Being something of a Broadway geek, I was fully prepared to criticize the film version of "Rent" in any way I possibly could. I was ready to rip it apart, frame by frame, and let everyone know that it trashed a Pulitzer-winning musical. What I was completely unprepared for, however, was that I'd have no need to do so. "Rent" succeeds on almost every level.
The plot follows a year in the life of eight bohemian friends in late '80s New York City, and the various ways in which the year changes them. Some find--and lose--soulmates; others discover the capacity to live life more fully, while they still can.
I was particularly incensed with the casting of Rosario Dawson as the fragile stripper Mimi, but I was blown away by her explosive performance; she exhibits a go-for-broke streak in the role that surpassed my expectations by a mile. The other notable standout performances were Wilson Jermaine Heredia, playing the HIV-positive drag queen Angel, and Jesse L. Martin as Angel's lover, Tom Collins. The two displayed a delicate, flirty chemistry that worked well for their duet "I'll Cover You"; later, at Angel's funeral, Martin imbues Collins with a palpable, heart-wrenching grief as he reprises the song alone.
Director Chris Columbus wisely cut out most of the play's through-sung dialogue; its inherent theatricality can be difficult to sell even on a stage, but in a film it can be disastrous. Mimi and Roger (Adam Pascal) have a sung-dialogue duet on "Light the Candle", and it is, in fact, the film's low point--I even remember thinking, "God, I hope the rest of the film doesn't suck this badly." Other than some minor anachronisms--the film is set in 1989, yet Angel sings about "Thelma and Louise", which didn't come out until 1991--the film is superlative. I encourage everyone to see it.
The plot follows a year in the life of eight bohemian friends in late '80s New York City, and the various ways in which the year changes them. Some find--and lose--soulmates; others discover the capacity to live life more fully, while they still can.
I was particularly incensed with the casting of Rosario Dawson as the fragile stripper Mimi, but I was blown away by her explosive performance; she exhibits a go-for-broke streak in the role that surpassed my expectations by a mile. The other notable standout performances were Wilson Jermaine Heredia, playing the HIV-positive drag queen Angel, and Jesse L. Martin as Angel's lover, Tom Collins. The two displayed a delicate, flirty chemistry that worked well for their duet "I'll Cover You"; later, at Angel's funeral, Martin imbues Collins with a palpable, heart-wrenching grief as he reprises the song alone.
Director Chris Columbus wisely cut out most of the play's through-sung dialogue; its inherent theatricality can be difficult to sell even on a stage, but in a film it can be disastrous. Mimi and Roger (Adam Pascal) have a sung-dialogue duet on "Light the Candle", and it is, in fact, the film's low point--I even remember thinking, "God, I hope the rest of the film doesn't suck this badly." Other than some minor anachronisms--the film is set in 1989, yet Angel sings about "Thelma and Louise", which didn't come out until 1991--the film is superlative. I encourage everyone to see it.