West Side Story goes south

Movies: West Side Story Steven Spielberg's attempt to resuscitate the Broadway classic stalls in ruts of well-intentioned earnestness and homage to American cliché. Streaming on Prime Video   Steven Spielberg attempts a fresh take on the Leonard Bernstein / Stephen Sondheim musical that rocked the nation back in 1961 and picked up 11 oscars at the same time. This new version tries to renovate classic American themes -- such as race, class and opportunity -- and on some scores, it succeeds in reiterating the failures and flaws of the American experiment with a fresh accent. Tribalism, gang warfare and notions of what makes up a "real American" push through the ambient contrivances... because that's what Speilberg's brand is sort of based on: Hollywood B.S. Because he has always believed the big screen dream, there's an earnestness to the undertaking that saves it from the schmaltz flats, but there's a simple snag in the mix. The movie is a sleepy dream. Spielberg ...