I'll begin by admitting I have never seen Rent on stage. This review will concentrate on Rent as a movie rather than as an extension of a stage show.
Rent, the movie, was a mixed bag for me. On the good side, all of the actors perform well. Rosario Dawson and the guy who played Tom Collins stood out in particular. Additionally all of the singing voices were excellent, outdoing similar Hollywood efforts like Chicago and Moulin Rouge (although not exceeding legendary vocals like Cheryl Barnes' turn in Hair). The actress playing Joanne and the actor playing Collins deserve special credit for their voices, and the actor playing Angel is a fantastic dancer, far better than what is typically seen from leads in this sort of movie.
Unfortunately, despite its good production values, there were several places where Rent failed to connect. For starters, the set design was good but a bit too glossy. Another reviewer said it looked like "Disneyland" and I'm inclined to agree; la vie bohemme in fiberglass. The sets were also dimly lit in many cases, making it difficult to see the actor's faces.
The most unforgivable aspect of Rent, sadly, is the pandering storyline. Despite the best efforts of the actors, the drama simply fails to connect. Never in this film did I feel close to the characters or sympathy for their plight. Instead they came across as whiny, self destructive, and demanding. I do not know how much of this originated from the play. The message of the movie very nearly seems to be "Honest work destroys the soul." Another criticism I have, and as far as I can tell this goes all the way back to the source material, is that the situation of these characters seems rather unbelievable and, more specifically, the musical style mostly irrelevant to them. If I had to guess what kind of music squatters in New York City would choose to represent themselves, the lyrical stylings of Rent would be far, far down the list. In this way Rent seems more to reflect external perceptions of the "bohemian life" than how real people in these situations would chose to present themselves. This may be what the author intended, but I doubt if most viewers interpret it that way.
On a final note, I have already seen some people accuse some Rent detractors of not "getting" it because of inherent homophobia, fear of AIDS and so on. As a gay man, the ex-lover of someone who is currently suffering from HIV, and someone with more than a little experience with some of the vices shown in this film, I absolve anyone feeling guilty, because Rent, the movie, does not really make a convincing argument about any of these situations. I am glad on some level that the film was "brave" enough to try, but a better follow-through would have increased my enjoyment.
My overall score: 5/10
Rent, the movie, was a mixed bag for me. On the good side, all of the actors perform well. Rosario Dawson and the guy who played Tom Collins stood out in particular. Additionally all of the singing voices were excellent, outdoing similar Hollywood efforts like Chicago and Moulin Rouge (although not exceeding legendary vocals like Cheryl Barnes' turn in Hair). The actress playing Joanne and the actor playing Collins deserve special credit for their voices, and the actor playing Angel is a fantastic dancer, far better than what is typically seen from leads in this sort of movie.
Unfortunately, despite its good production values, there were several places where Rent failed to connect. For starters, the set design was good but a bit too glossy. Another reviewer said it looked like "Disneyland" and I'm inclined to agree; la vie bohemme in fiberglass. The sets were also dimly lit in many cases, making it difficult to see the actor's faces.
The most unforgivable aspect of Rent, sadly, is the pandering storyline. Despite the best efforts of the actors, the drama simply fails to connect. Never in this film did I feel close to the characters or sympathy for their plight. Instead they came across as whiny, self destructive, and demanding. I do not know how much of this originated from the play. The message of the movie very nearly seems to be "Honest work destroys the soul." Another criticism I have, and as far as I can tell this goes all the way back to the source material, is that the situation of these characters seems rather unbelievable and, more specifically, the musical style mostly irrelevant to them. If I had to guess what kind of music squatters in New York City would choose to represent themselves, the lyrical stylings of Rent would be far, far down the list. In this way Rent seems more to reflect external perceptions of the "bohemian life" than how real people in these situations would chose to present themselves. This may be what the author intended, but I doubt if most viewers interpret it that way.
On a final note, I have already seen some people accuse some Rent detractors of not "getting" it because of inherent homophobia, fear of AIDS and so on. As a gay man, the ex-lover of someone who is currently suffering from HIV, and someone with more than a little experience with some of the vices shown in this film, I absolve anyone feeling guilty, because Rent, the movie, does not really make a convincing argument about any of these situations. I am glad on some level that the film was "brave" enough to try, but a better follow-through would have increased my enjoyment.
My overall score: 5/10