RENT

[Katsumoto]

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This is the film version of the Pulitzer and Tony Award winning musical about Bohemians in the East Village of New York City struggling with life, love and AIDS, and the impacts they have on America.

Genres: Comedy / Drama / Musical / Romance

Running Time: 135 min.

Release Date: November 23rd, 2005

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving drugs and sexuality, and for some strong language.

Distributor: Columbia Pictures

Starring: Rosario Dawson, Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Tracie Thoms

Directed: Chris Columbus

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Has anyone seen the broadway production?? I'm not a fan of musicals, but i've seen Rent twice and loved it. I'm seeing an early screening tonight, i'll post my thoughts after.

[ilovemovies]

I don't know what to think of this movie because the trailers played more like music videos and didn't give me any idea on what the movie is about or if it would be interesting to me or not.

[Katsumoto]

Just got back from the screening. Overall I enjoyed it, like I said, I'm not a fan of musical, but the music and lyrics in RENT moves me more then any other musical. Columbus' direction is a bit repetitve, but he does a fine job. The music is fantasitic. A few scenes just didn't work, but overall a fine movie. 7/10

[Jessica3000]

I just saw the Broadway production earlier this year and thought it was good. I liked the music alot and am looking forward to seeing the movie. What's especially nice is that it's for the most part the original cast, so for people like me who didn't get the chance to see the original cast in the production, it will be a nice opportunity.

[arto_j]

Chris Columbus and Joe Roth teaming up for a movie musical sounds like it'd be the highest form of torture imaginable.

However, the trailer and the ads are really fascinating and make the film look extremely good. Plus it's got Rosario who I love, and getting most of the original cast for the movie is a great idea. So I'm a little torn on if I wanna see this bad enough to pay 10 bucks or not...I might see it in the cinemas, but then again maybe not...

[KcMsterpce]

For the MUSIC itself, I love about 20%, consider another 20% to be tolerable, and fucking HATE the other 60%. I know that if I hear "Christmas Bells Ringing" that it's time to take a bathroom break - again and again and again.

Having most of the original cast is kinda cool, but also silly considering that they're so much older than their characters are. But I'll look past that.
Rosario Dawson in no way shape or form has any chance at having a voice that is a CLOSE to as sexy as Daphne Rubin-Vega, who has one of the sexiest voices on the face of this earth. Then again, Dawson is one hot bitch, but looks nowhere NEAR 16 years old, so obviously the line in LIGHT MY CANDLE has to be changed.

I don't really want to see the movie all that much because I dont' like the musical enough to pay money to sit through the torture I can't fastforward, but if it's a slow week, I might check it out.

[Kucha]

Im looking forward to this and most likely going to catch it right on Wednesday.

[Fisting Ackbar]

I'm not familiar with the stage production, but Chris Columbus as a director seems as if it would reek in sentimentality.

Musicals and AIDS are also not among my favorite things in life.

Plus, I'd probably just get that silly "Everyone has AIDS" song from TEAM AMERICA playing through my head when seeing it.

[dannywalker17]

RENT is my favorite musical (tied with Les Mis), so I'm excited about this movie. I don't know exactly what to expect because it's not the easiest show to translate to film, plus it's Chris Columbus, but the trailers have got me pumped. I'll be there Wednesday.

[SpikeDurden]

I'm a certified Rent-Head. I've seen the show 8 times on Broadway, and I love it to death. I couldn't be happier that they've used the original cast, and reservations concerning Chris Colombus aside, I think it'll be a very good, if not great adapation fo the show. I've listened to the movie soundtrack many times, and it seems to do the show justice. I can't wait.

[jOvy]

I can't wait for this movie. My vagina is shaking in anticipation.

[dannywalker17]

SpikeDurden, where did you get the soundtrack? Has it already been released?


Is anyone else surprised that it's not rated R?

[Jessica3000]

Originally posted by dannywalker17


Is anyone else surprised that it's not rated R?

I too was surprised that it's not rated R.

[Kucha]

Originally posted by dannywalker17
SpikeDurden, where did you get the soundtrack? Has it already been released?




Where I live its been released for about a month now at most music/media stores.

[NightStalkerGtx]

looks like... Shit, doesnt even make me want to see it on fox 5 when it airs in about 3 years.

[Backstabba]

I wanna see it and I have no idea why....
Because I HATE MUSICALS
I HATE MUSICAL PARTS IN MOVIES
But I wanna see Rent....
.....Im as confused as Robert Downey JR. with identical bags of white powder (OOOOOOOOoooOOooOOO!!!!!!)

[chinton]

Its weird the musical is easily in my top five musicals/plays of all time yet Im having trouble actually feeling like seeing this. Weird.

