All Rent Reviews (Place Here)- Page 22

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/23/05 at 10:33pm

I take it back, slightly.

I've seen a lot worse movie musicals (Chorus Line, anyone?). I've also seen a lot better (Chicago). My problem with Rent, in a nutshell, was the jumpiness of the cuts and fades, as well as the fact that it takes itself too seriously. I know it's not a a light piece, but its just too heavy in this particular medium. Most of the humor falls flat because of the delivery. I thought that most of the performances were very contrived. The most human characters, to me, were Angel, Collins, Joanne and Mimi. I felt very disconnected from Roger, who went from main characte ron stage to supporting player. Mark was just fine, and Maureen was too over the top. I'm not calling Idina a bad actress, I just thought it could have been toned down. By their break up, I was ready to slap Maureen and say "she really loves you, can you stop?"

La Vie Boheme was the high point for me. It just went down hill into sappy-ness from there, the one other high point of act 2 being Take Me or Leave Me, and the line following it by Maureen's mother. The song was great, and really sexy.

I think it would have been more successful if it were sung through, like Evita or Moulin Rouge. It was weird hearing lines like "December 24th, 9 PM" spoken. They also shouldn't have finished song segments with jokes. If you're supposed to feel for Maureen and Joanne, why end Take Me or Leave Me with Maureen's mother saying "Gee, Mark, maybe you'll get back together now!"

I want to see Wilson and Jesse get Oscar nods, maybe even one for Rosario.

Updated On: 11/23/05 at 10:33 PM

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 11/23/05 at 10:38pm

I just got back and I have to gather my thougts and I will write a review tomorrow.

[iheartcheyenne123]

Posted: 11/23/05 at 10:42pm

WOW....RENT was SO AMAZING....i laughed, i cried, and i couldn't have enjoyed the movie more. They did a FANTASTIC job with this movie and i don't understand how some people don't like it...it was just so amazing and i loved how they made it so REAL and as normal as can be. I cried like a baby. I NEVER EVER cry....the only other movie i cried during was Old Yeller...lol (which is pretty sad..lol) I really enjoyed SOL in the beginning to start..it was good to set the mood of the movie and to really say THIS IS A MUSICAL! I was not dissapointed with this movie at all and thought it was absolutly PERFECT.

Anthony Rapp- sooooo good. I loved him...hehe..it was so funny when he raised his eyebrow and he danced so good in the TANGO MAUREEN! ahhhhh SO GOOD! i especially liked the part when Maureen's parents were like "well i guess you can back together again.." or something like that...after Maureen and Joanne sand Take Me or Leave Me. GREAT!

Rosario Dawson- Rosario did an AMAZING job as MIMI...she can ACT! Ouuuuttt tonight was great and loved her overall. FANTASTICO!

Adam Pascal-LOVED HIM!! perfect perfect perfect! Amazing voice (as we all know) and loved his acting..soo amazing.

Idina Menzel- HILARIOUS! Over the Moon was GREAT!! Loved the tv's in the background..singing 'leap of faith, leap of faith, leap of faith...' MOOOO!! SOO GREAT! haha...loved when she mooned Benny (aka her husband). i loved her in this!

Wilson Jermaine Heredia-wow....he broke my heart...i was crying SO HARD when he died...especially when 'Collins' started singing.."One Thousand Kisses" WOW that got to me BIG TIME! AMAZING WORK! so funny too!

Tracie Thomas-Her voice is OUSTANDING and did AMAZING as Joanne. Tango Maureen was the BEST!

I know most of the reviews of the cast sound pretty much the same... but they were ALL EXCELLENT and i just adored the movie. EVERYONE SEE RENT!!!!!!!


All the songs were outgrageous! loved them

[mint0621]

Posted: 11/23/05 at 10:47pm

i miss the pink fuzzy bra!

[CrAzIaBoUtReNt]

Posted: 11/23/05 at 10:49pm

Hey everybody. Just got back from the movie. One word-BEAUTIFUL.

I was really happy with the movie, and so was the FULL HOUSE that filled the theatre. It was almost sold out. The theatre was packed with all sorts of people---rentheads, teenagers, older couples, younger couples. On my way out of the theatre, I overheard people saying how emotional it was and how much they loved it and how they usually don't cry during movies, but they did anyway.

