West Side Story (2021)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
It’s the remake none of us really asked for or knew we wanted. Steven Spielberg somehow, in his first-ever musical, blows the door off with his reinterpretation of the classic film.
Remember the names Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose. Jot them down somewhere. You can thank me later.
From the technical aspects to the acting, West Side Story only falters for reasons it largely cannot control - a problematic third act that Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner largely leave intact.
NO
You cannot get past that they have made a new version of something so sacred and deeply personal in your eyes.
Purists may balk at the updates and modifications Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner made to modernize, reimagine, and increase inclusiveness and representation.
Spielberg has deeply personal reasons for making this film, but some refuse to believe this was necessary or needed.
OUR REVIEW
Debates have been popping up everywhere regarding Steven Spielberg’s decisions to remake West Side Story. Sure, in some ways, it feels incongruent to match up the creator of Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Schindler’s List, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial to the 10-time Oscar-winning musical that no one seemingly asked to have remade.
Lots of folks were content with West Side Story existing in its 1961 cinematic form. The music is definitive canon in Broadway and movie musical history; the film version the most decorated musical in Oscar history. So why remake it, and why Spielberg?
Turns out, as he told Vanity Fair in a 2020 interview, West Side Story was the first piece of popular music allowed into his home. Maybe that’s enough of a reason, then? Spielberg wanted to pay tribute to his youth, and his family, by honoring the first music and story that left an indelible impression. We have celebrated others for far less.
Moving on: Spielberg’s take on West Side Story is breathtaking; an energetic, urgent romp through a gentrified 1950s New York City. With a screenplay adapted by Tony Kushner, who wrote scripts for Spielberg’s Munich and Lincoln, this iteration of the film modernizes elements of Ernest Lehman’s screenplay and Arthur Laurents’ book and Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics, though the songs are largely kept intact.
Though I am probably supposed to take a definitive stand on which version is better, I will leave it for others to decide. For me, there’s no reason one cannot enjoy both. In this version, Spielberg’s vision is brought brilliantly to life by his long-time cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. Seldom stationary with his camera, Kaminski might as well be dancing alongside the rival gangs - the Jets, white boys of European descent who have largely ruled the community, and the Sharks, Puerto Rican boys who have been struggling to find their place in a community where they feel validated for their culture and heritage. Paced through syncopated editing from Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn, the film’s opening numbers make this West Side Story feel vibrant, fresh, and new again.
The film soars with great performances, including a star-is-born debut from newcomer Rachel Zegler. Portraying María, she radiates confidence and talent well beyond her years. Within the story, María is a teenager, living with older brother Bernardo (David Alvarez, terrific) and his girlfriend Anita (Ariana DeBose). Bernardo is affiliated with the Sharks and has direct conflict with the new Jets’ leader, Riff (Mike Faist). Riff is excited for the return of former gang leader Tony (Ansel Elgort), who he believes will return to the Jets after a year spent in the clink for nearly killing a man in a brawl.
Tony, taken in by drugstore owner Valentina (Rita Moreno), assists her and sees a different path for himself after reflecting in isolation. Conflict and tension percolate side-by-side, but what makes the film so rewarding is seeing how the music, visuals, and character arcs all come together to create a story of gangs who sing and fight and romance their way into co-existing as one common unified people.
Let me pause here for a second because, quite honestly, this entire idea feels like it simply should not work. Yet, there’s a magic to this story that Spielberg captures and the trust and admiration he has for his cast brings out the very best in them.
Zegler is a star. Her arrival is one of the more exhilarating debuts of recent years, and when coupled with DeBose, the two are dynamic in their scenes together. As Tony meets and falls for María and their eventual romance blossoms, Elgort and Zegler create wonderful chemistry. Elgort is solid here - as a singer and a dancer - though at times he wrestles with the emotional beats required to match those around him.
If Zegler is a star, Ariana DeBose clearly exists within the same universe. Her performance as Anita balances a caring heart alongside moments of tragedy, disappointment, and the doling out of tough and unconditional love. DeBose nails every song, every dance number, and every emotion expertly well and deserves any and all recognition set to come her way following such a masterful performance.
The ace in the hole though is Moreno, who won an Oscar for portraying Anita in the 1961 film. She steals this film, some 60 years later in the role of Valentina, a character brought into the film and expanded considerably from the 1957 Broadway show. Her guidance to Tony is that of care and compassion. Her singing of “Somewhere,” a key music piece in the film, finds Valentina singing a bittersweet ballad, eliciting some of the strongest emotions experienced within the film.
Below the line, Spielberg’s film sparks bright in vivid, bold, and colorful ways. Adam Stockhausen’s production design, whisking us through streets, alleys, apartments, and natural-lit warehouses and dance-friendly police stations is perfectly crafted to match Paul Tazewell’s authentic costumes of T-shirts, rolled up jeans, and beautiful flowing dresses and gowns. A crackling sound design complements Leonard Bernstein’s classic score, with set pieces and extravagant musical numbers keeping our eyes darting across the screen to try and take everything in.
When West Side Story works, it is at once both intimate and expansive. The problematic final act remains a giant obstruction, as Kushner and Spielberg simply cannot distance themselves from character reactions, choices and decisions that still, some 60+ years later, fail to comport with reality.
As characters deal with sudden tragedy, we still sweep the implications and ramifications under the rug and have a mournful conclusion that may match the inspiration of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” but falls flat on screen. This was true in the original and it remains true here.
In totality though, Spielberg has created an otherwise beautiful film, one that raises the bar on inclusive casting and representation while reimagining what West Side Story could mean to a present-day audience. His enthusiasm could not be more obvious or infectious - the little boy in him recreating the excitement for the masses that he clearly felt hearing these songs for the very first time all those years ago.
CAST & CREW
Starring: Rachel Zegler, Ansel Elgort, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Rita Moreno, Brian d’Arcy James, Corey Stoll, Mike Faist, Josh Andrés Rivera, Iris Menas, David Aviles Morales, Sebastian Serra, Jamila Velasquez, Mike Iveson, Paloma Garcia-Lee, Talia Ryder, Maddie Ziegler.
Director: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Tony Kushner
Based on the Broadway musical, “West Side Story” - Arthur Laurents (book), Leonard Bernstein (music), Stephen Sondheim (lyrics)
Release Date: December 10, 2021
20th Century Studios | Walt Disney Pictures