zippy's rent movie review -- SPOILERS WITHIN!

[zippyjen]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 12:44am

Ok i am not an avid poster here and i am not the greatest of writers but i hope you enjoy my review. so luckily for me my friend got two press tickets for us to see an advance screening in MA. Let's just say that while i enjoyed the movie, some parts were disappointing. First off i thought the first half was very strong. However the second half was not lacking entirely but wasn't as great. I thought the absence of halloween was a detriment to the movie. I found that mark's character was lacking in depth for the most part. I saw him as the guy to laugh at rather than the guy who sits on the sidelines. However every time they mentioned his being dumped, it was very funny. I also found that Sarah Silverman wasn't as funny as i expected her to be. Oh and what was with Adam in Santa fe? it was rather hilarious. As for some positive aspects of the film, the acting was great except for Adam. I love him to death but let's face it, he isn't the greatest of actors! I was also impressed with the cinematography.
now my friend will add her thoughts.

Hey, I'm the friend who got the free passes. I was supposed to do a review for my school's paper, but someone else already did or something...long story.
Anyway, I'm pretty much in agreement with Zippy here; though she said she was about 80% satisfied, I think I was pretty fully good. I'll do a character analysis, since she hit up the plot...
Rosario as Mimi was amazing. I haven't seen her in much, but she really impressed me, both as a singer/dancer and as an actress. Mimi was exactly as she should be-- a wonderfully vibrant blend of sexy and sweet. She definitely deserves the Oscar talk I've been hearing.
Zippy told me once that Adam, though awesome and hott and everything, is a rock star, not an actor. This holds true. He knows what he's doing, though, and there's definite chemistry. Roger really is his part, I think. But his cowboy stint on a random Sante Fe rock formation? WTF, mates? It's like a bad commercial, except it's Adam, so it's okay. I did miss his handcuff mini-dance and the plaid pants, though.
Wilson is brilliant. He plays a great girl AND guy-- I always forget between viewing just how much of both Angel has to be. And his chemistry with Jesse is so strong. "I'll Cover You" was one of the first songs from the show I loved, and their duet reminded me of why :)
Jesse...wow. He totally embodied Tom Collins, and I did love that he was high for half of the first act equivalent. I had tears in my eyes at Angel's funeral. The man has a real talent and love for this part, and it shows. Sante Fe, also, was a really sweetly wonderful fantasy-evoking sequence. Just lovely. Also, priceless line: "Merry Christmas, bitches."
Anthony, I feel, is a great actor, but not great enough for, say, Oscar talk. By losing Halloween and the Goodbye Love Mark/Roger argument, you do lose a lot of digging into Mark's psyche, although What You Own and the bits surrounding his Buzzline job fix that a bit. Like Zippy said, the dumped-for-a-woman joke is overplayed, but yet it's funny every time. Kudos to the screenwriter.
Tracie astounded me. She's too exasperated in turns, but she's GOOD otherwise. And frankly, with the way Maureen hits on anything female that moves, I'd probably be pretty exasperated, too. Unfortunately, Joanne here has little to do besides be exasperated. "Tango: Maureen" is fantastic, from the reality-based bit to the fantasy sequence.
Idina, frankly, disappointed me. I saw her in Wicked and adored her, but aside from being smolderingly sexy, she doesn't give a lot of reason as to why Joanne and Mark are/were so into her. "Over the Moon" is probably the best weirdest thing you'll ever see on a movie screen, but it works so well given the circumstances. Idina does play the part well, but I feel like the whole Maureen bit falls a little flat. "Take Me or Leave Me" is WAY passionate on both hers and Tracie's parts, but the whole gay wedding scenario totally doesn't work (Mrs. Johnson's one-liner aside). Idina jumping on a pool table, though...wow. Damn hot.
And that just leaves Taye, who really isn't in the movie much at all. Wayne Wilcox (::loves::) as Gordon got almost as much screen time, it felt like. I think if Taye hadn't been in the OBC, Benny wouldn't have ended up in "Seasons of Love" at the opening or on the posters or anything.
A few other quick observations: "Seasons of Love" works nicely at the beginning, though Zippy and I both agreed they should be singing to a full house rather than an empty theater, and we wanted the theater to be the Nederlander. But that's okay. It didn't quite work as a "draw the audience in with this leap from the stage to the screen," as Chris Columbus kept saying, but it's a good opener.
The "Rent" sequence, with an entire Alphabet City block yelling into the night and setting fire to their eviction notices, is downright amazing cinematography. That aspect of the film definitely deserves some accolades.

That is, I think, it. Good night, and we hope you all have as much fun seeing the movie as we did

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 12:47am

Gotta love The Cliff.

[iwearshoes]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 12:52am

Though i haven't seen it yet (probably the only one left on the board) i fear the cliff.

[zippyjen]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 12:54am

you should fear the cliff!

[LariTheLoud]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 1:16am

Don't fear the Cliff. It's magical. XD

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 1:17am

No, definitely don't fear it.

[thespian geek]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 1:21am

You mean The Britney Spears Cliff?

[LariTheLoud]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 1:23am

Too long a title.

It is deemed The Cliff. A MAGICAL place.