Product Description: "Rent" - Set in New York City's gritty East Village the revolutionary rock opera "Rent" tells the story of a group of bohemians struggling to live and pay their rent. "Measuring their lives in love" these starving artists strive for success and acceptance while enduring the obstacles of poverty illness and the AIDS epidemic. "Rent" is based on Jonathan Larson's Pullitzer and Tony Award winning musical one of the longest running shows on Broadway. The raw and reveting musical stars Rosario Dawson Taye Diggs Wilson Jermaine Heredia Jesse L. Martin Idina Menzel Adam Pascal Anthony Rapp and Tracie Thoms and is directed by Chris Columbus.System Requirements:Run Time: 135 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSICALS/MUSICALS Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396111554 Manufacturer No: 11155
Amazon.com: Rent, the show that in 1996 gave voice to a Broadway generation, has finally become an energetic, passionate, and touching movie musical. Based loosely on Puccini's La Bohème, it focuses on the year in the life of a group of friends in New York's East Village--"bohemians" who live carefree lives of art, music, sex, and drugs. Well, carefree until Mark, an aspiring filmmaker (Anthony Rapp), and Roger, an aspiring songwriter (Adam Pascal), find out they owe a year's rent to Benny (Taye Diggs), a former friend who had promised them free residence when he married the landlord's daughter. Roger has also attracted the attention of his downstairs neighbor, Mimi (Rosario Dawson), while Mark's former girlfriend, Maureen (Idina Menzel), has found a new romance in a lawyer named Joanne (Tracie Thoms). Philosophy professor Tom (Jesse L. Martin) finds his soul mate in drag queen Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia). But because this is the late-'80s, the threat of AIDS is always present.
The remarkable thing about Rent the movie is that nearly 10 years after the show debuted on Broadway, six of the eight principals return in the roles they originated. They're a bit older than would be ideal for their characters, but they do have the advantage of having learned the show directly from creator Jonathan Larson (who died of an aortic aneurysm while the show was in previews), plus they started young--we're not exactly talking Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford here. Alongside a polished performance like Rapp's--sometimes observer-commentator, sometimes participant in two of the score's showstoppers, "The Tango Maureen" and "La Vie Boheme"--the two new additions (Thoms in place of Fredi Walker, Dawson in place of the edgier Daphne Rubin-Vega) slip comfortably into the ensemble; the pivotal Dawson makes a seductive case as Mimi when she tempts Roger in the mesmerizing "Light My Candle" or burns up the stage of the Catscratch Club in "Out Tonight." Moviegoers who have an aversion to people who break into song while walking down the street probably won't have their minds changed by Rent (even if they are singing rock songs), and the gritty subject matter and lack of big-name stars make it unlikely to cross over to general audiences the way Chicago did. But fans of musicals should find "Seasons of Love" as stirring as ever, and the show's passionate admirers--the "Rentheads"--probably couldn't have wished for a more sympathetic director than Rent fan Chris Columbus, or a more faithful representation of the show they love. --David Horiuchi
On the DVD Three powerful musical numbers cut from the final film are the highlight of the two-disc DVD. In the aftermath of the funeral scene, Anthony Rapp sings "Halloween," and he, Adam Pascal, and Rosario Dawson share "Goodbye Love" (both songs were in the stage version). Then in an alternate ending, the cast finishes "No Day But Today" on the bare stage on which the film began. There are worthwhile arguments for why these scenes were cut or replaced, so it's fortunate that the DVD lets us see these at all. Those musical numbers have optional commentary by director Chris Columbus, Rapp, and Pascal (two other cut scenes have no commentary), including one funny moment in which Rapp explains in great detail the technical challenge of shooting "Halloween" only to have Columbus say, "Yeah, but I don't know if that's the take we used." The three also provide commentary on the film itself, with Columbus discussing various decisions, criticizing the critics, and marveling "I still don't know how we got the PG-13," and Rapp and Pascal occasionally recalling differences in the stage version.
The other whopper of a feature is No Day But Today, a nearly two-hour documentary that uses video clips, still photographs, and interviews with family and friends to celebrate the short life of Jonathan Larson and his creation. Topics include his early interest in musical theater ("I want to write the Hair for the '90s."), the support of Stephen Sondheim, the impact of the AIDS epidemic, the long and difficult road of Rent (casting the show, Larson learning to collaborate, the transfer to a Broadway stage, and the Rentheads), and Larson's tragic death. The last 20 minutes covers the making of the film, director Chris Columbus, the decision to rely on most of the original cast (the only two principals who didn't appear in the movie, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Fredi Walker-Browne, are interviewed in earlier segments, but only mentioned in passing here), recording sessions, and location shooting. If the movie of Rent was a tribute to Jonathan Larson, the DVD is all that and more, a moving and incredibly detailed look at an extraordinary talent whom the world lost far too soon. --David Horiuchi
More Rent
Movie soundtrack
Original Broadway cast recording
Anthony Rapp's Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical "Rent"
AIDS awareness deserves a better musical I'm a sucker for musicals, I just love it when the characters sing their hearts out about their joys or troubles.
