RENTBOY sees RENT - But Questions

So I finally saw the movie. I really liked it. I was kind of surreal to see the OBC up there singing. I've never heard anyone else besides them sing those songs, so it was kinda cool to see it. The movie flowed really well, and I liked most of the changes in the show. I didn't really care for the "engagemnt party" scene, but I think it worked. It was weird to hear most of the sung dialogue to just be spoken, but I think it worked, just took some getting use to, esp when things rhymed. I like how it ends with that show of Angle, that's pretty cool. I think Chris C. handled the picture really well. I was suprised by Rosario, I thought her and Tracie Toms were the best parts of the movie. I also loved Idina Menzel in the movie. I thought she just really played the part well. The only one I thought wasn't all that amazing was Adam. No offense to anyone, I really like his singing, and again he's the only one I've heard sing the songs, but I just didnt think some of his acting was all that up to par with the rest of the cast. I also thought that Taye Diggs was kinda shoved out of the way. I don't remember the stage show all that well (I saw it like 5 years ago), but is Benny not in the final scene? I feel like their is no resolution to the problems between him and roger and mark. Like they still hate him sort of thing. I could def. see this show getting nominated for something. Maybe a supporting actress nod for Mimi or Joanne?

Tracie is tasty!

I agree that Adam wasn't bad he was just not as good as the rest of them in my opinion. I'd say Rosario Dawson might get a Best Actress nod, but that's all I see for the show in terms of acting because I think if they had added "Halloween" and the second part of "Goodbye Love" Anthony Rapp would have been able to play a more complex side of Mark which was not as clear in the movie without those songs, and then he might have had a chance of getting a nod (In my opinion). Wilson Jermaine Heredias might get a nod for Best Supporting Actor but I'm not too sure about it.

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I agree with Emcee, as usual. Adam was way better than I expected. Knowing that he's not an actor, I was expecting less. And was happily surprised. Great work from him, I thought.

On a side note, I LOVE your avatar Emcee. And I want it.

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I could NOT stand the spoken lyrics! It was way too cheesey. I doubt people who have never seen the movie would have as bad of a reaction. Taye Diggs was too overboard with his character...I don't know what it was. I felt the show finally settled in around tango marueen and found its pace. Overall I enjoyed the movie as well.

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"I felt the show finally settled in around tango marueen and found its pace."

I DEFINITELY agree with that.

I do have to wonder what on earth they were thinking when they gave him that haircut.

They didn't. When he was screentested and things and eventually offered the part, his hair was long, and a MUCH lighter shade of blonde than what you see in the movie. Columbus decided to have him keep it. I guess if someone was in rehab for all of those months, he'd not give a damn how long his hair got.

I made my peace with the hair. I love it.

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I agree. I loved the Life Support scene. Just the way they were all together in that empty gym was just cool.

Well, I wouldn't say I thought Benny should be in the last scene, I just think that should have been some closure to his relationship between Mark and Roger. I never realized it didn't happen until i saw the movie. I just think the character of Benny can be way more complex than they make him out to be.

I didn't say Adam's acting is "Bad." Its just not up to par with the rest of the cast. And ppl in the theater agreed with me because I heard people talking about it behind me. I'm not trying to bash him, so please dont take it like that. Right now i'm in school for theater, and I'm taking a bunch of acting classes, so I tend to over-anaylize everything. I just didn't see the motivation behind some of the stuff he did or any processing. I can't really say I'm an adam "fan" because I've only heard RENT and Aida and the HAIR recording.

I didn't care for Adam's acting. His voice has grown on me over the years, but I don't believe half of what he says.

Yeah, summer, I guess I can see where that could be a character choice, but I wasn't totally convinced it was. But could you explain more when you say he's cold. He is cold to the world? Cold to his friends? I mean these are his best friends, you think he could just let loose and be himself around them. And if he suppose to be "cold" - He can't be cold through the whole movie or what's the point? He's got to change some how. I just didn't really feel all the emotion during the "your eyes" scene, and I think it might have been more of the directing than the acting. I just felt like Chris C. didn't know what do with the songs half the time. Although I like what they did in La Boheme.

Anyone who saw Adam Pascal as the Emcee in Cabaret KNOWS the guy can act. He was fine in the movie - he was playing the character and playing him well.

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Stop bashing Adam please! He did a wonderful job, he was Roger, angry at the world, sad, frusterated, and in love. Please tell me where he went wrong? I feel he played the role passionetly and argh, he's just so beautiful.

True Jesse was just, well Jesse a superb actor, he was more of the humorus character in the show. I loved him too, but Adam did very well.

Sorry if the Adam discusion was finished but i had to say something.

I am not an Adam Pascal fan, but I must say he surprised me. He was in no way the strongest thing in the movie, but he really did have some nice moments. And ultimately I bought it. I also thought he really sounded great-it's kind of crazy to me that he has been singing that way for such a long time and hasn't lost his voice yet.

My FAVORITE part of the movie was Wilson J. (I will not try to spell the names). I didn't have the privilege of seeing him on Broadway but he was just so powerful. He was so complete and compelling-though Angel had such a wonderful attitude about life, you could see the pain and fear in him, especially in those life support scenes.

Jesse L. Martin was also wonderful. Loved his performance in the funeral scene. And Rosario blew me away too-mostly because I didn't expect so much from her. But I loved her singing and thought her take on the character was also very moving-same thing as with Wilson, she put on this tough exterior but you could tell how terrified she was.

All in all the movie has it's issues, but I was very very moved. My favorite addition to the screen version was the flashback scene during "Glory" that showed Roger and April meeting, and what happened after.

I really think that if Jonathan Larson were still alive the movie would have been able to deal with some of it's issues. For many of the movie musicals that have been made recently (Phantom, Chicago, Evita) the composer has written new music for the film. If Larson were here, I think it would have solved a lot of problems if he had written some new sung dialogue to fill the new scenes in the movie. I think the whole thing would have made more of a statement if it had been sung through as originally intended. Anyone have any thoughts?