So, my response is pretty much very positive. Although their were a few flaws in the movie, such as "What You Own", the whole experience was great and the response from non-rent fans was good.

Hope everybody elses experience is/was as good as mine.

Happy Turkey Day tommorrow!!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/23/05 at 11:15pm

I just saw it. After years of waiting for a movie version of what I think is one of the best musicals of the 90's, I finally got my wish. And the main question. Was it good? Yes. Very. While flawed (I personally think it would have worked better sung through) it is a wonderful film that I hope everyone will see.
It's thrilling, mesmerizing, heartwrenching, and one of the best movie musicals in recent memory. As previously mentioned, however, that does not mean it was perfect. It wasnt. But it hurts me to say that because I enjoyed it so much.

THE CAST
-Rosario Dawson as Mimi: Easily the film's most versatile performer, Dawson is a ball of fire as Mimi, the stripper with heart. She is convincingly frightening and startling as a drug junkie and is complex and smile-inducing when she is doing her other scenes. Her voice. Lord, I thought her voice was wonderful. Gritty, real, raw, emotional. She really knew what she was conveying through her songs' undertone(s). She's exceptional.
-Adam Pascal as Roger: Hmm...I'm still on the fence with this performance. I walked out almost forgetting it, so I guess Im leaning more toward saying he wasnt as good as he could have been. Besides having a wonderful, pop-star quality voice and wonderfully good looks, his acting crumbles beneath the material and the other cast members. He just isn't up to par.
-Anthony Rapp as Mark: Mr. Rapp, if youre reading this, you were phenomenal. And I really mean that. Every line was said with such poise and purpose and meaning (same for the songs). Anthony was great, truly. Funny, touching, and quirky, his performance all came together from the second the film started until the end. Never faltering. Great, great job.
-Idina Menzel as Maureen: Okay, I love Idina. I love, love, LOOOOOVE her. I think shes wonderfully talented and totally entertaining and is it her fault OVER THE MOON is a total and utter mess? No. Not at all. She is hysterical during it but it isn't enough. It's just oddly staged and for a scene that (sorry, Mr. Larson) never really worked onstage, its hard for me to buy that it will work off. And it didnt work. But Idina did everything she could to pull it out of the gutter and she juuuust saved it from being the film's worst and most painful scene. Anyway, she is wild, viciously bold and brilliant. The best supporting performance, if you will, of the movie. She's not lost one inkling of Maureen's quirky-ness or "isms". In fact, she's enhanced them. And they're still wildly entertaining.
-Jesse L. Martin as Collins: He's good. Again, he kind of falls behind the pack with the performance-caliber aspect. He's good but at times not good enough to keep up with everyone else. His I'LL COVER YOU REPRISE however, had the entire audience passing tissues to one another. It was moving and brilliant. And for that, I have to say he's wonderful. Just that one scene made him stand out.
-Wilson Jermaine Heredia as Angel: From winning the Tony to this. He has come very far and like Idina, his "Angel" has brightened and become more fun, meaningful, and memorable than ever. He is just as good as he was (if not better) than when he originated the role on Broadway. A wonderful job here.
-Tracie Thoms as Joanne: Ahhh! This girl is incredible. Her vocal abilities are astounding. She is guaranteed to garner a HUGE fan base after this movie really catches on. She's poignant, hysterical, and just...there are no more adjectives to describe her. Haha. She's a total and utter delight.
-Taye Diggs as Benny: While his part faded away with the cutting of some of his most essential material from the show (ie: HAPPY NEW YEAR), he still manages to be excellent. He has a splendid voice and he's a gifted actor and when he was on the screen, he became Benny. Too bad he basically dissapeared halfway through.

Anyway, I'm not the best judge of films and different aspects of them, but the acting here is all first rate...even the worst performances are wonderful. The cinematography is brilliant and gritty. The script ranges from being cheezy and really awful to being heartfelt and memorable. It's a flawed, uneven screenplay that should have been revised a few times over. The direction is pretty good. While not Columbus' best work (those are the first two Harry Potters), this is not near his worst. It's good but a bit of a dissapointment coming from Columbus who is a wonderfully original director. The songs are still as fresh and crisp and poignant today as they were when it first opened on Broadway. Jonathan Larson created the best rock score for Broadway ever if you ask me.

