Rent Reactions Inspire Terror

May I ask you where you live?

I completely agree with you regarding this country's complacency towards HIV and AIDS. So many believe a protease inhibitor is a cure, which is a laugh. I am from NYC (emphasis in Downtown Manhattan) so luckily I haven't heard homophobic comments but the complete opposite in the screenings i've seen. But I too am curious where you are from?

I, too, am rather upset that too many people are deriding RENT's lack of topicality. I mean just because it isn't "hip" or "edgy" to use AIDS in a movie anymore doesn't make it less relevant. They're treating the disease as if it was some sort of passe fad since everyone was talking about it 15 years ago.

well this really bothered me... at the beginning when john larson's name came up, everyone in the audience cheered, but then some idiotic teenagers who have obvioulsy never seen the show, and could care less were liike "booooo!" then laughed like they were so cool, when really, they just looked like idiots. i wanted to slap them, along with the rest of the audience, who gave them dirty looks.

people can just be so aggravating.

I would have bi*ch slapped any teenage punk that booed Jon Larson. What as*holes! And to all the reviewers that raved about the musical when it came out and now call it "dated" or "irrelevant" is f**king ridiculous. The film is set in 1989-1990, plain and simple a time we are revisiting in the film. Why was that not said about "Chicago" everyone went gaga over the "ingenious" (what a laugh) idea of dealing with the musical numbers as something occuring in Roxie's head. Which honestly should of had her in the psych ward. Unfortunately, this movie will be pushed to the side once "The Producers" hits the big screen which is soon. So I say get the message out to anyone you know and this is my opinion here, but Rent is far more of an innovative, inspirational, and important piece than the redundant stylings of the typical Musical Comedy that is "The Producers".

Well, when people start dying again, maybe people will wake up.

Close to half the gay men in lower Manhattan are HIV+

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Mimi Imfurst, don't mix up HIV+ with AIDS, they are two different beasts. Those with AIDS still die horrible deaths, and I agree wirh Jrb actor that a large amount of people are still HIV+. And don't get me started with the lack of safe sex practices ive seen in the past five years, it makes me sick.

It was in an article in NEXT magazine.

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Interesting thread title. So simpleminded people are really getting worked up over the fact that the film concerns AIDS at all? My guest and I felt the disease was discussed in the film so underwhelmingly that we sometimes forgot the characters had it (and we have both been familiar with the show for years). I think that has something to do with the presence of so many songs that have nothing to do with it. Anyway, I wonder how many people left the theater not knowing the film's plot or being able to identify the characters.

This talk here is confusing. People are still dropping like flies due to AIDS as well as ARC and others are making this whole epidemic seem like a cake walk, Not only that, But when you read the gay personals ads, it seems that most sexually active gay men would rather a bodybuilder with full blown aids than an average looking guy without - which is very strange! I have had almost 50% of my loved ones die gruesome deaths from this monster and the others live day to day taking more pills than you can shake a stick at just to live another day in a country where your blood is welcomed if spilled for oil overseas but you are denied the rights to marry the one you love in your homeland.
I remember the fact that just being gay was so IN back in 1978, It was so great to be young and gay, and then the village people sang a song, almost a phrophesy called "Ready for the 80's!" and boy did it change everything!! I can tell you exactly where I was when I first heard of "Gay Cancer" and I had to have 2 stiff drinks to even tell my friend that such a thing was IMPOSSIBLE, that a disease cannot CHOOSE to infect based on sexuality. And yes, It is sad to see people still have sex that would fully expose them to this thing, and they may get it then become just another patch on the quilt - that is, if they have anyone left who cares enough, If not, Just another number. It is a very sad thing and I thank the Gods I do not have it, But my life has been touched by many I love deeply who do have it, So we just carry on and live the best we can, But anyone who thinks that this doesn't or cannot effect them is simply ignorant. You know who has a great rising number of cases now? Retirment Communities! It's true, The Men went out and had a great time with easily bought hookers but never thought they would be bringing Aunt Granny home a little something extra. You live to be eighty something then have to die from aids? Oh well, something has to take us off this damned planet sometime I suppose. Aids is simply an awful and ugly way to have to go and it is still as much a damn shame as the first time I heard of it.

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Even though it isn't just the youth that is thinking these things, I am really getting bed up with the youth! At my showing I heard nothing negative about the AIDs or homosexuality issues, and no one walked out (in live in northern ohio). But at my college in Wasshington DC people were making jokes about AIDs and talking how they arent going to go see a movie "where fags are on screen" and that they "hope the characters with AIDs all die." I was horrified to hear such things. We are a pretty liberal campus.
In DC. supposedly, in every Metro car of about 20 people, at least 1 that lives in the city has AIDs. Dont ask me where this statistic comes from, I have heard it about 5 times now and it was even in our newspaper once for no reason. And these college students say "well if I don't have sex with anyone who lives in DC I will be fine" Wow...that is all i have to say about that...just wow