RENT SCREENPLAY- Page 6
RENT SCREENPLAY
re: RENT SCREENPLAY#125
Posted: 11/22/04 at 6:35pmI think that's one of the things that's considering a song that could be done spoken; the material is probably covered, but in spoken dialogue.
re: RENT SCREENPLAY#126
Posted: 11/22/04 at 6:47pm
"I refuse to turn this into a purely ranting thread"
i second that. columbus's is good. considering i read it first, i was (and still am) very happy with it. chbosky's is merely more appealing to the bigger rent fan, but the movie has to appeal to all audiences. i'm sure the additions to the screenplay that anthony spoke about will only make it better. we've been happy with it so far, and we know that none of the major plot was changed (ie. - people living/dying who shouldn't) i can't wait to see columbus's screenplay on the screen 
"OMG WAIT
ok so i havent finsished the whole script yet but they DONT INCLUDE HALLOWEEN!! waaaaaaaaaa I LOVE THAT SONG!!
unless they do and that was another joke and since we all know i cant take jokes online im gonna feel stupid positng this if Halloween were indeed included lol"
sally, i'm sorry we gave that away... i hate it when that happens... but i warned that there would be spoilers! we can wait until you're done reading if you'd like...
~ rebecca
re: RENT SCREENPLAY#127
Posted: 11/22/04 at 6:51pmoh god no! keep the conversations going they're awsome! It's actually good that I was told because now when I finish it, I dont freak out and think that Im missing a page lol
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
re: RENT SCREENPLAY#128
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:09pmit was good, not great....better than the original version....a lot better
re: RENT SCREENPLAY#129
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:20pm
*sits patiently waiting for NTG, my partner in (rent) crime... 
*
re: RENT SCREENPLAY#130
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:22pmI'm here...what shall we talk about now?
re: RENT SCREENPLAY#131
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:24pm
yay ur back no idea... you come up with something... i brought up the intro before... IS ANYONE ELSE HERE?? SAY AYE! haha
re: RENT SCREENPLAY#132
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:26pm
Hmmm...how about how hot Adam is going to be as Roger?
Oh, wait...we already did that one to death 
Okay, since I'm writing right now...
How 'bout we talk about Mimi's character? I've always seen her as really vulnerable and lost underneath everything...I think she uses her sex appeal to get attention and make a way for herself...I don't think she really enjoys being a whore.
re: RENT SCREENPLAY#133
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:29pm
"Hmmm...how about how hot Adam is going to be as Roger?
Oh, wait...we already did that one to death"
NOOOOOOOOOO NOT AGAIN (even though i agree )
"I don't think she really enjoys being a whore."
i think it's her way of representing her vulnerability (you stole my word). she wants to make the most of her time left... even if it means being a whore to get who/what she wants...
re: RENT SCREENPLAY#135
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:32pm
First post.
I have been a fan of Rent for years and know every word -- like many of you -- verbatim.
But this screenplay simply is not that good. I was wholly jazzed about this movie and have been reading on all of the casting updates, but man-o-man, do I pray that this screenplay is overhauled. As it stands, it's mediocre at best.
Overall, I just have to say that the script is very imbalanced. All of the songs seem to be crammed somewhere in the middle of the film, and it's insanely imbalanced toward Act I:
"Tango Maureen"
"Life Support"
"Out Tonight"
"Another Day"
"Will I?"
"Santa Fe"
"I'll Cover You"
"Over the Moon"
These all seem to come in immediate succession, whereas the songs before and after them are bogged with lengthy discussion scenes and few -- if any -- numbers. I really didn't want to see RENT go the [i]Evita[/i] route, but RENT isn't fortunate enough to traipse down the [i]Little Shop of Horrors[/i] trail, either. The script falls flatly between the two, and often left me going "Huh?".
Granted, it has some really cool ideas and tweaks for the songs. The first third or so of the film GREATLY improves the xenophobic and isolationist overtones of Roger. Adding Mark, Collins, and Angel to Mimi in "Another Day" will make for one of the best numbers as they try to pull Roger from his funk. Everything up until this number, RENT looks good (with an arguably slow intro, which I will get to later) -- it's after this that everything falls apart.
