RENT.

(This is for Tony.)

I just watched the film version of RENT. Um... If you saw the play and really liked it go ahead and watch the movie. If the concept or even the mention of the title makes you a little uncomfortable, for whatever reason, maybe you should just skip this one. I saw the play back in '99 and was simply blown away. At 17 years old the themes were so bold and inspiring, and the sheer emotion that came poring off the stage was magic to watch. I mean, the performances were unbelievable and to hear Larson's songs live and with such undeniable conviction was truly amazing. It remains, for me, a fantastic piece of theatre.

That was the play. The movie, as much as it breaks my heart, is not quite as fantastic. The cast of this film is, without a doubt, its saving grace-- thank god most of the originals returned and brought their heart and talent with them. The performances (the cafe and the support group scenes in particular) still gave me chills. Unfortunately, just about everything else falls a tad short. You see, the reason a play celebrating Bohemia works so well is because live theatre embraces that ideal. It still retains and even reaffirms the raw vitality. The movie seems to unknowingly strip that away and the story looses some of, if not all of, its soul. Not to mention Chris Columbus's oddly muted sense of creativity and a simple lack of directorial imagination in general.

In the end, the reason I enjoyed this film as much as I did, was because it did a remarkable job of reminding me how much I loved the play.