West Side Story (2021)

Starring: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Rita Moreno, Brian d'Arcy James, Corey Stoll, Mike Faist, Jose Andres Rivera, Iris Menas, Sebatian Serra
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Musical
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two teenagers belonging to rival street gangs in New York City fall in love but face great opposition as both gangs prepare for a deadly rumble.

Review:

Tim: I'm still unconvinced we needed a West Side Story remake. The original is one of the all-time classic musicals- it won a stunning 10 Academy Awards. Despite my misgivings, I was encouraged by the great Steven Spielberg directing this film. Surely, if anyone could make this film worthwhile, it would be the greatest director of all time? Unfortunately, that's not the case. As much as I was intrigued to see Spielberg's film, it feels like this one pales in comparison to the original in every single way. This is a good film, yes. But, it's a deeply disappointing one when you consider the original. We didn't need this movie.

Spielberg definitely brings his talent to the film, but he never really makes this movie stand out. I don't think there is a single breakthrough scene that felt amazing to me. It didn't differentiate itself from the original enough. I went through the motions of its story, but it felt like we'd seen this all before, and done better. People seeing this story for the first time would likely enjoy it more, but it felt redundant to see this story adapted again, and so less effectively.

I really struggled with the cast. Ansel Elgort seems like such a talented actor, but I never bought him in this role. He felt miscast. His singing and movement is impressive, but Tony felt like Elgort acting the entire time. Nothing about his performance felt authentic. It felt forceful, as if Elgort was putting so much effort into it, verses seeming authentic or natural in the least. Rachel Zegler seemed a bit more authentic as Maria, although I didn't quite love her performance. This is odd, because it's hard for me to put my finger on why. She's good from beginning to end, although she doesn't quite make a deep enough emotional connection with the audience. This is especially true in the film, too. Elgort and Zegler have almost no chemistry together. I never bought for a second that they cared about each other. They simply don't work together. Maybe some of it is their size difference (Elgort seems ludicrously tall here), but so much of it comes down to their acting. They don't sell their relationship, even for a moment. This is one of the critical missteps with this movie. I believe it came down to casting and the casting department got this one wrong. On paper, it makes total sense, but Elgort and Zegler do not connect and I felt nothing watching them.

I found it fascinating that Ariana DeBose won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, just as Rita Moreno did for playing this role 60 years ago. I admit that DeBose brings an energetic fieriness to the role that is quite memorable. Her singing and dancing are impressive. However, Anita's role feels too small to me. She has great moments, but I questioned whether she really had the best supporting performance of the year. I think it's great DeBose won and I appreciate the Academy recognizing more diversity in their winners, but I wish DeBose had more screen time to showcase her talent. David Alvarez adds a nice supporting performance, I enjoyed him in this role. It was fun seeing Corey Stoll and Brian d'Arcy James, although both actors make minimal contributions to the overall film. I didn't love Mike Faist's character, but had no complaints about his performance. Jose Andres Rivera is memorable in his role, too. I loved seeing Rita Moreno in her role. I thought it was exceptionally cool of the film to bring her back and connect to the original cast.

Now, while West Side Story is good, I feel like it's far overrated. It was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, including (inexplicably) Best Picture and Best Director. I honestly didn't see that at all. I love Steve Spielberg, but how could he and his film get so much recognition for a remake that is inferior in nearly all the ways? I do think it's telling that the movie only won 1 Academy Award. Somewhat telling, that the original won 10. I think this is a perfectly good movie, but doesn't hold a candle to the original. I still have the same question I did at the beginning- did we really need this film?

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: West Side Story (1961), The Fault in Our Stars