Quite frankly, RENT has no good ensemble numbers. They try to throw in dancers and mix in some other characters (the boys getting with the groove in "Today 4 U"; Angel joining Mimi in "Out Tonight"; the very "Skid Row"-esque "Rent") but you can't just add a lot of extras and make a show-stopper.
The removal of "Christmas Bells" is absolutely tragic and kills the film. The great lyricism and word-play from the "Happy New Years" and "Goodbye Love" are lost. Instead "Rent" is a conglomoration of a lot of the weaker "character-specific" songs.
It just seems that this script can't make up its mind. It wants to stick tried-and-true to the work, but falls flat because of it.
For example, why is Joanne even in this script? Joanne is a much larger role than Maureen in the production; not as glamorous, but Joanne receives quite a bit of character and stage-time throughout both acts (whereas Maureen is principally an Act II character). Yet they neutered her entire character between "Tango: Maureen" and "Take Me or Leave Me". Since they removed the more volatile nature of the Maureen/Joanne relationship, "Christmas Bells", and a lot of the staged humor for her following -- Joanne gets lost.
She's not fighting with Maureen, and remains in the company of the other characters, but doesn't participate in the "group" numbers like the "La Vie Bohemes".
Then it was as if the scripter rememebered the gal was part of their "Bohemians," so they tossed in some weak plot lines to wrap up Maureen and Joanne's sub-plot (and boy is it ever SUB). An ENGAGEMENT ceremony? And then they tip-toe into inter-racial relations by showing that "Whites are Racist" and "Folks of Color Are Just Plain Better," and the struggles of gay marriage with lines like "But same-sex marriage is illegal in this country!"? What kind of hackneyed point is RENT trying to make? Surely nothing in the scope of Puccini's "La Boheme" nor Larson's "RENT."
In fact, RENT would do better as a whole if they excised Maureen and Joanne altogether. The plot is clearly focused around Roger/Mark/Collins/Angel/Mimi, and does not want to deviate from these 5. Hell, the script says it clear as day:
Angel: "Make sure Roger finishes his song. And Mark finishes his documentary. And get Mimi off of that pipe, get her **** together. All of them. Alright? [...] Because they're good people, and half of them don't know it."
[b]Collins: "What about the other half?"
Angel: "They're just ****ed up."[/b]
I want to love this film. I do I do I do. And everything up until "Another Day" is great. But they need some serious overhaul and a lot of balance. They need "Christmas Bells" to bridge, and the "New Years" to pull Joanne, Benny, and Maureen back into the musical.
If not, cut those three altogether, focus on the AIDS struggle of Collins/Angel/Mimi/Roger, and the personal goals and insecurities of Roger and Mark. That is more than enough for conflict -- Benny isn't needed, Maureen's performance is not needed, and the script already determined that Joanne is not needed.
They have a lot of work to do. I know these won't be popular words, but I have to be honest when I say that overall, I'm not impressed.
re: PEOPLE, WHERE ARE YOU?#136
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:32pmI just posted over on the Adam thread for them to come...they should be here soon.
re: PEOPLE, WHERE ARE YOU?#137
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:35pm
ok, thx NTG. it was getting incredibly boring.
*back to reading novaya's NOVEL* jkjk, it's interesting so far.
and welcome. emcee should be around soon to make it official
re: PEOPLE, WHERE ARE YOU?#139
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:39pm
I PMed some people too...
Okay, so continuing with my Mimi topic for a minute...I've always also thought that she comes from an abusive household, and was maybe even raped by her father...I'm just curious to get other people's thoughts about character background...