All in all, flaws taken into consideration, this movie is most definitely worth your $10 some dollars. It's furocious, raw, beautiful and it speaks to the audience on so many levels. It just barely makes my list of the years best. (Remember I havent seen many movies this year)
***1/2 stars
A-

SIDENOTE: The theater was PACKED. I mean JAM PACKED. And if this theater was packed (the most random place on earth where I would imagine no one has any idea what Rent is), we have what may be a big sleeper hit. Anyway, I can't deal with the people who see these movies. Like I said, I havent seen many films this year but mainly not because of the outrageous prices but because of how rude the audiences are. They laughed when Angel and Collins kissed and giggled and screamed EWWWWW. I gave it to them. I told them to "f*cking grow up" as well as a few...other things. I mean one of the main messages Rent puts out there is tolerance. Tolerating differences. Hmph...now only if the other audience members understood that.

[Amneris]

Posted: 11/23/05 at 11:21pm

It was so strange being IN THE SAME THEATRE as Anthony Rapp and Tracy Thoms.. AMAZING.. I can not wait to go see it again. I think JL would be pleased.

[loudasthehelliwant]

Posted: 11/23/05 at 11:24pm

I just saw it and I loved it.

I could nitpick about stupid little things (the only thing I really hated was Roger walking in the desert, and I did miss at least the Mark/Roger fight in GL, although it didn't bother me THAT much), but I won't.

It really got me emotionally invested. It really made me feel excited during the jubilant parts, and I cried more than I do in movies, much more than I expected to. It was so thoroughly entertaining and satisfying that... all those stupid little things don't matter to me. It's flawed... but wonderful!

Anyway, that's my two cents.

[Huey's Pop]

Posted: 11/23/05 at 11:26pm

I just saw it. And I loved it.

[Nanette Himmelfarb]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 12:14am

I have never cried like that in front of so many people. I really loved this movie. I danced, I laughed, I (obviously) cried, and was speachless at the conclusion of the movie. It was magical. For discussions sake, here were some things I was "iffy" about-

-the roger in the desert. A little cliche...but we all know that.
-I thought the character of Benny was underused. The old roomate connection wasnt clear, and the benny/mimi relationship wasnt clear to those I went with who had not seen the show. They thought it came out of nowhere.
-Marks character developement. Mark is a very special character for me, and I love seeing his many dimensions in the show. At first he is just the funny sidekick, but then as things begin to unfold, we see marks other sides, such as his need to connect and be part of something, but his inability to do so. By cutting the fight in GL and 'halloween,' the multi-dimensional mark was not there, and it was harder to see him as something other that a little comedic relief. However, Anthony Rapp IS mark, and through the way he embodies the character, I know that character will get the recognition it deserves.

Besides Anthony's enthralling roll, I thought rosario was nothing short of amazing. She was everything I envisioned mimi being.
Adams face during angels funeral and your eyes honestly made me cry harder. His expressions were so telling. He really showed some of the interal conflicts roger expierences (that scene where he enters the life support meeting and mark puts the camera down- WOW!!!)
Tracie and her voicebox stole many a scene- but much like benny, her character could have been further explored.
Maureen- funny, wild, and classic. that will never change.
Wilson did a beautiful job with angel- that hospital scene. whew.
I WANTED TO JUMP ON THE STAGE AND HUG TOM COLLINS. that smile was insaneeee. I lovedd loveddd loveddd the way that character was portrayed in this movie. he was much more of a driving force than i thought him to be in the play, and i absolutly loved it.

while there were some flaws,and many were caused by the time restraints, they didnt take away from the full expierence i had in that theater. I must admit, I went in a little nervous, thinking that nothing can come close to the stage performance, and nothing will take place of that. but this was as close as it gets, kids!

Sammy

[musicnmath]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 1:20am

Wow...Rotten Tomatoes at 51% with 101 reviews. That is amazingly evenly split. Just as some had predicted...

[ajayspak2]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 1:21am

Anthony (and everyone else), I write this review being a person that saw you and the OBC at least 34 times, so my viewpoint may be skewed cos I saw the show so many times.

