20th Century Studios
Amblin Entertainment
TSG Entertainment
Not part of a collection.
West Side Story
A city divided. Their love will challenge everything.
Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.
- Original title
- West Side Story
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- $100,000,000
- Revenue
- $76,016,171
Filipe Manuel Neto
Jun 3, 2024 · via TMDB
**A very welcome remake.** I must be one of the few iconoclasts who has not declared here his undying love for “West Side Story”, one of the most successful and acclaimed musicals of all time, and which continues, to this day, to seduce crowds of spectators. As I already had occasion to say then, I expected something else. The story is based on the ethnic conflict between a band of young Anglo-Saxons from New York and another band of immigrants from Puerto Rico, and the unlikely love between the leader of the American gang and the sister of the leader of the Puerto Rican gang. I know that, at the time, the issue was not as delicate as it is today, but I couldn't help but feel that there was a certain prejudice against Latinos. Just think that the main actress was not a Latina, but an Anglo-Saxon whose face was painted and who didn't even sing in the film. Blessed be Steven Spielberg when he had the idea to make this remake. The film honors the source material and respects the older film, but corrects the biggest errors I had pointed out, presenting us with a more enjoyable view. It is not a work without problems, but they are different types of problems than those I had pointed out for the 1961 version. The director's attentive and meticulous eye is manifested in the careful design of the sets and costumes, in the very complete and profound development of the characters, and in the extraordinary dance choreographies, metrically designed and executed with the greatest professionalism. I also really liked the design of the locations, and the insertion of the entire story in a New York neighborhood that was about to disappear to make way for a modern office space. The soundtrack and songs are, essentially, those that we all expected to find, and are very well performed by the actors, sometimes during filming, instead of in a recording studio. One of the aspects that I liked most about this version was the extreme brutality of the rival groups. This time, they don't look like bored choirboys who decided to fight after Sunday mass. Knives, guns, sticks, everything they can use to fight, they use, and they seem more threatening and fearsome, just as you would expect from a gang of authentic juvenile delinquents. I was also pleased to see some of the actors still alive from the 1961 film again, in other characters and roles, especially Rita Moreno, who played a friendly merchant this time. I think it was a good way to honor them and honor their work. Rachel Zegler is a young Latina, daughter of a Colombian mother, and extremely talented. She is an actress tailor-made for the role of Maria, and made the most of the opportunity to advance her professional career. In fact, she is excellent, sings very well and is quite competent as an actress. Ariana DeBose and David Alvarez are also very good choices and enrich the film with commitment, competence and charisma, especially DeBose, who seems to have a huge personality and enormous personal brilliance. Mike Faist is excellent in his role. As for Ansel Elgort... he tries, he tries to adjust and struggles with the character and the material, but I think he never fully found himself on stage. Something is missing there. But this is my personal opinion.
beyondthecineramadome
Jun 20, 2022 · via TMDB
Full review: <a>https://www.tinakakadelis.com/beyond-the-cinerama-dome/2021/12/28/it-all-begins-tonight-west-side-story-review<a> This film is a still (sadly) all-too-relevant story about how hatred infiltrates communities and the struggle to find a place to belong. West Side Story is about creating a home, however, you choose to define the word. Unfortunately, the miscasting of Tony brings down what could have been a near-perfect movie. His role is simply too large to be ignored and impossible to compare to his co-stars’ formidable, sublime performances.
Chad Jordahl
Mar 14, 2022 · via TMDB
Good production. I liked the performers, except Ansel Elgort as the lead male, Tony, who I found to be uninteresting. I never got into the story or the songs. A couple of other thoughts: * Carefully choreographed Broadway-style dance routines severely diminish the menace of street gangs. * Love at first sight is a myth and is a very bad reason to kill or be killed. (Intense attraction, curiosity, and lust at first sight, sure, but love takes longer.)
