2020 may very well go down in history as “the year without movies,” which is admittedly a bit of a misnomer. There were movies to be sure, many of which were released straight to streaming services or on PVOD, and many of which were extremely good! But for over four decades, each summer audiences flocked to theaters in droves to eat popcorn and enjoy blockbuster entertainment as a collective. We wowed, we laughed, we cheered, we cried. Some of my favorite moviegoing experiences happened this way – the sniffles at the end ofTitanic, the cheers atBill Pullman’s speech inIndependence Day, the thunderous applause when Cap grabbed that hammer inAvengers: Endgame. And in 2020, this just didn’t happen. And it sucked.
But therewasa movie event of the year – in the summer in fact – that for one shining moment pulled us out of the doldrums of depression, exhaustion, and desperation. And that wasHamilton.
Now first I want to say this essay is in no way meant to diminish or downplay the very real (and very devastating) effects of this pandemic. It was horrible. People died. The economic and personal impacts are far from over, and movies are just movies. But there was something aboutHamilton’s release on Disney+ that, for a minute, brought us all together. Gave us hope. And it came at just the right time.
Hamiltonwas never supposed to be released this year.Lin-Manuel Mirandaand the original cast of the Tony-winning Broadway musical recorded their performance over three days in 2016, before Miranda and other members of the cast departed. Disney snapped up the rights to the recordings in early 2020, and planned on releasing the film in theaters in 2021 for a sure-to-be-huge box office performance. And then the pandemic happened.
When the United States shut down in March, we weren’t exactly sure how long this would last. By May it was clear we were in this for a long-haul and the path forward would not be easy, so Disney and Miranda announced thatHamiltonwould be released on Disney+ on July 3rd, just in time for Independence Day.
As July rolled around, some parts of the country were opening back up, but the virus was still raging and many were still under quarantine. The mood was dour, and was not helped by the inept response from the federal government and the Trump administration. To put it bluntly, hope was hard to find. And then cameHamilton.
Under quarantine, people flocked to streaming services, but nobody was really watching the same thing at the same time. It still felt… solitary.Hamiltonon Disney+ seemed like the first (and only) collective entertainment experience for us in a long while. Something about knowing millions of people across the globe were also taking in this uniquely masterful musical at the exact same time made us feel a little less lonely. For one weekend, we were united.
But of course it wasn’t just the act of watching the same thing that made this the event of the year. It’s that this thing was one of the best, most powerful, most iconic musicals ever created. The lucky ones were able to catchHamiltonon Broadway or see the touring company, but for so many this was the first time they’d be able to see what Lin-Manuel Miranda created – often after spending years obsessively listening to the soundtrack. But even for those who’d seenHamiltonbefore,Tommy Kail’s brilliant direction in these recorded performances unlocked entirely new avenues of this musical. Characters like Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Angelica (Renee Elise Goldsberry) gained new shades, and even just seeing Alexander Hamilton up close allowed us to see just how emotionally complex Miranda’s performance really was.
Hamiltonis a story about perseverance in the face of adversity in the hopes of attaining something greater, better – a more perfect union, if you will. At a time when we were asked to stop socializing, stop seeing our families, stop seeinganyone, that resonated. At a time when this country was bitterly divided in anticipation of a monumental presidential election, when it felt like the odds were stacked against those in favor of compassion, equality, and justice, that resonated. How could we have any hope of beating back against this oppressive, cruel administration that openly flaunted how it was breaking the rules? How is victory even possible against an opponent like that? And yet.
America is not perfect. Far from it. America is hard. America is work. And the fight for progress can seem futile at times. But it’s the fight that keeps us alive. It’s the fight thatisprogress. Giving up is giving in, andHamiltonshows that it doesn’t take perfect individuals to move this country forward. Humans are flawed.Americansare flawed. But we beat on, boats against the current and whatnot.
So it’s no wonder thatHamilton, a stage musical about the David vs. Goliath battle for independence against a ruthless tyrant, resonated this summer. It was a brilliant, rousing balm for “uncertain times”; it was a rallying cry for progress in the face of despair; it was, if you’ll grant me a brief saccharine moment, the story of us – past, present, and future. In a year without movies, it was the movie we needed most. And for Independence Day weekend, we were enthralled and moved and roused together. In our isolation, we were united