Okay here goes. First I have to say that I liked the movie alot. Here are my opinions of things that I found troublesome. Opening with Seasons of Love on the stage was nice but again started a film that is desperately trying to make the cross over from stage to screen with the actors all on a stage. And then after that, starting "Rent" with Anthony riding his bicycle down the street was really a poor choice. It was imperative to establish the characters of Mark and Roger as roommates and best friends before the song even begins. It was jarring to see him come into the apartment after the song had already begun. Its kinda like who are these two? It would have been much better in my opinion to start with the two in the loft together as they do in the play and it would have been really powerful to start "Rent" after the "power blows". I can still here the "2,3,4" of the band at the Nederlander right before busting out into "Rent".

Another huge problem that is shown right in the beginning is the first exchange with Benny, Roger and Mark on the street. They didn't sing, they spoke, and what they spoke was directly out of the libretto. Hence, it was rhyming dialogue, which Anthony you promised there wouldn't be any rhyming dialogue. It was really distracting. And honestly I understand wanting to stay true to the original libretto but if you aren't going to sing the lines then why should they be spoken exactly as written in the libretto. Other dialogue should have been written for these moments. The same goes for the spoken "You Okay Honey". And again in lieu of singing "Happy New Year" we hear random lines from the libretto like "I'm giving up my vices, I'm going back to school". Which to someone that is used to hearing that sung sounds very strange spoken.

Also, the movie never says that Roger finds April with her wrists slit with the note saying "We've got AIDS" which is a real motivating factor acting wise for the character to be the angry young man he becomes in the play. Not only does he lose the love of his life to suicide but in the same moment he finds out that he is HIV+. A very important backstory that is glossed over with Roger comforting April when she gets an AIDS test result stating she is positive. Which leads me to Roger. Back in the days of 1996-1997 we used to call Adam Pascal the "angry" Roger that we loved and Norbert Leo Butz as the "sweeter more gentle" Roger who we also loved for different reasons. The Roger character without the motivation of the true devastation he faces in the play is not apparent in the film. I mean in the film he is almost a mix of these two Rogers which leaves us with kind of a bland character. I mean in the film he even goes to "Life Support" which would have been unheard of from the "angry" original Adam Pascal Roger.

Another huge problem I had was cutting the second half of "Goodbye Love" and the entire song "Halloween". Halloween allows us to get into the Mark character's mind which I think is really important and not "redundant" as I have heard why it was cut. And the Roger and Mark fight in the second half of "Goodbye Love" that is cut is the impetus of the very next song "What You Own" when they reunite. Not to mention, when Mimi coming out to say "Goodbye Love" to Roger which was cut is what Roger writes about in his song, "Your Eyes".

Okay, also, when Mimi is joined by Mark, Collins and Angel during "Another Day" on the street. She hugs and acts like she knows Collins and especially Angel. When did Mimi and Angel actually meet in this film? In the play she is introduced to Mark in the song "Christmas Bells" which was cut and I can understand why. But in the film about "8 Friends" as it is advertised, we don't see how the interconnections form for some of the characters, it is just assumed the audience won't question it.

Also, I don't know if this was only in the screening I saw but there are songs that for some reason the music doesn't fit the lyrics as they do in the Motion Picture Soundtrack. "Rent" is one of them, it sounded like the lyrics being sung were out of sync with the music. It could have been some AC3 Dolby Digital problem with the theatre but I have heard the same criticism in reviews and by friends of mine.

On a positive note, the acting in this film was superb. Special props to Rosario, Anthony and Wilson. The only problem I had with Adam was his character as I stated above was not as clear. I loved "Glory" and "Light My Candle" the chemistry between Adam and Rosario is fantastic and it is in these moments that the character of Roger shines. "Tango: Maureen" blew me away!!! I loved every moment of it. Another incredible moment by Anthony and newcomer Traci. Of course Wilson did a phenomenal job in "Today 4 U" and "La Vie Boheme" reminded me of when the cast in the stage production was on fire and really had this incredible energy that just enveloped the entire theatre. The montage sequence shown during "Without You" was wonderful and really conveyed to the audience the loss that was occuring in these characters' lives at that point in time. I thought Stephen Goldblatt's cinematography was beatiful. He really captured the feel of Alphabet City in the late 80's and early 90's.

