Backlash to the rent movie etc. — Page 2

I think it was a big mistake getting the OBC to reprise their roles. Some performances (like Adam Pascal's) translated horribly to the screen, and they all looked too old to be taken seriously as young bohemians. I think they should have gone with a fresh, young cast of unknown actors.

The other big problem was the horrible screenplay, in which recitative was taken directly from the show and turned into rhymed spoken dialogue.

The other problem - and this is the biggie - was Columbus's direction. The editing was choppy; songs just seem to come out of nowhere and then end abruptly. Much of the staging was just plain bad ("Another Day" when Roger is singing on the fire escape and then Mark, Collins, and Angel come around the corner and join the song). Cutting "Goodbye Love" was absolutley the wrong descision. "Seasons of Love" should have been cut if a better way wasn't found to integrate it into the film. There were just so many missed opportunities with this movie.

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Updated On: 5/4/08 at 02:51 PM

Wait, are we talking specifically about the Rent movie, or what?

Do you really think that there is more homosexual content in Broadway shows than in film? For one, Broadway shows have a significantly smaller repertoire than all Hollywood/indie films combined, so for that reason it's not really a fair comparison.

Secondly, when the production of Rent first opened, the internet was still not as much an instant vehicle for reviews and criticism as it is today - both by amateurs and professionals. I'm sure if it had been in 1996,I'm willing to bed you'd find just as much "backlash" against the show in blogs and regional papers as you did the recent film.

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Updated On: 5/4/08 at 03:13 PM