dfle3
Jan 13, 2022 · via TMDB
West Side story: Gritty morality tale with an emotional punch. 85% Not having seen the stage production of "West Side story" or its first film version, which I understand is regarded as a classic, I really don't have a point of comparison for this new film version of the long-running musical theatre staple. Of course, with the US being so effective at exporting its pop culture around the world, I was aware of songs and scenes from the original Hollywood film, which had positive associations for me, even though I live in Australia. The story was inspired by a much earlier tale, which I won't mention here because...spoilers. In any case, the second film version (presumably...at least as far as US film versions go) of this story is set in a slum in New York in the 1950s (the "West Side" of the title). The setting is very nicely established, with an opening shot of some partially destroyed buildings which a sign states are being demolished to make way for the gentrification of the area. The flats in the high-rise buildings nearby have a suitably "slummy" look without the aesthetic being overdone. From out of this no man's land emerges what turns out be a gang of Anglo background, known as "The Jets". You can tell that they they are bad because they soon terrorise the neighbourhood with dancing and singing, with no one daring to stop them. It has to be said, at this point, the realisation of a musical in the modern era hasn't lost my interest. Fit young blokes dancing and singing and clicking their fingers in time in the streets of a big city doesn't seem all that ridiculous now. We soon learn that The Jets have a rival group which they want to remove from 'their turf', a gang known as "The Sharks", which are of Puerto Rican ethnicity. The basis of The Jets' animosity to The Sharks is basically an issue of race (and that is also the basis of the police department's animosity towards The Sharks as well). The Sharks do not 'belong' in the US and they should 'go back to where they came from'. The first encounter we see between these two rival gangs is a violent one and it's pretty clear that things will escalate from here between them. If you're thinking that nothing thrown into this tinderbox could make it any more flammable, well...enter Tony (played by Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler). Tony is the co-founder of The Jets but after a stint in prison for a shocking beating he gave to an Eyptian man, he is trying to be a better person, now holding down a steady job and no longer involved in his gang's activities. Maria is the sister of Bernardo (David Alvarez), a man who is trying to fight his way out of the slum (literally). Bernardo has a chip on his shoulder about the Anglos, who make life difficult for his community. He plays the father-figure at the flat that he shares with his girlfriend and Maria. The prospect of Maria dating a "gringo" is unacceptable to him, as we later find out when...Tony and Maria meet at a dance event and...instantly fall in love. He is also the leader of The Sharks. That moment when Tony and Maria fall in love at first sight is very sweetly done. Maria, as played by Zegler, seems like an old-fashioned Disney princess at first, being very timid but then being quite forward...perhaps like a (modern day?) Disney princess? (Since I'm not well-versed in Disney films about princesses, I'll have to defer to the judgement of people more informed than me on this subject.) The lyric from the song "Hurts so good" by John Cougar comes to mind about her: "you ain't as green as you are young". Zegler/Maria is very attractive in a winsome way. Director Steven Spielberg has really captured a winning performance from her. It occurred to me after writing down my initial thoughts on this film that Zegler would be a worthy nominee for "Best actress" at awards time. Even though I haven't really seen many 'quality' films this year, I think I know a quality performance when I see one and I don't think that a best actress award for her would be undeserved. If you think that Maria couldn't be any more adorable, well, you should hear her sing. She has a lovely voice, in my view. To me, she's the standout voice of the musical. Elgort tends towards falsetto at times. On the subject of the music, I'd say that I'm pretty sure that if you just wanted to listen to the musical on CD or