A question for Anthony - Were "Over The Moon" and "Take Me or Leave Me" re-recorded? They sounded different to me in the film than they do on the motion picture soundtrack which made me very happy cos "Over The Moon" really was hysterical and Traci and Idina really belt out a strong visceral "Take Me or Leave Me" in the film. I loved both of those scenes very much. Closing the film with a shot of Angel brought tears to my eyes which in my opinion was an awesome way to end the film.

Anthony - Also why was "La Vie Boheme" shot in Vazac's Horeshoe Bar aka "7B's" instead of the real "Life Cafe" which is only three blocks north of "7B's"?

A Post Script here: The Angel-Collins relationship WAS NOT WATERED DOWN, come on, give me a break, they get to be together in "You Okay Honey", "Today 4 U", "Santa Fe" and "I'll Cover You", while Maureen and Joanne are really only the focus of "Take Me or Leave Me". So I completely disagree with those that are ranting about the Homophobic Straight Man's "power" over this work of art.

Well there's my rant, sorry for it being so long, but I just had to get all of this off my chest. Thanks to broadwayworld.com to allow us to do so.

cheers
Ajay

All in all this was a great movie. Sorry that I had my nitpicking at certain points but like I prefaced I saw the OBC too many times to ignore the points I made.

Updated On: 12/2/05 at 01:21 AM

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 1:32am

Well Ajay one thing I can respond to after my second viewing tonight...

Re: Angel and Mimi, during or right after "Rent," they wave at each other, indicating they were friends before meeting Roger, Collins, etc. It doesn't describe how or when, but it does make them embracing have more sense.

Then again, maybe they met at life support? Collins never went and Mimi seemed to know about it already.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 1:35am

It's established that they know each other at the end of "Rent."

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 2:18am

I feel like I'm the only one who LOVED Idina...I thought she was incredibly natural and had me laughing so hard at all her very subtle Maureenisms and quirks.

I ADORED the film, I really hope that the positive reviews end up out weighing the negatives...if not, I still hope we tear em up at the box office!

[Radioactiveduck]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 2:20am

BEST movie I have EVER seen!

I knew the whole plot, from seeing the stage show, and I was crying so hard when Angel died.

Idina's "Over The Moon" was beautiful.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 2:39am

AMAZING...not sure what else there is to say...

I hope I never for a moment doubted Rosario...cuz she rocked...that was one HOT performance (love her now!).

and this movie only reaffirmed HOW much I love Anthony Rapp...so halarious...I totally have a thing for Mark...ahah

-Steph

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 3:01am

I LOVED Rent. I thought Columbus and company did a fantastic job. The cast was OUTSTANDING. I was surprised that despite loving moments that were cut/changed, I didn't miss anything. I thought the film worked so well on its own. And, there were even moments that were incredibly more powerful for me in the film than from the stage version---namely, the Life Support meetings.

[Marquise]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 3:06am

I haven't seen the movie yet. I'm so glad everyone is loving Rosario in it. Iknew "my girl" wouldn't let me down. I'm so proud of her!

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 3:09am

She's great. And so is Ms. Thoms. They fit right in.

The final shot of the film before the credits made me cry. I really felt like Columbus put his heart into this.

[Marquise]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 3:25am

I have ALOT of catching up to do. I've been reading some reviews 'here' and 'there' and I have to say the film is getting a very mixed reception. I'm kind of taken aback. The majority of the fans are loving it but alot of the major reviewers from what I've managed to read are most definitely mixed. Some are downright brutal. It makes me wonder if everyone was watching the same film.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 3:27am

I think those who don't like it break into 3 easy categories:

1. too married to the stage version

2. hate musicals

3. hate Rent to begin with

Sure, there could be people who just didn't like the execution (directing, performances, etc.), but I doubt that is the case most of the time.

[ajayspak2]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 3:47am

Don't know about point number 1 - Most rentheads that have loved the stage version seem to really like this movie - they just notice the flaws in the translation to the screen, doesn't mean they don't love the movie

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 3:50am

No, I know of some who HATE the changes. At least until they see it a second time.

[ajayspak2]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 5:46am

some will always hate change, doesn't mean all do - personally the film was great but it DID have flaws that i can't ignore, regardless of the stage production