Rent

Reviewed by Jeff Jacoby
November 27, 2005

Studio: Sony Pictures Website: www.sonypictures.com/movies/rent MPAA: R Review Rating: 8.5 out of 10

“525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear”

The opening line from the opening song of Rent-the movie musical accurately depicts the mood of the movie. This movie is an effective story about relationships in an adverse world. Cast members are directly or indirectly afflicted by AIDS. Some will die from this wretched disease, but their friends must cope with that inevitability and witness their friends deteriorate during these next 525,600 minutes (year).

Over the course of the year, viewers will see friendships develop, the overcoming of hardships, and the heartfelt loss of great characters.

Tony Award winning actors Idina Menzel and Wilson Heredia lead a cast of excellent actors that successfully immerse the viewer in this fictional world with poignant dialogue and extremely memorable music.

Audience members will be greatly entertained by the many unforgettable songs, including, but by no means limited to Seasons of Love, Today 4 U, Tango: Maureen, I'll Cover You, and La Vie Boheme.

This production is based on Jonathan Larson's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway hit Rent, which in turn, is based on Puccini's classic Opera-La Boheme. Regrettably, Mr. Larson unexpectedly passed away before the opening of the Broadway production, a fact that undoubtedly adds additional emotion and to the picture.

Other than the lack of surrealistic scene transitioning, as is expected from live theatre, the movie accurately depicts the stage story. The producers do not even clean up some of the odd wording present in certain places. Yes, Taye Diggs will sing the words “poo poo it” and some metaphors will be a bit over-the-top, such as, “you'll be my queen, I'll be your moat”. The movie uses the music to convey the bulk of the story. A bit more dialogue would probably have made this production an instant hit with the masses, but I think it will still enjoy a strong following.

Memorable music, effective dialogue, and good acting makes this a must see movie at the theatre. Paying for a full price ticket is fair to experience the large screen and surround sound at a theatre, but if one happens to see it at a matinee price, well, that's just a bargain.