[Jessica3000]

I just got back from seeing RENT and thought I'd share a few thoughts about it. Although a few things have been tweaked, I think the musical has been well adapted from stage to screen. It was great seeing the original cast, and although Rosario Dawson was a newcomer as Mimi, I thought she held her own and did an excellent job as well. Alot of small "snippets" that are sung between songs in the stage production are spoken in the film, but it didn't bother me even though I'm used to hearing the lines sung. I thought it was well balanced. The film version was also interesting because alot more imagery is given to the viewer in the scenes..unlike the stage musical which leaves alot to the imagination(which isn't a bad thing, mind you. But it was fun watching it in this form as well.) "The Tango Maurine" was a song I especially enjoyed, I loved how they did it in the film. Overall, I really enjoyed the film, as did the group of fifteen that I went with to see it. If you liked the musical, I think you'll definately enjoy this, and if you haven't seen the musical...this is your chance to catch the experience.

8.5/10

[Mystique963]

I saw Rent last week and I'm just getting around to this. My bad. I'm a huge fan of the musical and have seen it several times so I was both extremly excited about the movie and dreading it at the same time. However, Chris Columbus did it justice and I was pleasently surprised. The entire movie came together incredibly well and really got the feel of the musical across.
I thought all the performances were very strong, but the one I was blown away by was actually Rosario Dawson's. Dynamite voice that came the hell out of nowhere and a great performance as a stripper. I know that i personally can't do that with my body... damn. Tracie Thoms, who also wasn't in the original, also did a great job. Great voice and awesome performance. All the original cast did excelent and the only problem I had with the new one was the "Over the Moon" didn't have as much of energy as the ones I saw on stage, but I got over it quickly.

Overall I loved it and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys musicals. If you don't like musicals, you should probably avoid it. Other than that, great movie.

*** 1/2 out of ****

[dannywalker17]

My review (very minor spoilers)

Rent the show is my favorite musical. Larson's music is the best in any musical by leagues and bounds. And I don't say that because it's rock. My other favorites are Les Mis, Big River, The Sound of Music, and Into the Woods. But Larson's music is all connected in deep sense of grief, loss, and hope. The melodies and lyrics are powerful. When I first heard about the movie version, I was excited but nervous about Chris Columbus directing. I also questioned the choice to cast the original cast. When the trailers first came out, I wasn't sure what to think, but the second trailer looked really good and I couldn't resist the music. So I saw the film opening night with the same friends that I first saw the show with. There were obviously some changes and I had to let it sink in. After my first viewing I gave the movie a 9/10, but after seeing it a second time and thinking about how I felt about the adaptation I decided to raise it to a 10/10. My first impression was very good with the opening "Seasons of Love" as a nod to the way it's staged in the show, and the freedom film allowed to do things like Roger riding his bike as he begins "Rent" and the big finale of "Rent" with everyone singing from the fire escapes. Columbus did an incredible job with these kinds of things. Unlike Chicago he didn't confine himself to small spaces like you have to on stage. "Rent", "Tango: Maureen", "Another Day", and "Take Me or Leave Me" especially benefitted from this creativity. As many of the positive reviews have said, Columbus has streamlined the show without taking away from what it was. The film is every bit as powerful as the show as a whole. There are places where one is weaker than the other and vice versa, but the film stands out to me just as the show did. Its message is still valid today and I still connect with the characters, especially Mark. Changing some of the singing to dialogue was a good choice for a film adaptation of this show. It's one thing I thought should be done and I didn't even know it had been until I saw it. In a way it's a compromise because audiences have never accepted a film that was entirely singing. I think it would have felt like one long music video had they not done this. And the only place I really missed the singing was on "Life Support", but it works this way just fine. Columbus also did a good job directing the actors to excellent performances, even though some of them aren't used to the immediacy of film acting. There are no weaknesses here. In fact, I was extremely impressed with both Rosario Dawson and Tracie Thoms, who I knew from Wonderfalls but I didn't know she had such a strong voice. The cinematography is very good as well. The style fits Rent very well. It's definitely different from the way Phantom or Chicago was filmed, but I like it. I don't think there are too many close ups on the dance numbers and the only place they used too much longshot on a ballad (I saw those two complaints in a review) was at the beginning of "Goodbye Love" where you couldn't even tell for a minute that they were lipsyncing. Overall, to me it is an incredible adaptation and an excellent film. I would rank it as the best musical adaptation with only the original musical Moulin Rouge! ranked above it.

Rent (10/10 or A+)
Moulin Rouge (10/10 or A+)
Phantom of the Opera (9/10 or A)
Chicago (8/10)
The Sound of Music (9/10)
West Side Story (7/10)

And here's my response to anyone who says it's dated.

RENT is not just about living in late 80's New York. It's about living with disease, living with loss, living with failure and not letting these things destroy us emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. AIDS is still a major threat and even when it isn't one someday, there will forever be a lasting imprint of what the disease did to our society. Even if you don't have AIDS, anyone that's ever had to grow up can identify with Rent and kinds of problems its characters face.

"Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care? Will I wake tomorrow from this nightmare...?"

To say that Rent is just about the bohemian lifestyle in 1980's Alphabet City is to only look at it on the surface, and maybe that is why it looks dated to some.