# Rent (the movie) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 22, 2005, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320 "2005-11-22T20:55:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/1 "2005-11-22T20:55:04Z")
A couple of disclaimers first: 1) This is a thread to discuss the new movie version of the musical _Rent_, not insult people who like it in the first place. We all know Rentheads can be annoying to people who hate the show, but if you came here just to criticize those people, please click your “Back” button right now. And 2) I am a pit musician in New York (although not for _Rent_). Therefore, theatre is my life, and this show is one of my all-time favorites. So I say all the following with love. _spoilers abound_ What a freaking disappointment. I have to wonder if Chris Columbus has ever even seen the show… Let’s take it song by song, shall we? You start the movie with “Seasons of Love”. Okay, whatever. That’s fine, I can live with that. All that beautifully written recitative (with the guitar tuning, etc.) is gone, but okay, whatever. But um, why was the cast standing in spotlights and singing to an empty theatre? I’m sorry, is this a movie, or what? If you’re going to commit, then commit already. Then the song “Rent”. Not bad, I must admit. They still had me at that point. The fire out the windows was cool. Although I don’t think the entire neighborhood needed to be singing, but I can let that go. “You’ll See”. Not sure why Benny was doing a tightrope walk on the curb, but not a bad scene. “One Song Glory”. Okay, so they show us April. Pretty cool, if you ask me. Oh but wait a minute, didn’t she die? She killed herself, you know. Hey Chris, maybe you could show us that or something. “Light My Candle” was cute, and I must say that Mimi and Joanne were my favorites, which is odd because they were the only two not in the original cast. I’m just talking about acting though. Sound-wise I think everyone sounded fantastic. Right on. But looks-wise, mmmmm… not so much. Adam’s hair made him look like Tom Hulce from _Amadeus_, and Anthony looked about 40. But acting-wise, Mimi and Joanne rocked my world. “Today 4 U”… I can’t really comment on that song because I fell asleep. Okay, not really, but you get my point. “Tango: Maureen” was another highlight. One of my favorite songs anyway, I thought this hit the mark (no pun intended). And I might add that Idina looked marvelous in that red dress. “Life Support” and “Out Tonight” were decent. By this time I was still on the fence about whether I was enjoying myself or watching a major disappointment, I must admit. “Another Day” and “Will I”… whatever. Eh. Aaaaannnddd then we hit “Santa Fe”. Um, okay, let’s get on the subway, that’s cool. Hey, it’s New York. Great, get on the subway. But why is Collins doing a freaking pole dance? And why does he have this stupid grin on his face the entire time? And it was all downhill from there… “I’ll Cover You”… give me a break. Pracically skipping, hand in hand down the sidewalks (which, by the way, the sun was shining and there was not a snowflake in sight. On Christmas. In New York.). “Over the Moon” was decent, but not as powerful on film as in person and unfortunately was sizeably cut. However, seeing the riots actually happening was a great touch, I must say. “La Vie Boheme” was probably the best scene, IMO. And why? Because it was just like the stage version. Not to say I can’t enjoy it if it’s different… it’s just that they stayed true to the story, lyrics, motives, etc., and therefore it works. Which brings up another frustration: In addition to all the cut songs and moments (all the "Tune Up"s, “On the Street”, “We’re Okay”, “Christmas Bells”, “Contact”, “Halloween”, and “Goodbye Love” are all gone, not to mention _parts_ of songs that were cut), they also downsized Benny’s part, turning him into just a plain bastard instead of a developing character who actually goes through a journey. In addition, I guess someone thought this shouldn’t all happen in one night like in the musical, which necessitated lyric changes. For example, Collins now says “Gentlemen, our benefactor on this Christmas Day, whose charity is only matched by talent, I must say”… A small change, but it bugged the hell out of me because it wasn’t necessary. Anyway, back to the songs. “Take Me or Leave Me” is where they lost me for good. Vocally brilliant. But hey Chris, I have a question: WHY THE FUCK DID YOU SET IT AT MAUREEN AND JOANNE’S _ENGAGEMENT PARTY??