Lack of F-words, etc. in Rent- Page 2

[OasisBroadway]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 2:10pm

I didn't miss them at all per se. It did sound strange to me without them, but it was just because I am used to them being there. However, I do at one point remember Chris Columbus saying that he did not try to remove anything in order to get a PG13 rating, but I think he was not being entirely truthful on that one. And he may not have removed anything after the fact, but he clearly was shooting for a PG13 rating and it seems as though he acts like he wasn't.

[Marquise]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 2:12pm

^^ I agree with that. Will be seeing it tonight, but I gthered this from everything that has been written. He actually fessed up about cutting frames from a scene where Mimi is supposedly seen injecting herself. He said it was the difference between showing the needle touch the arm as opposed to it going in the arm. He snipped a few frames from that and cut out a couple of f-bombs to insure the film got that PG-13 rating.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 2:16pm

Oasis, I agree. That's what i was getting at. And frankly I thought the entire movie was safe in that sense.

[EvelynNesbit1906]

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

At least "Merry Christmas, b*tches" was funny.

Pot smoking isn't really a big deal to me on screen and in person. I don't do it and I hate the smell of it, but I don't consider the addition of it to make up for the so-called 'watering down' of other elements.

[Marquise]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 3:41pm

again, haven't seen the film but from what i'm reading on this board it seems that he did make an attempt to go places that the stage version didn't go. no one is actually seen injecting themselves with drugs or going through withdrawal and we don't actually get to see Angel die per se or Mimi do a raunchy "strip" routine at the Cat Scratch club on Broadway.

[iheartcheyenne123]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 3:45pm

go to the movie with an open mind and sit back and ENJOY! It's a FABULOUS MOVIE!

[EvelynNesbit1906]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 3:48pm

Just a harmless FYI for those who haven't seen the film yet: Mimi doesn't strip. She takes off the robe and then dances for what's a very short part of Out Tonight. The number is shot in a way that focuses on the spectacular design of the Cat Scratch Club more than any raunchiness in the performance.

[EverythingIsRENT]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 4:43pm

we DO see a needle at Aprils arm, and there is DEFINETELY withdrawl shown. This was not wayered down crap.

But wow, did Adam really use the b-word?? I guess that must have been with Marcy as Mimi? interesting...

[Marquise]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 4:51pm

hence the word "strip" in quotation marks Evelyn. and from what my friends have been reporting back to me it is a pretty raunchy dance. i'm told she stradles a pole, humps a bar and grabs her crotch. sound pretty raunchy to me. i shall see tonight, tonight, tonight..TONIGHT!
Updated On: 11/24/05 at 04:51 PM

[insomniak]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 5:20pm

If people think that cutting nudity, shooting up and two curse words makes the movie "tame and unrealistic", then I no longer care. The necessary implications are there and that's all that is needed to make the plot work. Would you rather them spend time showing porn or relationships? As for cutting April's suicide, it's not important. All we need to know is that Roger got AIDS and an addiction from his ex-girlfriend. She's not otherwise important, so why make her appear as such with a dramatic scene like slitting her wrists?

I do agree that the 'friggin sweetheart' and lack of F-bomb from the bag lady didn't work. Those two were just plain awkward, but the rest of it wasn't missed at all.

Will someone please explain why this musical is unrealistic, aside from the lack of visible raunchiness?

[Luscious]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 5:47pm

Saw it. Loved it. Critics be damned. Yeah... I would have liked for it to have been a little grittier. Always thought they should have gone for an R rating, but what the f*@k. I throughly enjoyed it! If you're a fan of the source material, ignore the critics and go have a great time!

[EvelynNesbit1906]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 6:14pm

"Will someone please explain why this musical is unrealistic, aside from the lack of visible raunchiness?"

The characters are caricatures?

(This is why people think it's unrealistic. On stage, I think it is cool to ahve the stripper addicted to drugs, the promiscuous performance artist, the nerdy filmmaker, etc.)

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 7:14pm

"I'm waiting for a post that's like "who cares about the swear words? Where's the SEX?!" "

This is also what I was getting at---
just to clarify, I LOVED the movie, even more so for cleaning it up a bit, I was only asking because it seemed that one of the big fears when Columbus was hired was that he might water it down, which I felt like he sort of did. (especially when he was saying that the movie would be even MORE raunchy than the show)

[insomniak]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 7:24pm

Yes, they are caricatures. They're all trying to become some idealistic sort of art that does not exist at all, and the consequences are inescapable. Stripping and doing drugs might be 'cool', but it does mess Mimi up. It's when they realize that they can't live these lives, that they ARE unrealistic, that the show developes some heart. Yes, you can dance on tables at the Life Cafe, but that doesn't fix the problem. I do wish the movie emphasized that point a bit more. The last half of Goodbye Love really brings the point home- you can be an "artist" or you can acknowledge the laughable flaws and instead try to be a person. After all, Roger never could write honestly about his feelings until he did away with the 'great song' goal and simply tried to be.

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 10:46pm

I am very surprised that this film made it for PG13. I think it probably cut very close to the "R" line.

I don't think anything was left out (cursing wise) that could have made the movie better. If you were watching it THAT carefully and looking for the curse words, than most likely you will find fault. However, for me, I was watching the movie as a whole and not for specific words or actions. I am not about to pay $7 to go analyze a movie when plenty of other people have done it for their job.

If it were a few years back, there would have been no way this would have been rated PG13. Honestly, I don't even know how it was PG13 this year. Nobody was fully nude but I do think some scenes were a bit overdone for the younger ones. Also, I do think that kids should be learning about AIDS but not nessasarily in that kind of way. Hesitantly, I would sort of agree that if the younger ones had a talk with a parent after the movie, it would make it better but I suspect that usually doesn't happen.

Also, I'm not sure at 13 years old they accept homosexuality. I mean, a lot of people who are older don't either but I think younger people can be immature and make fun of it and not realize the effect. I often think that they take it more as a joke.

I am happy that it was PG13 so they could make more money but on the other hand, I hope people, especially the younger ones, realize how serious it can be.

**I am not talking about ALL 13 year olds or younger as I know some are quite mature as many have proven to be here on BWW**

EDIT: Please do not attack as I am only expressing my opinion which is neither right or wrong.

Updated On: 11/24/05 at 10:46 PM

[my2cents]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 10:58pm

"BTW, in "Tango: Maureen" when Mark say "F*cking Weird" it got this big laugh out of everyone. I was like "BFD, Grow up!""

When I saw it people laughed because it was funny. ANthony delivered it great. I in no way thought people were laughing beacuse he swore! WHAT. My audience had teen girls, some teen boys college guys girls, young adults on dates!! Moms with some children (saw like 10yo). Older men and women. Maybe it was the crowd but they laughed at the joke not the word.

[alli2]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 10:59pm

honestly, the usage of the word "f*ck" is not what makes Rent what it is. the phrase, 'no day but today' does, and nowhere in those four words does it say 'f*ck.'