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Yes, that's right, here is a review of the fantastic musical turned movie! One thing you should definitely know about me is that I love musicals. I will definitely be doing Hairspray and Grease later on in my posts.
This movie tells the story of a group of Bohemians living in New York who struggle with love, AIDS, each other, and where they're going to be staying. Even though it's called Rent and they have a song about it, I would hardly call that the main theme in this movie. Frankly, the title is a little misleading, but I'm not the one who wrote the thing. They should have called it Seasons of Love or something because the song in the beginning pretty much encompasses what this story is about.
One thing that is very clear about this movie is that there is a lot of singing. If you're a fan of musicals, it won't be so bad, but if you're not used to musicals or not sure if musicals are your thing, you should definitely start with something lowkey like Grease in order to get you started. Even as a fan of musicals, I was like wow this is a lot of singing. It kind of reminded me of Les Miserables, which is basically a story told in songs. Even the new adaptation coming around, they're doing it all in songs.
In my usual style, I'm going to focus more or the characters than the storyline, because this film takes on more of a vignette type of storytelling. It's mostly just documenting what these people go through with the help of one of the characters and his handy film camera.
Benjamin Coffin III, played by Taye Diggs, is known as the sellout in this movie. He used to run with the gang, but then dropped them in favor of these big wigs who want to put a studio on their block. He thinks he's helping, when in reality he really isn't. I've always liked Taye Diggs, I think he is a very funny man and a great actor. Even though he plays more serious characters, I just loved him in
Mailbu's Most Wanted.
Having said this, I found his character completely useless. This film is documenting their struggles and their frustrations with each other, with life itself, and he just kind of floats in and out of scenes, never staying too long and just providing a dispproving smile. He had about one song to himself and then joined in on another, and then pretty much disappeared. I just didn't see the point of him and I really wonder why the writers of the original play felt he needed to be included. His character could easily disappear and it would have no effect on the movie whatsoever. Love Taye Diggs, but his character was useless.
Mark Cohen, played by Anthony Rapp, would perhaps be my favorite character. I'm naturally drawn to the tortured or abused characters in a movie, book, or whatever. Same goes for another character, but he'll be up next. Mark isn't abused in the same way the other characters are, but in a movie about love and acceptance, tolerance, and awareness of drugs and its impact on people, he just didn't get that chance. His girlfriend left him for a woman and that would be enough to hurt anyone. He seems okay about it, but during the Tango with said woman, Mark explains that Maureen is a sort of tornado, that just sucks you in and refuses to let you go no matter how rotten you feel.
I'm also a sucker for an adorkable guy in glasses and Mark definitely fills that niche. But I just felt like it was messed up that he never really got his stab at love. Everyone had somebody, either same sex couple, or not, and he was just sort of off to the side by himself. It was just really messed up and then he had to witness the love between Maureen and Joanne. I just thought it was really messed up and though he's not useless, I would have liked to see more in way of character development.
Roger Davis, played by Adam Pascal, was the other character I was really drawn to in this movie. His tale is a twisted one. He used to be in a band but then fell into the life of drugs and fast women and he met this really great woman who was also a junkie. They would shoot up together, they would do all kinds of things, and then she got the test saying she had AIDS. I'm sorry but I couldn't help saying to myself, "What did you expect?" I know that's really harsh and I know the battle with drugs is a really long and hard one, but I feel like junkies know what they're getting themselves into when they shoot up or snort, or smoke. So when they suddenly find that they have this life threatening disease, they act as if they're so surprised. Again, I know this is harsh, but I'm a firm believer in that people are completely responsible for their actions in things of this nature.
Anyway, she ended up dying and it really messed him up so he swore off drugs and just sort of became a homebody. I don't know if it was me or the writing, but they made it sound like he almost never went out the house and it was true for the most part but he would go out onto the roof or walk down to the rec center and it's like okay, so how exactly are you a homebody? I don't know, didn't get that part, but he was still sad to see him so tormented.
Enter Mimi, who was basically just like his old flame. She was a junkie too who lived every day as if she were about to drop dead. And though he's sworn off that life or anything to do with that life, she entices him and mystifies him. What I liked was that since he was so against it, he rebuffed her right off the bat. He knew a junkie when he saw one and he wasn't getting roped back into it, and he constantly let her know that he wasn't interested in what she considered fun. However, in the course of the movie, he slowly breaks down those walls around himself and allows her to wiggle herself inside. At the very end, there's this heartbreaking scene with the two of them singing the song I like called "I Should Tell You". I wanted to cry, but I'm not that inclined to tears, even though this film gets you close. You've been warned. =)
Mimi Marquez, played by the amazing Rosario Dawson, is said junkie as mentioned above. I think in terms of drugs, she really got into the psyche of her character. It could have easily been over played or exaggerated or something like that, but Dawson played her heart out for this role. I can't say with confidence why she's so hooked on drugs. I'm sure they mentioned it, but it's kind of like you're just supposed to accept that her life was hard and she's on these drugs.
