'Rent' - A Glorious Success with Minimal Attention.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Streamlined story, visually stunning, excellent use of original cast.

Cons: Not on the big screen long enough.

The Bottom Line: 
'Rent' the film makes a stage mess understandable, and a group of people genuinely loveable.

Author's Review
Many years ago, when I first listened to the original cast recording of 'Rent', I was not terribly impressed. From a couple of listens, although I liked the voices, and a few of the songs were catchy, I really couldn't figure out which characters were singing, or what exactly was going on in the plot. Frankly, I wondered what all the hoo-haw was about.

When I heard that the film was in production, many years later, I popped the CDs into the Walkman again, and although a few of the numbers stood out a little more clearly (possibly from life experiences making them more relevant), I was still unclear as to exactly what was going on in 'the story'.

Then I went on opening weekend to see the film. I was completely blown away. I sat tearing up through the majority of the film, partially from the power of the work itself, and partially from being of an age that I can remember being a part of a creative group of Bohemian-like people in an era not so far away from December 29th, 1990, when the film takes place.

'Rent' tells the story of a group of friends in an age when it was still not only cool to be poor, creative AND intelligent, but it was also physically POSSIBLE to live a Bohemian lifestyle, without real estate developers eliminating the possibility of living affordably. A true creative class of individuals, pulling together to love and support each other with dignity and compassion. The ups and downs of interpersonal relationships, through the hardships of love, disease, personal ethics and the drive to want to be something more than a corporate drone for survival.

All of this is what the original stage production was trying to express. However, the script was muddled and messy, and the stage limited location separation and expression.

What the film has done is streamline the story into a fully comprehensive 'flow', eliminating all of the unnecessary 'fluff', and creating a believable and logical 'timeline' for the story to take place.

The producers intelligently used most of the original cast, whom, to the stage play lovers were solidly identified with the roles they originated, and to those who never saw the stage play, provided the familiar voices that were heard in the muddled original recording. Suddenly, listening to the original recording made SENSE after seeing the film.

Although the 'fluff' was cut, there were a few items that could have been left in, but the film was already longer than most MTV generations had the attention span to sit through.

After seeing and falling in love with the film, I finally saw a touring production that came to a major theater in my area. The performances were extremely weak. I didn't care about any of the characters. The staging was a mess. And frankly, even though by this time I had fallen in love with the original recording, I couldn't understand half of what they were singing.

The film pulled it all together into a understandable (both storyline AND diction), and compassionate piece of storytelling.

The direction clearly made each and every character truly loveable. Sitting in the movie theater I felt their pain and angst. I empathized with their situations. The camera drew me in to their pain, their triumphs, their joy, and their fear.

The songwriter, HIV positive, wanting to make his mark in the world with just ONE memorable song (original cast member Adam Pascal). The film maker wanting to express himself and make his mark in a manner that didn't require selling out for a dollar (original cast member Anthony Rapp). The performance artist, strong, self-confident, with an inability to commit to a personal relationship (original cast member, and star of other Broadway hits - including 'Wicked', Idina Menzel). The lawyer, in love with the Bohemian creative spirit, striving to keep the stability together for all (Tracie Thoms, most remembered for her role in the short-lived 'Wonderfalls'). The HIV positive free-thinking, 'actual realist', sticking to his beliefs, and wanting to live a peaceful life on a planet with potential (Original cast member Jesse Martin), the totally free-spirited and compassionate HIV positive drag queen (if all drag queens were this sweet and kind, I'd have a hell of a lot more respect for drag queens - played by original cast member Wilson Jermaine Herdia), with a gift for rythum, the HIV positive Heroin addict and stripper, who only wants to enjoy life, but can't escape her demons (Rosario Dawson), all trying to make it through life after their 'friend', and former room mate to several of them, turns corporate raider to please his Westport wife's daddy, and begins evictions on properties that Daddy planned to redevelop (original cast member Taye Diggs).

I knew these people in the 1980's. I loved these people. Some have died. Some succumbed to the American ideal of greed-mongering, or a complacent 'drone' lifestyle. I never knew the hard drug users, but with this exception, this group of people were my friends. I miss them. More importantly, I miss the social atmosphere that allowed them to exist.

'Rent' the film is extremely worth watching. If not from a sentimental point of view, for those of us who grew up in the 80's in a creative group of friends, then to provide an understanding of the free-spirited, creative thinking members of our society...that the US has been systematically eliminating for the past 20 years.