_ You _must_ be joking. Do you honestly think Joanne’s parents would support that? Did women even _get_ engaged in 1989 (as the disappointingly _non_-singing voiceover told us this was taking place)? “Without You” was pretty cool visually, I’ll admit. I would have liked to have seen Angel dying more. I mean, Collins is holding him on the subway, and the very next shot is the coffin. I didn’t have time to process that he was that sick (I was trying to watch it as if it were the first time I’d seen it) before he was dead, and therefore I wasn’t moved as much as I should have been. And Collins’ “I’ll Cover You (Reprise)” was not very strong either, and almost laughable as his melisma went strangely awry. “What You Own” was ridiculous. Did we really need to see Roger wearing beads around his neck and doing his Yanni impression standing on the hills of New Mexico. Oh and Chris, I have an idea. When Mark says, “Alexi, Mark. Call me a hypocrite, I need to finish my own film. I _quit_”, _have him pick up a fucking phone_. It’s the _character’s journey, moron_. You’ve got him staring out into space from a rooftop, for God’s sake. And similarly, don’t you think that when Mimi’s dying, and Roger says “Hold on, there’s something you should hear. It isn’t much, but it took all year”, that he should _pick up his freaking guitar??_ You know he’s supposed to be, like, playing that song for her as she dies, right? It’s in the script. You should read it, it’s good. All in all, I’d put this movie waaaayyy below _Chicago_, but alas not as low as _Phantom of the Opera_ as far as recent movie musicals go. I had such high hopes, too. Like I said, vocally everyone sounded great. It’s just too bad it was made 6 years too late and with the wrong director. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/2 "2005-11-22T20:58:59Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > What a freaking disappointment. I have to wonder if Chris Columbus has ever even seen the show… “Directed by Chris Columbus” is all I needed to read. Columbus is the worst director in the history of Hollywood. ---
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/3 "2005-11-22T21:44:01Z")
I’m out of the office in about an hour to catch the Symphony Space benefit, and then the 12:01 at the Zigfield. Yeah, I’m a Renthead. I’ve been waiting 10 years for this movie. It had better be decent. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/4 "2005-11-22T21:44:59Z")
It is being trashed on the theatre boards. ---
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/5 "2005-11-22T21:48:32Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > It is being trashed on the theatre boards. Yeah, I know. What I found particularly amusing was Anthony Rapp defending the movie to the 12-year olds on [BroadwayWorld](http://www.broadwayworld.com/board). ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/6 "2005-11-22T22:31:40Z")
> [@NotWithoutRage](#): > > Yeah, I know. What I found particularly amusing was Anthony Rapp defending the movie to the 12-year olds on [BroadwayWorld](http://www.broadwayworld.com/board). Rapp’s board name is “Whitespiceboy” And I think it’s a hoot. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/7 "2005-11-22T23:09:44Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Columbus is the worst director in the history of Hollywood. In a Hollywood where Joel Schumacher still gets regular work, Columbus is but a pretender. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/8 "2005-11-22T23:11:15Z")
I’ve seen Rent upwards of twenty times. It is easily in my top five shows of all time. I wish I hadn’t read this thread… but I’m afraid that this movie is going to suck, and now I’m even more afraid. Grrr. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/9 "2005-11-22T23:16:37Z")
They **cut** _Christmas Bells are Ringing_? To quote Darth Vader, “Noooooooooooooooooooo!” Do they still sing the phone conversations? I was really surprised to see in clips that _Out Tonight_ is sung in a nightclub. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/10 "2005-11-22T23:36:54Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I’ve seen Rent upwards of twenty times. It is easily in my top five shows of all time. Between this and Buffy, it’s like you’re my evil Republican twin. Tell me you’re a big fan of **Bring It On** and I’m going to start worrying… > [@](#): > > I wish I hadn’t read this thread… but I’m afraid that this movie is going to suck, and now I’m even more afraid. It’s over 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is generally a good sign, and the previews have looked very promising. I’m keeping my fingers crossed… ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/11 "2005-11-22T23:44:20Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Do they still sing the phone conversations? Nope. I’m telling you guys, _everything_ is cut. It’s crazy… I mean, the same words are spoken, but they’re not set to music. So everyone’s trying to sound casual but they’re _rhyming_, so it’s really weird. Granted they sometimes changed the lines to avoid rhyming, but how hard would it have been to sing them? Even _sigh_… even “December 24th, 9pm, Eastern Standard Time…” is… God help me… not sung, but spoken. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/12 "2005-11-23T01:02:35Z")
