serves as a cautionary tale about obsession and ambition taken too far.
1 Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Choosing a movie from Andrew Garfield's rich filmography that's most similar to tick, tick...BOOM! is difficult. Garfield has acted in multiple movies based on real events. However, if his fans want to see another excellent performance, Hacksaw Ridge is the right choice. Garfield stars as Desmond Doss, a soldier who manages to save multiple lives during World War Two......without ever firing a single shot.
Even though one is a musical and the other a war drama, heroes of both movies manage to make the world around them better. Desmond Doss by saving lives and Jonathan Larson by creating wonderful music that brings people joy. And even though Andrew Garfield didn't get the Oscar he was nominated for thanks to Hacksaw Ridge, it's still is one of his best movies.