whatever, then there would be better versions of that from previous productions of this story, whether on stage or screen. By that I mean perhaps the music elsewhere is bolder, brassier or arranged more pleasingly (to my ears, at least) and that would apply to the vocal performances as well. However, since I haven't heard other versions, I can't recommend one for you. It also later occurred to me how similar Tony and Bernardo are (which I've retrospectively alluded to in my earlier comments about how both of them plan to get out of the slum). Another point of comparison with Bernardo would be The Jets' new leader, "Riff" (Mike Faist). They both mirror each other as far as attitudes to "the other" goes. In any case, just when Tony thought he was out, Riff pulls him back in again, as far as gang activities go. I liked this film and had moments of recognition with it, with regards to clicking fingers and many songs. One event which did jar with me was how Maria reacted to Tony when she heard some fateful news about him. It just didn't ring true to me. Maybe with a greater passage of time it could have worked. Later, when the police officer goes over the whole timeline, the short duration was a shock too. The film was on track for a score of 80% from me but since the drama near the end of the film elicited emotion from me, I added another 5% to my score to reflect that. Random notes: *Is the ending different to previous versions of this story? If it is, you can either read it as a return to sanity as far as character motivation goes or as a Steven Spielberg tendency. *There is some realism to the violence, so not suitable for very young children, I don't think. *I couldn't quite tell if there was some strong swearing at times or if it was toned down. *Curios: 5c for a Milky Way chocolate bar, $15 for a fashionable store scarf, I think.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Disney Plus
fuboTV
YouTube TV
FXNow
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Ansel Elgort
Tony
Rachel Zegler
María
Ariana DeBose
Anita
David Alvarez
Bernardo
Mike Faist
Riff
Brian d'Arcy James
Officer Krupke
Corey Stoll
Lieutenant Schrank
Rita Moreno
Valentina
Josh Rivera
Chino
Ana Isabelle
Rosalía
Ilda Mason
Luz
iris menas
Anybodys
Julius Anthony Rubio
Quique
Tanairi Sade Vazquez
Charita
Sebastian Serra
Braulio
Ricardo Zayas
Chago
Ricky Ubeda
Flaco
Adriel Flete
Julito
Jacob Guzman
Junior
Carlos Sánchez Falú
Pipo
Yurel Echezarreta
Sebas
David Guzman
Tino
Jess LeProtto
A-Rab
Patrick Higgins
Baby John
Kyle Allen
Balkan
Kevin Csolak
Diesel
Kyle Coffman
Ice
Ben Cook
Mouthpiece
Harrison Coll
Numbers
Myles Erlick
Snowboy
Julian Elia
Tiger
Daniel Patrick Russell
Little Moly
Yesenia Ayala
Clary
Gabriela M. Soto
Conchi
Jeanette Delgado
Ili
Gaby Diaz
Tati
Isabella Ward
Tere
Eloise Kropp
Jet
Paloma Garcia-Lee
Graziella
Leigh-Ann Esty
Gussie
Skye Mattox
Maxie
Jonalyn Saxer
Rhonda
Halli Toland
Sweden
Sara Esty
Tat
Talia Ryder
Tessa
Maddie Ziegler
Velma
Andréa Burns
Fausta
Mike Iveson
Glad Hand
Annelise Cepero
Provi
Jamie Harris
Rory
Curtiss Cook
Abe
Nadia Quinn
Streetwalker
Victor Cruz
Restaurant Owner
Mike Massimino
Cop #1
Ryan Woodle
Cop #2
Bert Michaels
Gimbels Security Guard
Joe Lanza
Detective in Morgue
Denia Brache
Old Lady María
Andy Powers
Cop in Salt Shed
Reginald L. Barnes
Detective #2
Patrick Noonan
Detective #3
Paul Niebanck
Taxi Passenger
Ricky Garcia
Demonstrator
José Ramón Rosario
Demonstrator
Doreen Montalvo
Demonstrator
Shade Rupe
Construction Worker
Isaías Badilla
Pachanga Dancer
Jessica Marza
Shark (uncredited)
Truman Hanks
Assistant Director of Photography
Adam Stockhausen
Production Design
Rena DeAngelo
Set Decoration
Roxy Toporowych
Set Decoration Buyer
Adam Stockhausen
Title Designer
Steven Spielberg
Title Designer
Janusz Kamiński
Director of Photography
Paul Tazewell
Costume Design
Jerome Robbins
Choreographer
Justin Peck
Choreographer
Victor Cruz
Dialect Coach
Matt Sullivan
Executive Music Producer
A.J. Paratore
Stunt Double
Adam Shippey
Stunt Double
Angelica Kushi
Stunt Double
Ashley Pynn
Stunt Double
Brandon Alan Smith
Stunt Double
Evan Dane Taylor
Stunt Double
Justice Hedenberg
Stunt Double
Kevin Michael Murphy
Stunt Double
Larry Nuñez
Stunt Double
Luciano Acuna Jr.
Stunt Double
Salar Ghajar
Stunt Double
Samantha MacIvor
Stunt Double
Warren E. Hull
Stunt Double
Blaise Corrigan
Stunts
Chris Cenatiempo
Stunts
George B. Colucci Jr.