Her character could have easily been super pathetic. She's getting wasted on these drugs, she's always out partying, until it leads to her almost death. This is a junkie not defined by drugs. Yeah she takes them but she has a heart underneath there. Something happened between her and Roger and he stole away to California and she went back to Benjamin, but she left him, got wasted, and passed out on their kitchen table with Roger holding her up. Like I said, this moment was done really well. It could have easily been too cliche and cheesy, but the director is truly gifted in this regard.
Tom Collins, played by Jesse Martin, and yes that's the guy from Law and Order! But right off the bat we learn that he has AIDS and he immediately strikes up a friendship with Angel, a fellow AIDS carrier. It may be just me, but Collins didn't come off gay to me. I'm wondering if the original writers expected the audience to automatically think that when a man has AIDS, specifically a black man, it automatically meant he was gay. To me, that was a cop out because AIDS are transmitted through sex, dirty needles, or sharing of general bodily fluids. So when he ended up kissing Angel, a transvestite, I was more than a little shocked. I support gay people, I think they're a riot and so cute together. If anything, they know how to love as opposed to opposite sex couples. May be just me, I don't know.
But all in all, I liked Collins' character. He was just this laid back sort of guy who just had this tenacity for life. It may have been because of the disease, that since he knows his days are numbered, he's appreciating life with the little time he had left. But it just seemed like his wasn't as advanced maybe, like the group they went to to talk about the disease and the impact it's having on hi life and of those he loved. What I also liked was that it didn't define him. With all the characters, they're stamp isn't what defines them. They bring their own flavors to the mix and that what I liked.
Angel Schunard, played beautifully by Wilson Heredia, gives the movie a certain flair that isn't matched anywhere. This movie isn't all dark tones and sad stories. There are lots of moments that are just happy and free and when they sing, it makes you want to sing and dance along with them. We first see Angel beating on a bucket in the beginning of the movie, and then quickly he dresses as a woman. I was a little confused but like I said, this movie just has a lot of moments were you just have to accept things as they are.
Angel is like the life of the party and everyone's best friend. You just want her in your life because she brings such a good energy to anything going on. There were some very questionable outfits she wore, like that santa coat. I don't have a problem with cross dressers, I mean to each their own, I just would like to see a cross dresser actually match. To them, they're like the best dressed on the red carpet, but some of the outfits they wear are definitely eyebrow raising. It's almost as if the more ouutrageou the outfit, the more gay they are. I don't know what it is, but for once, I would just like to see a well dressed cross dresser. A girl can dream right?
Even though Angel was uplifting and awesome and with Collins, they have a super cute song together, Angel still had AIDS and her time did come. There was a really sad moment when she was in the hospital and Collins was holding her and everyone was around her, it just tugged at the heartstrings but that's just the beauty of this movie. They balanced the light with the dark and didn't poke fun at very serious situations. So kudos to Wilson for that.
Maureen Johnson, played by Idina Menzel, (yes Elphaba from Wicked!). From right on, it's super clear that Maureen is a free spirit. She is going to do what she wants to do and no one is going to tell her different. She'll flirt with whoever, she'll put on ridiculous showcases, and she'll pout until she gets her way. She's with Joanne and a major problem in their relationship is the fact that Maureen can't stop flirting and her only defense is that she can't help it if people find her sexy.
As far as the movie goes, she's not my favorite character. It just made me wonder what Mark or Joanne saw in her and why they constantly forgive her for all the stunts she pull. As far as characters goes, she really sold it and made me have this reaction toward her character. But I just didn't like the poor me, I'm too sexy for my own good card. She was just superficial, and whiny, and it just reminded me of cliched popular girls in movies.
And finally, Joanne Jefferson, played by Tracie Thoms, who is Maureen's lover. As far as cliches go, Tracie played a well respected down to earth lawyer who just happened to like pant suits a little too much and women. Again, I just didn't see the draw of Maureen. She just seemed a little hugh sprung to Joanne's cliched manly lesbian vibe. Joanne's serious but she can fool around but Maureen takes it a step too far. Joanne's character was okay, I mean there wasn't much to it. I felt like the movie mostly revolved around Roger, Mark, Mimi, Collins, and Angel. They just seemed like the focus of the movie with the added bonus of the other characters. Joanne was just a woman in love with a bad woman.
All in all, I'm very happy with the movie. I typically don't find a musical where I like all of the songs and Rent was no different. They had their good songs, like Will I. I will (hehe) play that song out, it's not even funny. That is my jam. It's just so raw and really get to the crux of human psyche's. I'm sure there are a lot of people going through tough situations and ultimately thinking that no one cares about me, I'm living in a perpetual nightmare, and there's no way of getting out of it. But they also had their songs I didn't care too much for.
The overall themes and tones of this movie is coming from a real place and I really liked how it was shot. It could have been so easy for this movie to have a lot of quick shots, a lot of jerky camera movement, but this didn't and I'm glad for it. There are some lagging moments, this movie is nearly 3 hours long! And there were times when I'm like ughh, what am I watching? But the heartfelt moments quickly make up for it. So I give this movie at least 4/5 stars. If you haven't seen it, you really should. You won't regret it!
Labels:
Adam Pascal,
Anthony Rapp,
Jesse Martin,
movie,
Rent,
Rosario Dawson,
Taye Diggs,
Wilson Heredia
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