All Rent Reviews (Place Here) — Page 23

I list my opinion of the troublesome parts of the film pretty clearly on page 22 - my review of the movie

I don't agree with your criticisms, but respect your passion for the stage musical.

I hadn't listened to the OBC in a couple of years and haven't seen the show since 98. Therefore, I was a bit more objective walking in then I would have been otherwise. Seeing original cast members did bring back nice memories from seeing it with them in 97.

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Updated On: 11/24/05 at 06:02 AM

Contact, GoodBye Love, Halloween, We're Okay, Alexie's Ker Ching phone message, Angel Shopping for coats(this is the stuff that made you feel for Angel) and "MOTHERF*CKING" artists (lines and integrity of scenes just lost because of one word here and there (I'm Angel..INDEED!). Who are Joanne's parents? Who payed for Angels funeral? April...thank god Roger says that she died in 'Light my candle" because we are not allowed to know that she killed herself....And I guess we are just to assume that Benny is cheating on Allison through the film. All really important stuff.....vanished, gone, along with the other two stars that would have given this movie 5 stars. Scenes were way too dark (out tonight)....Very rough cut edits in many areas(ie. Today 4 U)...too many back of head shots. I have a feeling the movie was filmed well just that many wrong angles were used from the editor. I pray that Mr. Columbus goes back into the editing room and puts RENT back together before the DVD release. ***

I saw RENT last night and like I said in an earlier post, I would have written my review then but I needed to collect my thoughts and I really wasn't in the right set of mind to sit and write a full review. But, now I got some sleep I am ready, and I fill first tell you what I thought of the film itself and then break it down to the songs. So without further adieu.

Simply put, RENT is the most beautiful, gorgeous film I have seen in a VERY long time. The cinematography was perfect and the cast blew me away. I have no clue how anyone can think Columbus "Disneyfied" the whole AIDS epidemic and the struggles of these poor bohemians. I mean, you see these homless people who like they are close to death lying in the streets; you see April take her drugs; you see cops beating on people; you see the pain and loss in these people's eyes; you see the dirt and grit of NYC, etc. How in the world is that "Disneyfied?" I told my wife about some of the reviews and she said that she couldn't see where they got their proof. I want to personally thank Chris Columbus for giving the world a film that makes us care for each and everyone of the characters, even the ones that we see but never get to know. I want to thank the cast for bringing Jonathan's vision to the big screen with passion and conviction. I want to thank Jonathan for giving us such a beautiful piece of theatre that reaches into our hearts and makes us realize what good things we have to live for and that we need to cherish those things because one day we won't have them anymore. Seriously, after watching the movie I turned to my wife and gave her a big hug because I love her so much and I don't know what I would do if she ever left me (I am starting to tear up just typing that last sentence). After the movie was over, people just stayed in their seats and you could hear a pin drop it was so silent. Then finally they started getting up wiping their tears and blowing their noses as they walked out. There were these two girls who were a few rows in front of me and one was crying so hard that the other girl was holding her and rubbing her head saying, "Shhh, it's alright" while wiping the tears off her own face. Now, what movie can you think of in recent history that affected people that much? I say damn the critics, and now believe even stronger than before that we as people need to make our own decisions instead of basing them on someone elses. I was touched so much by the movie itself but even touched more by the people I was in the theater with. God, it was a great night.

Now on to some of the songs individually.

"Seasons of Love"--Brilliantly done. People in the theater started clapping when the characters did and when it was over it got an applause from a few people.

"Rent"--PERFECTION.

"One Song Glory"--Loved the flashbacks and I am glad it didn't show the suicide, even though I wish Roger could have found a note and then step into the bathroom and scream or something.

"Light My Candle"--I liked it, but I think it could have been just a tad bit more flirty. I like how it shows Mimi being the dominant one by throwing her drugs for Roger to find.

"Today 4 U"--Mr. Heredia you had me at "doggy hell." Angel is and forever will be my favorite character from RENT and Mr. Heredia, in my opinion, captures the essensce of Angel like no one else. LOVE!!!!!

"Life Support"--Ok, here I started to have the tears and so did my wife. Beautifully done.

"Tonight"--Rosario, you are one hot mamacita and when she licked her thumb and we "Meow--HAA!!" this guy behind me went crazy. God, she is hot . . . ok Spider breath, breath.

"Tango Maureen"--One of my favorite Scenes. Anthony and Traci, you ROCK!