Novaya, I can see where you're coming from, and I agree there are revisions to be made, but I just don't see this thing in such a dismal light. Maybe I'm just being overly optimistic.
re: PEOPLE, WHERE ARE YOU?#140
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:41pmI agree NTG, I mean she may just be a girl living on the wild side, but you can't help but wonder if she had a messed up cihld, you know the drugs, the not-so-great job..and she's only 19 is she not?
re: PEOPLE, WHERE ARE YOU?#141
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:41pmOne thing that I REALLY liked in the Chbosky screenplay was the flashbacks to Mimi's past. I thought that added a whole new dimension to her character. True, some of the stuff in the flashbacks were a little intense, but I thought they were really good. What does everyone think of those?
re: PEOPLE, WHERE ARE YOU?#142
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:42pm
novaya, i won't get into details, but i basically agree with everything you've said. i think i haven't really had the heart to say it, because as i said before, IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE! the entire plot could have been butchered until angel lived and mimi died.
i do strongly disagree with this quote, however:
"Maureen's performance is not needed"
this is simply not true. mareen's performance is the bohemian lifestyle at it's best - protesting in a (attemped) peaceful, artistic way. 'over the moon' also opens up the stage for la vie boheme, which is undebateably one of the best and most necessary songs of the show.
re: PEOPLE, WHERE ARE YOU?#143
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:43pmI *loved* the flashbacks. I *loved* everything about Chbosky's Mimi. I hope a lot of that gets kept in the acting and staging of the film. I loved how she felt so undeserving of everything...I think that's the only kind of personality that could work with Roger's, because neither one of them thinks they deserve anything, and yet they both need it so much. I love how flawed their relationship is.
re: PEOPLE, WHERE ARE YOU?#144
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:45pmChbosky's Mimi was such a tragic character, you really felt for her after her overdose (and really cheered when she was shown watching Roger's concert at the end)
re: PEOPLE, WHERE ARE YOU?#145
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:45pmI LIKE THE FLASHBACKS. ALL OF THEM. they fill in the gaps that were missing from the original and add dimension to the characters. some people might like leaving some of these in our imagination (ie. - roger and april's relationship), but i'm curious, and i'm sure after I see it i'll have a hundred other senarios for it... cause if you guys havent noticed i cant make up my mind...
re: PEOPLE, WHERE ARE YOU?#146
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:47pm
I *loved* the flashbacks.
I LIKE THE FLASHBACKS.
stalker.
mimi is definitely the most complex character in rent, and she was whittled down to be a lot simpler in columbus's, which i don't like very much...
re: PEOPLE, WHERE ARE YOU?#147
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:47pmRoger and April's relationship should be shown, IMO. I can understand the arguement that Mimi's past could be left to the imagination, making her somewhat mysterious, but Roger and April should be shown, I think
re: PEOPLE, WHERE ARE YOU?#148
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:48pm
No -- trust me; I love the Maureen and Joanne characters of RENT. Their dynamic is one of my favorite plot lines (I always enjoyed it more than Collins and Angel's seemingly forced relationship) so I'm rather peeved that the script goes to such great lengths to shove it in the back drawer.
But really, the way the script is tailored, Maureen's performance DOES drive the plot, but the character herself does not. Heck, all they'd really need is to say "My ex girlfriend Maureen is performing in opposition to bulldozing!" (of course, not in so corny a way!), perform "Over the Moon", the riot happens, and then we're back to Roger/Mark being locked out.
End of Maureen's cameo. Heh.
Quite honestly, outside of that, everything in the script with Maureen, Benny, and (especially) Joanne seems forced -- like it's desperately trying to latch to the musical. It bugged me to no end.
They're just in a tricky position making this script. They obviously don't want to start doing major transformations, but at the same time they're destroying the balance "RENT" had by cutting songs and changing too much to dialogue for those three characters. And -- quite honestly -- engagement ceremonies aren't going to fix it adequately.
-B
re: PEOPLE, WHERE ARE YOU?#149
Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:48pm
Oh, ok, timote, you just gave me a really good idea for a discussion topic...
What do you guys think is actually happening to Mimi in her "death" scene? timote just said an overdose, which I think is a valid possibility, but I've always seen it as the peak of her withdrawal...just my personal take on it. Also, do you think Angel is a drug-induced hallucination, or do you think she really does "die" and get sent back?
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