"Back ‘Rent’ Gets its Due"
by Scott Mantz

"Rent"
Adam Pascal, Rosario Dawson,
Jesse L. Martin
Directed by Chris Columbus

The sound of music! The cast of "Rent" rocks the house!

Movie musicals may be back in the saddle again after the critical and commercial success of 2001’s “Moulin Rouge!” and 2002’s Best Picture Oscar-winner “Chicago,” but you’d be hard-pressed to find a more anticipated stage-to-big screen adaptation than the incredibly popular rock opera “Rent.”

Ever since it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1996 – not to mention four Tony Awards and a slew of other accolades – the Broadway sensation, created by the late Jonathan Larson, became a bona-fide phenomenon.  During that time, die-hard fans, collectively known as “Rentheads,” held their breath in anticipation of its big screen close-up.  Now that it’s finally here, it’s safe to say that they will not be disappointed – most of the original cast members are back, and as long as they’re singing, “Rent” rocks the house.

But when the singing stops, so does the movie, and that may be a problem for first-timers who never fell under the spell of the stage play.  That’s because in between the vibrant song-and-dance numbers, character development is severely lacking, and the story’s more contrived and melodramatic shortcomings are brought to the fore.  As a result, “Rent” falls short of being this year’s answer to “Chicago,” but it’s still far superior to last year’s disappointing version of “The Phantom of the Opera.”

“Rent” tells the story of the ties that bind a group of struggling New York bohemians in 1989.  Roger (Adam Pascal) is an aspiring rocker who can’t get over the death of his girlfriend.  His roommate, Mark (Anthony Rapp), is a documentary filmmaker whose performance-artist girlfriend, Maureen (Idina Menzel), dumped him for an activist lawyer named Joanne (Tracie Thoms).

On Christmas Eve, they receive a visit from their friend Tom (Jesse L. Martin), a philosophy professor who falls for Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia), a drag queen who saved him after being mugged.  Then there’s Mimi (Rosario Dawson), a junkie stripper who lives in the building and takes a liking to Roger.  As they strive for acceptance during the escalating AIDS crisis and face the threat of eviction from their former friend Benny (Taye Diggs), they realize that the love they share for each other is all they need to help them get through the day – or at least, no day but today.

Whether you’ve seen “Rent” over and over again or you’re experiencing it for the first time, there’s no denying that the music is powerful, moving and incredibly catchy.  Between the chill-inducing melodies that define the signature “Seasons of Love,” the flirty banter that makes up “Light My Candle,” the liberating vibrancy of “Out Tonight” and the centerpiece performance of “La Vie Boheme,” you won’t be able to get the music out of your head for days.

And that’s what makes the movie’s considerable lack of style so disappointing.  As directed by Chris Columbus, whose most recent films were the all-too-faithful adaptations of the first two “Harry Potter” flicks, “Rent” plays it safe – perhaps too safe – in its transition from stage to screen.  The production values don’t take proper advantage of the cinematic medium, and the characters are not defined enough to stand out and make up for the lack of intimacy that was present when the performers were right there on the stage.

Regardless, it’s still obvious that the returning cast members step into their old roles like a comfortable shoe, particularly Anthony Rapp, Jesse L. Martin (best known these days as Detective Green on TV’s “Law & Order”) and Wilson Jermaine Heredia (who won a Tony Award for the role of Angel).  As for the newcomers, Rosario Dawson does a terrific job of making Mimi her own during her sexy performance of “Out Tonight,” while Tracie Thoms also holds her own with “Rent” vet Idina Menzel during their performance of “Take Me or Leave Me.”

Rentheads will love seeing most of the original cast members reunite for a film that is, for the most part, faithful to its source.  It’s a little sappy and melodramatic at times, but then again, I never saw a musical that wasn’t.  It’s just that what felt natural on stage feels contrived (and a bit too long) on screen.  But since we are talking about a movie where the music is the real star, as long as that music is playing, then that’s when “Rent” gets its due.

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