"Will I"--Tears came again but even harder than before

"I'll Cover You"--Could there be a cuter couple to have ever graced the big screen? Love them two.

"Over The Moon--HILLARIOUS. Everyone in the theater was laughing and cheering.

"La Vie Boheme A&B"--Ok, this was the moment I was waiting for. Those two songs are my favorite in the entire show and I didn't know what to expect. GOD I LOVED IT. My favorite part is when Anthony says, "Mucho Masterbation" and gives that face. Everyone in the theater cheered. HAHA. It was great

"Take Me or Leave Me"--I think the screen started sweating because that was pure sexual rawness exuberated by those two HOT ladies. And I love how the other cast members kept running after them.

"Without You"--Ok, folks. Here is where I completely lost it. I was not tearing up anymore . . . I was full on bawling. When Angel died, it felt like one of my family members died . . . that is how much I cried.

"I'll Cover You reprise"--Still full on bawling. I just could not stop and when everyone stood and Collins turned around and looked at them I even made a whimper because of how hard I was crying. I looked over at my wife and she had the tissue paper pused against her eyes and just going at it. Jesse, I am now a gigantic fan of yours.

"Without You"--I liked it. The aptly named "Cliff" moment wasn't that bad.

"Finale A&B"--God, I was gone again. Rosario did something that I have never seen another Mimi do. She made it realistic and I thank her so much for that. And at the end where it fades out on Angel, I was crying even harder.

As the credits say:

THANK YOU JONATHAN LARSON.

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This article from The New York Observer is provocative. I debated posting the link because I know how passionate many folks around here are about all things Rent.

But then, being secure in your own opinions should mean you are unfraid to hear other viewpoints.

http://www.observer.com/culture_observatory.asp

I saw it last night at 10:15 at the Ziegfeld and here is my review. I haven't read any of the reviews (from users or critics) because I wanted to go in with an unswayed opinion. I apologize if any of my comments have been discussed to death:

There were almost 1,000 people at the viewing I was at but it wasn't sold out. They said all of the midnight screenings have been sold out for weeks so I guess this is gonna be like a "Rocky Horror" thing. It was twenty degrees yesterday so everyone looked the part in their scarves and I had my ears, which kept everyone yelling Maureen's lines to me while we stood outside waiting to get in. Before the movie started, "Popular" came on the loud speaker and everyone was singing alone. The guy next to me said, "I can't believe everyone can sing the lyrics to this crappy show" but was singing along anyway. Lots of commercials and then the previews started. It was silence for awhile but then huge applause for "The Producers" preview. Just when everyone settled down, there was another wave of cheers for the "Brokeback Mountain" trailer.

Lights go down. Credits start rolling. Massive, massive cheering when Jonathan Larson's name came on. A smattering of applause for all of the cast members but mass chaos for Idina. There must have been some junior high kids in the audience. Everyone cheers for the opening chords of "Seasons of Love," applauds for Angel's entrance, wolf whistles at Maureen's entrance, cheers for Sarah Silverman, and claps at the end of "La Vie Boheme." And, of course, everyone moos with Maureen.

Some parts I thought worked well onscreen. I thought "La Vie Boheme" was good. They danced on the table, which is what was expected. Their joy was felt. I know there was a lot of concern about how that would work and I thought it was good. I thought "I'll Cover You" was adorably sweet. I really liked how that one worked out. "Rent" was good. The first fifteen minutes or so I was just trying to get used to the fact that there are actual sets and backgrounds. "Out Tonight" was hot. I loved "Tango: Maureen." I know some people will probably have hated it but I had no idea that Maureen was making a surprise early entrance via a dream sequence and it was pretty hot.

I would say the three biggest problems in terms of songs were "One Song Glory," "Take Me or Leave Me," and the massive disaster that was "What You Own." The reason I didn't care for "One Song Glory" is because I think the flashbacks to April were unnecessary. We learn through "Light My Candle" that Roger had a girlfriend named April who died. The problem is that, according to Larson's original text, April also commits suicide. If they're going to go into the history and give her a backstory, why not go all the way? It just stopped when she found out she had HIV. "Take Me or Leave Me" was absolutely fierce and Idina's acting was spot on. My problem was the context. I did not believe that the character of Maureen, or actually anyone living the bohemian lifestyle, would agree to committment. They are anti-responsibility. It felt useless to have a whole scene at a committment ceremony to have them break up in the same scene. It could have worked just as well anywhere else. And when Maureen jumped on the table, I expected her to do something dirty to the ice sculpture. "What You Own," as I already touched on above, was the big disaster of the film. Why it looked like an '80s rock video I will never know. While I understand that significance of Roger finding himself in Santa Fe, since the trip there and back to NYC all takes place during one song, I think it would have been better to have him just considering going. It was so rushed and the shots of him running by the mountain top in split screen actually had me laughing in the theatre. It looked like Britney Spears video where she's on a mountain...is it "Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman"?

