Angry Discord and AIDS
Rent is a Bittersweet Opera

If there's one thing that I learned from seeing Rent it's that every year has 525,600 minutes. That little refrain continues to replay in my head even after a week. Don't expect any of the other songs to have you humming or singing along, however. This isn't Rodgers and Hammerstein. Adapted from Puccini's La Boheme, Rent is more of a rock opera than a musical.

Rent
Anthony Rapp and Idina Menzel celebrate a small victory in Rent. (Columbia Pictures, 2005)

Directed by: Chris Columbus
Written by: Chris Columbus and Stephen Chbosky
Starring: Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin, Idina Menzel, Rosario Dawson, Taye Diggs, and Tracie Thoms

Rated PG-13 (for mature thematic material involving drugs and sexuality, and for some strong language)
Running time: 135 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 8 out of 10.

One of the longest running shows on Broadway, Rent is a story of artists living in New York's East Village, struggling to pay their rent while trying to succeed. Set in 1989-90, the film examines several lives trying to "measure each day in love" while coping with poverty, drug addiction, and AIDS. The film centers on two roommates, a musician named Roger (Adam Pascal) and a budding filmmaker named Mark (Anthony Rapp). They embody the stereotypical romanticized life of starving artists, not paying rent and burning old scripts and music sheets to stay warm.

Their friends, too, are down on their luck. Tom Collins (Jesse L. Martin) has been beaten in a nearby alley, but is befriended by Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia). Mark's ex-girlfriend Maureen (Idina Menzel) is staging a protest against the new state-of-the-art multimedia studio that Benny (Taye Diggs) is planning to build, and Benny entices his old roommates Mark and Roger to stop the protest in exchange for free rent. Meanwhile, Maureen's new girlfriend Joanne (Tracie Thoms) is discovering how much she and Mark have in common.

Amid all the sadness, however, there is also romance. During a power outage, Roger met the girl living below them and instantly felt a spark. Mimi (Rosario Dawson) is a drug user, however, and Roger's past issues with drugs force him to push her away. Nevertheless, there may be something else that is keeping him from her. Another budding romance blossoms between Tom and his rescuer, the transvestite Angel, both of whom are infected with AIDS. Because they are both living on borrowed time, they understand the need to share each moment together.

The music in Rent is haunting and often beautiful. The lyrics are born out of the tragedies encountered by the characters, so that even a love song like "Light My Candle" seems more like a dirge. Personally, I found the showstopper to be "La Vie Boheme," a celebration of the bohemian lifestyle that is not as dead as Benny declares. Regardless, it is "Seasons of Love" (with the "...525,600 minutes..." line) that got stuck in my head the longest.

Most of the principle cast members reprise their Broadway roles, with only Dawson and Thoms filling in for the original cast. Regardless, everyone does an excellent job. Dawson brings a believable portrayal of addiction to the story, as she fights a losing battle to overcome her habit. Thoms, likewise, does an excellent job of bringing believability to the story. Perhaps the biggest problem the cast must face is overcoming years of performance. Pascal and Rapp seem so comfortable with their roles that they don't seem fresh. Everything seems too... well... rehearsed.

Despite the PG-13 rating, some parents may want to think twice before bringing teens to the film. The use of adult language and themes prevails throughout, and there is one brief "mooning" scene. Rent isn't for everyone. The frank language and alternate lifestyles may put off conservative audiences. The darker themes of drug addiction and AIDS bring tragedy to the story, something one doesn't expect in a musical. Keep in mind, though, that this is an opera. Don't expect the peppy, good times of Oklahoma! or even Chicago.

For those who like their musicals combined with social commentary, Rent is a wonderful, deeply moving film.