Warner Bros. A still from 'In the Heights'
Almost a year after its intended release, the highly-anticipated film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “In the Heights” is now available on HBO Max.
If you sign up for HBO Max directly through their website, there is no free trial. It’s $14.99 per month right away. However, you can get HBO Max included with a free trial of some other streaming services, which we detail below.
Here’s how to sign up and watch “In the Heights” for free (note that the movie will leave HBO Max after 30 days on July 11):
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AT&T TV
AT&T TV has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” One year of HBO Max (or however long you keep AT&T TV) is included for free in the “Choice” and above bundles, and you can select any package and any add-on you want with your free 14-day trial of AT&T TV.
Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but when you go to checkout your “due today” amount will be $0 when signing up. If you watch AT&T TV on your computer, phone or tablet, you won’t be charged for 14 days. If you watch on a streaming device on your TV (Roku, Firestick, Apple TV, etc.), you will be charged for the first month, but you can get still get a full refund if you cancel before 14 days:
Once signed up for AT&T TV’s “Choice” or above bundle, you can watch “In the Heights” on the HBO Max app (not the AT&T TV app), which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet.
When signing in to HBO Max, you’ll need to use your AT&T TV credentials.
Hulu
HBO Max is available as an add-on to either Hulu or Hulu with Live TV. Whether you’re a new or existing Hulu subscriber, the HBO Max add-on comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for the HBO Max add-on to Hulu, you can watch “In the Heights” on the HBO Max app (not the Hulu app), which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet.
When signing in to HBO Max, you’ll need to use your Hulu credentials.
‘In the Heights’ Preview
In 2008, long before “Hamilton” made Lin-Manuel Miranda a household name, “In the Heights” opened on Broadway. It earned rave reviews, with Variety calling it “an uncalculated charmer,” citing its “depth of feeling” coupled with “the wit of Miranda’s lyrics, the playful dexterity of his rhymes, his dynamic score and a bunch of truly winning performances.”
The New York Times wrote that “when this musical erupts in one of its expressions of collective joy, the energy it gives off could light up the George Washington Bridge for a year or two.”
Now the musical that earned 13 Tony Award nominations, winning four (including Best Musical), has earned a feature film adaptation starring Anthony Ramos, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Stephanie Beatriz, Dascha Polanca, Marc Anthony, Jimmy Smits and Miranda himself, though he is not playing the role he originated on Broadway — that is Ramos’ role in the film.
HBO’s description of the film reads, “The scent of a cafecito caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies this vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is a likable, magnetic bodega owner who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines, and sings about a better life. ‘In the Heights’ fuses Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music and lyrics with director Jon M. Chu’s storytelling to capture a world very much of its place, but universal in its experience.”
So far, the film is also earning rave reviews. The Hollywood Reporter called it “sheer joy to watch” and said the film “glows with an abundance of love for its characters, their milieu and the pride with which they defend their cultural footprint against the encroaching forces of New York development that continually shove the marginalized further into the margins. The resilience with which the characters claim their place in the fabric of city life is exhilarating.”
And the San Francisco Chronicle called it “a celebration of a neighborhood, a culture and a type of music.”
It continued, “If you want to see joy onscreen, if you want to feel joy at the movies, you will not have a better chance in 2021. … It’s alive. Art is either alive or dead, and this movie is emphatically and exuberantly living, energized by what can only truly be described as love. The movie’s love is for the place, for the characters and for all their dreams. In movies, as in life, love is rare. It makes everything better, and it must be respected.”
“In the Heights” premieres Friday, June 11 in theaters and on HBO Max.