But I couldn't stand this musical. I didn't see the show, but from the movie, I'd have no desire to. All but two of the characters are entirely incredibly self-centered, but we're meant to pity them and their tragic plight? Did I miss something? Why do they think (as they sing in the opening number) that they should be exempt from paying rent like the rest of the world? Why does the heroine think its acceptable for her to cheat on her loving, supportive life-partner at their commitment ceremony? Some of the songs are catchy-ish, but the overall attitude of the characters grated through the whole thing. Yuck. AIDS awareness deserves a better musical.
It Stinks I've never seen the play and have never even heard of it before. I did see the preview for it and thought that the opening music was uplifting and held high hopes for this movie, at least enough to rent it.
After seeing it, I should have just stuck with my visions of it from the preview, because that was the only good part of this film.
I've seen film adaptations of musicals fall short (except for Grease) and would be willing to go to the play to see if it was any better. But, if it is even remotely like the film, I will probably feel the same way.
Takes "Rent" To The Next Level I'm one of the few musical lovers that think musicals are better on the small screen than they are on the live stage. Chris Columbus takes Rent, an already good musical, and makes a really good movie out of it that focuses on character rather than theatrics, letting the songs drive forward the plot and character development.
I'm not sure how Rent-fans, who are just as passionate as Star Wars and Buffy fans, will feel about this movie, so I won't speak for them in this review. I saw the stage version once, thought it was good enough but nothing that really captivated me, so I'll review this from the point of a movie lover. The introduction is a bit weak, but once Tom Collins (played by Jesse L. Martin, who gives the best performance in the movie) walks into Mark Cohen (Anthony Rapp) and Roger Davis's (Adam Pascal) apartment and introduces them to Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia), the plot starts rolling and never stops. The film does have weak points, such as the supposed main character Mark Cohen disappearing into the background halfway through the movie and becoming a supporting character for the rest of it as well as songs (especially the song at the diner) which last way, way too long.
Overall, it's a very well done movie that takes what Rent was and brings it to the next level. As far as musical adaptations, it's way ahead of Hairspray and will register not only with Rent fans, but also with people who like movies or musicals in general.
7/10
Viva La Vie Boheme and Rent When `Rent' first took the stage at an off-Broadway theater in 1996 the history of theater instantly changed. Jonathan Larson composed the Pulitzer Prize winning revolutionary rock opera. Rent was loosely based on Puccini's opera `La Boheme'. Rent has been on Broadway for twelve years and will be closing September 7, 2008. RENT is about eight starving artists living during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in 1989 living in the East Village in New York City. "Measuring their lives in love" the eight struggling bohemians must cope with poverty, illness, starvation, life, love and trying to pay off last year's and the current year's rent. The eight friends are Mark Cohen (Anthony Rapp), a nerdy love-struck film producer who is trying to get his big break. Rodger Davis (Adam Pascal) is a washed up songwriter with HIV whose girlfriend Amy recently died of AIDS. Mimi Marquez, the drug addicted dancer at The Catscratch Club who falls in love with Rodger. Maureen Johnson (Idina Menzel) is a bisexual outspoken performer who dumped Mark for a lawyer named Joanne Jefferson. Joanne (Tracie Thoms) is a lawyer who is sick of Maureen mooning over other men and women. Tom Collins (Jesse L. Martin) is a computer-age philosopher at NYU with AIDS who falls in love with Angel Dumott Schunard, a gay Drag Queen street performer who "provides a comfortable home for the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome" (Angel from "You Okay Honey?" song from Rent). Last but not least is Benjamin "Benny" Coffin III an old roommate of Mark, Collins, and Maureen who recently married Allison Grey of the Westport Greys and is now the landlord of Avenue A, who hopes to evict all the homeless from Alphabet City and build a cyber studio. Directed by Chris Columbus (Known for Home Alone and Harry Potter) this powerful and riveting movie moves even the hardest of hearts and leaves everyone crying and with a feeling of hope. If I could give it a million stars instead of five I would! This is one of the best movies ever created and Jonathan Larson is a GENIUS!!! The acting is amazing and the singing is phenomenal times 5,25,600! Do yourself a favor and watch RENT!
WARNING: This movie is rated PG-13 for a reason. RENT includes a mature theme involving drugs and sexuality and strong language.
wonderful movie and service!!! The movie was shipped out the same day that I ordered it!!! It came in perfect shape!!!
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