I was impressed by a lot of the performances. It's been a long decade since these people have done these characters before. They had to overcome being a decade too old and having a decade more of experience to pull it off. What made them all originally click is that they were living the lifestyle of their characters but most of them have achieved various levels of fortune and fame since then. I thought the best one was Wilson Jermaine Heredia. I was very hesitant because his voice sounded a lot older to be on the recording but I thought, despite the fact that the nature of film meant that "Contact" had to be cut, he was absolutely intoxicating. He had such a presence and I really gravitated towards him in the group sequences. I'm impressed he can still do "Today 4 U." The next best was Idina and I'm not being biased. It's a thin line to tread. Is Maureen a good guy or is she not? She was hilarious and "Over the Moon" was Maureen's ridiculousness to perfection. Anthony was also fantastic and provided a lot of energy. Jesse was great and would be ranked higher if his age weren't so distracting. I mean, he really doesn't look the age I consider Collins to be. "I'll Cover You - Reprise" had us sobbing though. Tracie was a good foil for Idina but Joanne is usually the least interesting character to me. Benny barely has a role so I don't really have a comment on Taye. The worst performance, by leaps and bounds, was Adam Pascal's. I don't know why. Maybe he just isn't capable of being good on film. He was great onstage in "Aida" and "Cabaret" as well the original cast of "Rent" but his hair was so distracting, his brooding was so unfounded. I think they gave "One Song Glory" the April backstory to give the audience more of a rationale as to why Roger won't go outside of the apartment but it just didn't work. I didn't see him internally wrestling with his feelings about April, his own mortality, and whether or not he can watch someone die again. I love Adam but I really didn't buy him in this. Sorry Adam!

Overall, I was impressed at how well some of the parts worked on film because I was cynical. However, those three scenes forced me to lower my opinion of it. Can't wait for the DVD though. :)

Although your review was favorable I must as why you thought it was amazing that Wilson could still do Today 4 U. He is only 33. That isn't old. and he didn't look any older than when he did it originally. I think too many people are putting their real ages against them. Movie actors are always significantly older than the parts they play it just so happens that we know how old these people are and it has made people prejudice. That is just my opinion. I thought everyone was excellent and the movie was quite beautiful and I saw it with the original cast in '96 while I was still in College. I am now 31.

It is GREAT and you'll love it Marquise. Everyone is just AWSOME...i can't wait to see it again!

PS-i hate how some of the reviews are so critical and 'mean'...it was such a great film and i can understand if you don't like it but, to make fun of it..it's just wrong..b/c it's REAL. like this one for instance..

"I hated every 135 minutes of it. Heroic HIV-positive New Yorkers who do nothing and do not want to pay rent. They worship a flirty drag queen named Angel."

"Proves that lame musicals tend to make even lamer movies."

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i really got irritated by this review...that's just my opinion

"Get a job for God's sake, people, and bring back some better songs while you're out."

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The only reason why I wish they would have included "Halloween" and the end of "Goodbye Love" is because I love those songs, but I agree with Columbus's decision to take it out. I mean, me, my wife, and the people in the theater were on emotional overload as it is. With the fight and all of that it would have brought many over the edge. But, I am glad it is going to be on the DVD anyway.

Marquise--I really think you will love it. Our girl did us proud.

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The "Today 4 U" dance is extremely hard to do and Wilson did it so effortlessly in the film. It's not like on Broadway, where he was used to doing it 8 times a week. It's been nearly a decade since his body has had to do that rigorous dance it was awesome. I wasn't making a comment about Wilson's age, just the time span it's been since that kind of movement was necessary from him as a performer. I was thoroughly impressed by his composure throughout the film. He completely owns that character.

I can't believe people aren't floored by Jesse in this film. I realize everyone has their own opinion, but his portrayal of Collins was so multi-layered. He was amazingly good, and stole almost every scene he was in. That's not to say the other cast members weren't wonderful, I liked them all (Anthony, Rosario, and Tracie especially), but Jesse was unbelievable. I realize this film most likely will not come up much around award time, but if anyone is nominated, I think it has to be Jesse.