Having never seen the stage version, I am looking forward to seeing the film. Correct me if I am wrong, but most of the complaints so far are in comparison to the stage version - no one has said the singing is bad in the movie, or the actors are crap, or the sets were cheesy, or… …just that it wasn’t the same as the stage version and scenes and songs were cut. I always wait until a film has been out awhile before seeing it, but in case any Rent virgins went to see the movie and have never seen the stage version - let me know what YOU thought of it. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/13 "2005-11-23T01:46:09Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > In a Hollywood where Joel Schumacher still gets regular work, Columbus is but a pretender. Columbus at least has **Only the Lonely** on his resume. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/14 "2005-11-23T10:26:31Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > “Directed by Chris Columbus” is all I needed to read. Columbus is the worst director in the history of Hollywood. I enjoyed _Only the Lonely_ and the first two Potter films, but Columbus is just so Upper Middle Class WASP in his tastes and projects. I couldn’t imagine him doing a racially diverse play about inner city dwellers who include junkies, drag queens, etc.- I mean, he strikes me as very much Benny and not so much Mark. And a musical at that- I would only hire somebody with experience with musicals either in theater or movies to undertake a well funded movie of a cult stage hit. ---
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/15 "2005-11-23T13:02:37Z")
So I’ve seen it. Twice. And I liked it a whole lot. Perhaps some of my enjoyment of the film had to do with the fact that the cast, almost in its entirety, showed up at the Friends in Deed Benefit, and then some of them followed the crowd to the Zigfeld. Perhaps some of it comes from the VERY responsive audiences. There was a LOT of clapping after every number, and sometimes, to the beat. There was a lot of laughter. There was mooing. But, aside from the flaws in the movie (the “second act” isn’t held together by anything with the deletion of “Halloween” and “Goodbye Love”; “Another Day” and “What You Own” were completely misdirected), I was surprised how much was left in tact, and how evenly it flowed. I thought the performances, all around, were wonderful. The “new stuff” is pretty damn funny, and some sequences (“Without You”, “Tango: Maureen”) are nearly perfection. Will definitely be seeing it OUTSIDE of the city this weekend to see what the reaction is there. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/16 "2005-11-23T13:40:34Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > It’s over 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is generally a good sign Not anymore. Now it’s at a sucky 47%. Not a fan myself, but my two oldest daughters are, and they’re going to see it today. Of course, at 18 and 14, maybe they’re young enough to overlook the flaws everyone’s talking about, and just enjoy it for what it is. I hope so. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/17 "2005-11-23T13:48:27Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > Between this and Buffy, it’s like you’re my evil Republican twin. Tell me you’re a big fan of **Bring It On** and I’m going to start worrying… \*Follow me, or perish, sweater monkeys. \* What can I say? It had Eliza Dushku in it… ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/18 "2005-11-23T17:56:19Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > \*Follow me, or perish, sweater monkeys. \* > > What can I say? It had Eliza Dushku in it… **Bricker** , I think I love you. I’m excited to see this, but a little worried, too, being a die-hard. ElzaHub’s never seen the show, I’ve only forced him to listen to the CD millions of times, so I’m worried he’s going to hate it (he likes the music, but he’s not crazy about it, like I am). I’m also a little worried about what they cut out and put in and speak instead of sing. Hell, I’m just nervous. However, this made me laugh: [“Light My Candle” by the Santa Fe Angels (A RENT acapella tribute band)](http://video.google.com/videoplay?d...35404876&q=Rent) ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/19 "2005-11-23T18:17:01Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > \*Follow me, or perish, sweater monkeys. \* > > What can I say? It had Eliza Dushku in it… You know, you’re not a bad guy. Now report that compliment to your ass before it gets so big it develops its own website. ---
**Author:** ![chefjef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e480ec/32.png) [@chefjef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chefjef)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320/20 "2005-11-23T18:45:59Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > Not anymore. Now it’s at a sucky 47%. > > Not a fan myself, but my two oldest daughters are, and they’re going to see it today. Of course, at 18 and 14, maybe they’re young enough to overlook the flaws everyone’s talking about, and just enjoy it for what it is. I hope so. I"m so excited about it- I’m shaken by the bad reviews but cautiously optimistic. I can’t see it til next week though. :rolleyes: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-the-movie/332320.md?page=2)