“Rent” (Columbia Pictures)
The award winning Broadway play “Rent” has been transitioned to the screen. The movie version retains almost all of the original Broadway cast and that is a good thing and a bad thing. Chris Columbus has been selected to direct and that too is a good thing and a bad thing.
“Rent” is set in New York City during 1989-1990. The characters are a motley crew of wannabe’s and almost are’s. Mark (Anthony Rapp) wants to be a filmmaker. Roger (Adam Pascal) wants to be a songwriter. Maureen (Idina Menzel) is an aspiring performance artist, and Mimi (Rosario Dawson) is a dancer at a strip club. Tom (Jesse L Martin) is a teacher, and Benny (Taye Diggs) is an eager entrepreneur. Joanne (Tracie Thoms) is an attorney and Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia) is a good-natured transvestite.
Four of the eight main characters have AIDS, and four of the eight are gay. Two of the characters with AIDS are gay and two others got the disease from sharing drug paraphernalia. Most of the characters are impoverished and are constantly living in fear of losing their apartments because they can’t pay the “rent.”
Before you go to see “Rent” you need to be aware of two things. First, it is very operatic in that the script is almost totally sung. There is very little spoken dialogue. Secondly, the storyline is very gay themed. If you are not expecting these two elements you will be in for a surprise.
The entire cast, except Dawson, originated their roles in the Broadway production of the play. This means the voices are unusually strong, but it also means there is no “star power.” You won’t see a Renee Zellwegger or a Catherine Zeta-Jones dancing and singing their way through this movie.
There also is blandness to the cast that is totally unexpected. Idina Menzel who won a Tony Award for her role in “Wicked” is not impressive in this movie at all. She has the voice but she doesn’t have the charisma and look Maureen needs to have.
The lone standout is Jesse L Martin who possesses a rich, full voice and the enthusiasm and energy to make Tom Collins the most alive person on the screen. He goes all out to entertain every moment he is on the screen.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity and scenes of drug use. In watching the film you get the idea it was “sanitized” to make sure the dreaded “R” rating was avoided.
Director Chris Columbus didn’t bring a concept to this movie that would make it more accessible and acceptable to a mass audience. Those who like musicals will be in attendance but those who don’t will find nothing to lure them in. Columbus stayed fairly true to the stage concept and that both helped and hurt his film.
One of the worst moments in the movie occurs in the “miraculous” ending. This over the top climax sends the audience out with a bitter taste in their mouths rather than excitement in their souls.
Movie musicals are a slippery slope of entertainment. “Rent” doesn’t crash and burn, but it doesn’t soar to new heights either.
I scored “Rent” an evicted 5 out of 10.