Stunts
Nitasha Bhambree
Stunts
Peter Epstein
Stunts
Stephen Sondheim
Thanks
Aaron Vexler
Utility Stunts
Alexa Marcigliano
Utility Stunts
Tracey Ruggiero
Utility Stunts
Steven Spielberg
Director
Adam Somner
First Assistant Director
Michael Kahn
Editor
Sarah Broshar
Editor
Zoraida Sanjurjo López
Casting
Adam Somner
Executive Producer
Daniel Lupi
Executive Producer
Rita Moreno
Executive Producer
Tony Kushner
Executive Producer
Kevin McCollum
Producer
Kristie Macosko Krieger
Producer
Steven Spielberg
Producer
David M. Night Maire
Production Assistant
Daniel Lupi
Unit Production Manager
Gustavo Dudamel
Conductor
David Newman
Music Arranger
Matt Sullivan
Music Supervisor
Leonard Bernstein
Original Music Composer
Leonard Bernstein
Songs
Rachel Zegler
Songs
Gary Rydstrom
Sound Designer
Andy Nelson
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Gary Rydstrom
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Brian Chumney
Supervising Sound Editor
Gary Rydstrom
Supervising Sound Editor
Stephen Sondheim
Lyricist
Leonard Bernstein
Musical
William Shakespeare
Original Story
Tony Kushner
Screenplay
Arthur Laurents
Theatre Play
Jerome Robbins
Theatre Play
Stephen Sondheim
Theatre Play
The Emperor of Atlantis
The Satin Woman
The Light in the Piazza: Live from Lincoln Center
Who Are You Really?
Bound by Honor
Tomorrow Ever After
The Crowd
Glory
As Good as It Gets
His Girl Friday
The Prince of Egypt
Top Hat
The Phantom of the Opera
Born Yesterday
Hamlet
Assault on Precinct 13
Veronika Voss
The Wedding Banquet
The Buddy Holly Story
Invictus
Barefoot in the Park
A Star Is Born
Remember Me
Good Night, and Good Luck.
Dinner Rush
The Fast and the Furious
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Serendipity
It's Always Fair Weather
The Glenn Miller Story
Cyanide
I Want to Know Your Parents
Mordová rokle
Underground
Gods and Monsters
42nd Street
Gomorrah
Lady Sings the Blues
Dark Victory
The Gay Divorcee
Closer
Che: Part One
Beat Street
Anchors Aweigh
Follow the Fleet
Unfaithful
Marvin's Room
Going My Way
Henry V
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Hairspray
Indiscreet
Working Girl
Cruising
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her
Save the Last Dance
Cry-Baby
It's Complicated
Everyone Says I Love You
Thumbelina
Losing Isaiah
White Gold
Bajre Da Sitta
An Ideal Husband
Fame
Six Degrees of Separation
Dance of the Dragon
Thirteen Conversations About One Thing
Circle of Friends
Flying Down to Rio
Cobra
Robin and the 7 Hoods
Show Boat
Superfluous
Bang Bang!
Learning to Drive
Where the Day Takes You
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Top Five
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
Valley of the Dolls
Swing!
She Stays
Recipe for Murder
Turk 182!
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
June and John
Bandslam
C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America
Blithe Spirit
Sylvia
Time Out of Mind
A Love in Germany
The Night Listener
Hurlyburly
Save the Last Dance 2
Mad Dog Coll
Did You Hear About the Morgans?
Carousel
American Dreamz
The Girlfriend Experience
Dixiana
Hamlet
Tharai Thappattai
Catching Spirits
Noble Vision
Twelfth Night
Oldrich and Bozena
The Arsonist’s Daughter
Sweet Dreaming
Café da Manhã
Piña Colado Por Ti
Spolužiak
The Vanished
The Scout
Curtain Call
Romance Anónimo
Vraždy a něžnosti
Love Everlasting
Romeo and Juliet
Breathe
Dirty Dancing
A Place in the Sun
Love at First Sight
West Side Story
The Sun Is Also a Star
House of Strangers
Endless Love
Step Up
Rent
Romeo + Juliet
Step Up 3D
Romeo & Juliet
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her
The Wild One
Save the Last Dance
Come See the Paradise
Departure
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Not Easily Broken
Killer's Kiss
Circle of Friends
Mobsters
Blind
Dot the I
The Detective
Staying Alive
The Object of My Affection
Nov 29, 2021
New York City, New York
Dec 10, 2021
Mar 1, 2022
Mar 2, 2022
Disney+ / HBO Max
Mar 12, 2022
HBO / HBO Latino
Mar 15, 2022
