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Spielberg鈥檚 鈥榃est Side Story鈥: A remake that鈥檚 a rethink, too

Director Steven Spielberg mostly succeeds in his update of 鈥淲est Side Story,鈥 giving it new energy and authenticity, says the Monitor鈥檚 film critic.聽

By Peter Rainer , Special correspondent

When Steven Spielberg announced he was going to remake 鈥淲est Side Story,鈥 the reaction from many people was 鈥淲hy?鈥澛

An equally valid comeback might be 鈥淲hy not?鈥 I鈥檝e always held the original 1961 film in less than the highest regard, despite the 10-time Oscar winner鈥檚 iconic reputation. The Leonard Bernstein score, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, is great; Jerome Robbins鈥 choreography is turbocharged; and Rita Moreno (the only Hispanic actor in a major role) is wondrous. But the two doomed Romeo and Juliet lovebirds, Tony and Maria, played by Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood, were way too twinkly-treacly. (Wood鈥檚 singing was disconcertingly dubbed by Marni Nixon, who also dubbed Audrey Hepburn in 鈥淢y Fair Lady.鈥 Maria, meet Eliza.)聽

Spielberg鈥檚 redo 鈥 highlighting a time in the 1950s when 鈥渦rban renewal鈥 was turning low-income communities in New York City into demolition zones 鈥 is an uneven but honorable try. Tony Kushner鈥檚 script punches up and alters portions of the original book by Arthur Laurents, mostly to positive effect. More pronounced attention is paid to issues of race, immigration, gender, and gentrification. The Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks, this time features Hispanic actors (and about a third of their dialogue is in unsubtitled Spanish).聽

Best of all, Moreno is back, in a new role as the widow of Doc, the kindly neighborhood corner store owner. I expected her appearance would be a nostalgic cameo, but it鈥檚 a major supporting role that enfolds the film鈥檚 most deeply felt moments. In her late 80s during production, she sings as well as ever.聽

That Spielberg has directed his first musical should not come as a big shock. Most major American directors, at least when studios were regularly churning out musicals, have attempted one. Spielberg himself, in his maligned 鈥1941,鈥 staged an extraordinary musical dance sequence. His command of the kinesthetic aspects of moviemaking is ready-made for the fluidity of the musical form.聽

So it鈥檚 no surprise that, on a purely technical level, 鈥淲est Side Story鈥 is his liveliest movie in years. He seems energized by the ways in which he can stage the rush and swoop of the musical set pieces. (The choreographer is Justin Peck.) In particular, the 鈥淎merica鈥 number, which has been reconceived for the movie as a block party jamboree in broad daylight, is a triumph, as is the 鈥淕ee, Officer Krupke鈥 sequence. Spielberg understands, as not every director of musicals does, that the camera should complement the dancers鈥 movements, not fight them.

With all that, why does the film never quite achieve liftoff? Part of the problem connects to the earlier movie version, and perhaps to the original stage musical itself: The star-crossed lovers come across as too gooey for all the rumblings around them. As Tony, the co-founder of the Jets, the white gang embroiled in an Upper West Side turf war with the Sharks, Ansel Elgort isn鈥檛 bad; he has a pleasant singing voice, and from some angles he resembles a young Marlon Brando. But he doesn鈥檛 bring the overwhelming ache of true love to his scenes with Maria, who, as played by Rachel Zegler, is more ardent than transcendent. Sweet-souled virtue is always difficult to play convincingly.聽

As a result, the film鈥檚 most galvanizing moments are instead provided by those players possessing a real edge, like Mike Faist鈥檚 volatile Riff, the leader of the Jets and the gang member most ready to rumble. Or, especially, Ariana DeBose鈥檚 Anita, who, like Moreno in the first film, regularly steals the show with her take-no-prisoners verve. As an actor, she has a full emotional range: When, near the end, the Jets corner her and almost force a rape, her disgust cuts through the screen like an acetylene torch. This is stronger stuff than we are used to from a musical, including previous incarnations of 鈥淲est Side Story.鈥澛

Spielberg and Kushner were right to bring modern attitudes to this beloved warhorse. Their movie, at its best, isn鈥檛 just a remake. It鈥檚 a rethink.

Peter Rainer is the Monitor鈥檚 film critic. 鈥淲est Side Story鈥 is rated聽PG-13 for some strong violence, strong language, thematic content, suggestive material, and brief smoking.聽