Which is Better? RENT the movie or the musical?

I won't see the movie until tomorrow night, but I can say without reservation that there's no way it will affect me in the way the stage show did. I'm sure I'll enjoy the film immensely, but the raw power of the live show just can't be duplicated.

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I don't know. The movie is pretty damn beautiful.

... I honestly can't decide. They both have their pros and cons. To tell you the truth, though, I felt a hell of a lot more for the characters in the movie than I ever did at the stage show. That could be the fault of the actors I saw, however...

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A lot of people think the OBC recording should've sounded better.

But it is silly to create this opinion if you haven't seen both.

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Updated On: 11/22/05 at 11:37 AM

there's nothing better than live theater. However, I really, really loved seeing the emotions and specefic environments, drug use, hospital/funeral scenes, etc. Everything is so vivid.

I think the fact that people are 'on the fence' with this debate shows how much this movie has succeeded in capturing the show's spirit.

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I truly don't believe they can be compared.

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You're comparing apples and oranges here. They are each their own animals. But I'm so in love with the movie, and when I think about the cast I recently saw on Broadway...I almost want to scream "MOVIE". But there are just things you can do on stage that you can't do on screen, and vice versa.

The movie works way better than the current production
of the musical, in my opinion.

Not to say that I think that either are good.

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"You're comparing apples and oranges here. "

You really are. Both are amazing in their own ways. I really want to say the movie because I felt a huge connection to the characters (since it was mostly the original cast and we have been hearing/seeing so much of them, and been able to learn more about them) but I am not going to because I never saw it on stage with the original broadway cast.

ARRGH!

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Updated On: 11/22/05 at 09:06 PM

"You're comparing apples and oranges here."

Yup. Agreed on the fact that film and stage media are presented differently. But I am still curious about everyone's thoughts. They are both different in rays of the spectrum. I hate to say it but apples and oranges could be compared. It's very possible to love both the broadway and film production.

Let's say for once, we are comparing 'Golden Delicious Apples' to 'Fiji Apples.' To simplify the question, if you had to pick the better Rent version of your preference (and just one), to take the family or friends to enjoy, which one would it be?

Now I'm asking myself this question and finding it hard to decide. Which is better? Rent the musical in the entirety? Or were you asking about the delivery of the material and how it was presented on stage compared to the film?

I've seen/heard most of them from all different variety of actors and performances. Even though the OBC recording had the raw and passionate energy within, it sounds antiquated compared to the fresh pop-rock recording of the movie soundtrack. On stage, there were scenes that were part of the in-depth character development. Some of these scenes were excluded from the film. Such as We're okay, Halloween, the last part of Goodbye Love. For those who haven't attended any of the stage performances but seen the movie, they would find something like 'easter eggs surprises' such as the Tune-ups, Voice Mails, New Years A&B, X-mas Bells and Contact.
And we all know what film medium can do. I won't go down that road. But I'll briefly mention them: The flashbacks - Glory. The live scenes - What You Own. And as always the special effects - from the snow falling, I Should Tell You to the firery opening of burning script falling - Rent.

I like both the stage and film version. I get the similar heart-felt messages from both shows to the point that I don't see any difference between the stage and film version (with or without the deleted scenes). To me, RENT is RENT. Whether it's presented in a version of a book, puppetry, animation or just dialogue, it will always be the brilliant creation of Johnathan Larson. As long as the plot remains similar and not dramatically altered out of its original nature. I will always love the stage production and the complexity of it, however my better choice would be the film version. It's simple and I get a more realistic feel of the show.

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Updated On: 11/23/05 at 12:29 AM

I really didnt understand the stage version the first time I saw it(I saw the tour) then this past summer I saw it on Broadway and I liked it a whole lot better on Broadway, and I understood it better. The movie was much easier to follow though, in my opinion. I love both of them. I really dont know which one I like better

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