why is the RENT movie set in 89?

Because that's what the powers that be decided. After much thought, for many reasons. I mean, can't we just be at peace with their decisions by now? It's been over a month since the movie hit the screens, and MANY months since people started hearing about the choices.

Yes. Thelma and Louise being in the lyrics creates an anachronism. Oh. Well.

How is 11 years away from the end of a MILLENNIUM not almost there? The first part of Angels in America is titled "Millennium Approaches," and it's set around 1985. A THOUSAND years. 11 is not a hell of a lot in terms of a thousand. That's sure as hell the end if you ask me.

I'm sorry, but I'm just so irritated by the fact that this movie has now come and gone, and people still can't just handle the fact that decisions were made and that's the way they are. Can't we just accept them yet?

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Updated On: 1/2/06 at 03:20 PM

Your title should be:

"why was the RENT movie made?"

That would be more appropriate.

I truthfully think that ANY choice they could've made WHATSOEVER would've generated controversy. If the movie had been nothing but a cinematic release of Lincoln Center's video of the OBC, people would've had what to say about THAT, too.

No, it's not dead, and it will remain, but this has just been discussed. to. death. At this point, I'm just like... it's imperfect, deal with it. The why's don't matter anymore, because that's the way it is. For all eternity.

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No one has answered Eatlasagna's very legitimate question. Saying they did it "after much thought, for many reasons" doesn't tell me anything.

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Updated On: 1/2/06 at 03:41 PM

Basically, the AIDs epidemic was more profound in 1989 and Columbus felt setting the movie at that time would be more appropriate for the story. It worked and didn't work.

I wish they had just chosen not to set it in a specific year, just "in the 90's"

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geez.... some people... i was just wondering why it was set in 89... damn... i didn't even make a comment about the movie itself and if i did or didn't like it (i did actually)... can some people accept the fact that people like me just want to know??? damn again... or that some people (regardless of the movie) will always be bugged by these types of things??? it doesn't make or break a movie for me... it's just one of those "why didn't the creative team catch that" mistakes that we so often see in movies...

and FYI... the song to me is about the END of the millennium... which to me is NOT 89... but if you're APPROACHIN the millnium... than 89 would make sense...

Well, clearly Mr. Larson thought that his time frame was near enough to the end. Who knows? Maybe if he were around to make the movie, he would've dictated that it should have been set in 1992.

Surely the creative team *did* catch it, but had to make the best choice they could given the problems. It wasn't going to be perfect, no matter what. Why? Because. I guess they decided that the Thelma and Louise thing would just have to slide, for the sake of the big picture.

Like I said, I'm fairly sure this is addressed by the cast/creative powers themselves on the Rent blog. Unless one of us is an actor or otherwise made this movie, you're looking in the wrong place if you want specific answers.

We could sit here and study the timeline for the availability of AZT, and how likely it would be that people like Mimi and Roger could get it in 1989, or we could try to find out when the East Village would most likely be as it should be in Rent, but the fact of the matter remains that if one fits, another is going to contradict.

I'm sure they didn't just pull 1989 out of a hat.

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Updated On: 1/2/06 at 03:57 PM

I tend to think that the movie exists in it's own universe. In the world in which Mark, Roger, et all are existing the film THELMA AND LOUSISE had come out before 1989.
(That is honestly how I deal with this type of junk that is meaningless to the overall story.)

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Who. Cares.

This is not remotely important. You will never be happy if you say you won't be. It's just a movie. It's not even a bad one. In every detail of your life, there will be discrepancies.

I like penguin's thought, too. i also think that since the music is overwhelmingly 80's, it makes sense to have it set in the 80's. Since the show never pinpoints a year, i always assumed it was the 80's, anachronisms notwithstanding.

A millenium is 100 yrs not 1,000.

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