Chad’s Grade: C+
The rock opera “Rent” was showered with massive media coverage when it debuted on Broadway in 1996. The musical was a powerfully emotional piece of theatre, brilliantly updating Puccini’s classic opera La Boheme to lower Manhattan’s Alphabet City. Where the original La Boheme explored penniless artists struggling under the plague of tuberculosis, “Rent” dealt with poor Bohemians under the AIDS epidemic of the early 1990s, where an HIV-positive status could be a death sentence.
Much of the media coverage focused on Jonathan Larson, the talented 35-year-old composer who died of an aortic dissection the night before the off-Broadway premiere. It was a tragic loss as Larson wanted to bring musical theatre to the MTV generation. And while “Rent” is technically a rock opera, the score seamlessly mixes opera, pop, and alternative rock elements into a unique sound that electrified Broadway.
“Rent” was also the rare musical that dealt with Queer themes, a subject many mainstream Broadway productions shied away from. And the LGBTQ themes were front and center, not just decorative side characters in supporting roles. Angel Dumott is transgender and falls for Tom Collins, a gay philosophy professor. Maureen and Joanne are a proud and volatile lesbian couple. And most importantly, none of these characters are struggling with their sexuality but living openly proud lives. Sadly, the musical deals with the specter of the AIDS crisis, which ravaged the Queer community during the 80s and even into the ’90s when “Rent” premiered.
Larson’s rock opera for the MTV era was a sensation on Broadway, winning 4 Tonys, including Best Musical, and was the rare musical that received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The original cast recording was a best seller, and the show’s anthem, “Seasons of Love,” made the pop and rock charts. The original cast, which included Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Taye Diggs, and Idina Menzel, became one of the great musical ensembles. The musical ran for 12 years on Broadway, closing in 2008.
In the early 2000s, Hollywood was mining big Broadway shows to turn into feature films, hoping to replicate the success of “Chicago” in 2002. Miramax studios snapped up the rights to “Rent” and met with several directors, including Baz Luhrmann and Rob Marshall (who famously used his “Rent” meeting to pitch his take on “Chicago” instead). The producers eventually settled on Spike Lee, who was anxious to direct his first musical. Lee started co-writing the screenplay and met with Justin Timberlake and Rosario Dawson on possible roles.
Sadly, Lee’s film version fell apart due to financial demands. The famous director wanted a large budget, but Miramax was nervous about the gritty R-rated material. Also, the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001 further derailed the project.
But the musical had a fan in director Chris Columbus, a self-professed “RENT head.” Columbus was one of the most commercially successful directors of the ’90s, helming “Home Alone,” Mrs. Doubtfire,” and the first two “Harry Potter” films. He was anxious to switch gears and step out of his comfort zone, setting up his “Rent” feature film at Columbia Pictures. In exchange for a substantial budget, he agreed to a PG-13 rating and secured most of the original Broadway cast to star.
The film version of “Rent” closely follows the Broadway musical, albeit in general brush strokes. The movie explores the life, love, and heartbreak of young bohemians as they try to survive and practice their art as the AIDS/HIV epidemic ravages their community in the early 1990s. There is rock musician Roger (Adam Pascal), who is grieving the death of his girlfriend, along with his roommate and best friend, filmmaker Mark (Anthony Rapp). Mark’s ex-girlfriend Maureen (Idina Menzel), a singer and performer, is now in a relationship with her partner Joanne (Tracie Thoms). We also have computer philosophy professor Tom Collins (Jesse L. Martin), who finds romance with gender-fluid street performer Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia). Rounding out the cast is Mimi (Rosario Dawson), an exotic dancer who has her eyes on Roger, and Benjamin Coffin III (Taye Diggs), a former roommate of Mark and now turncoat landlord and businessman.
“Rent” is exhibit A when you have the wrong director adapting a Broadway musical to the screen. Columbus may have been filled with good intentions with a genuine love of the material, but he is entirely out of his depth here. I’m usually a fan of directors pushing themselves out of their comfort zone, but Columbus’s slick commercial style neuters the gritty nature of the musical. One of the tragic mistakes the filmmakers make is taking the all-sung rock opera and dialoguing many of the scenes. This removes the rock concert vibe of the Broadway show and transforms the piece into a conventional movie musical. And many of the scenes have a “special episode of Glee” tone, with Columbus toning down elements to secure the PG-13 rating.
The musical was adapted by screenwriter Stephen Chbosky who would go on to write and direct the excellent “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and the not-so-excellent “Dear Evan Hansen,” which was an equally disastrous adaptation of a beloved Broadway musical. Chbosky brings a heavy dose of earnestness at odds with the aggressive and in-your-face musical numbers. Certain aspects of the AIDs epidemic, particularly drug use, are glossed over, robbing the tragedies that befall these young artists of their emotional power.
And Columbus’s demand that he use the original cast is also problematic. Yes, the original Broadway actors made for one of the great theatrical ensembles, but that chemistry doesn’t translate to film. The characters are supposed to be young, wild bohemian artists, and the original cast was well into their mid 30’s by the time the film was made. Adam Pascal, who was so moving and captivating on Broadway, makes for a glum and blank Roger. His romance with Rosario Dawson’s Mimi never gets any heat due to his inert presence. Only Anthony Rapp and Wilson Jermaine Heredia pop with youthful exuberance and shine in their respective roles.
Ironically, its new cast members Rosario Dawson and Tracie Thoms that give the film’s best performances. Dawson had the daunting task of replacing fan favorite Daphne Rubin-Vega as Mimi, who was pregnant during filming. This was one of Dawson’s early roles, and she is on fire, slinking around the shadows like a horny cat, particularly in the “Light My Fire” number. While her vocal abilities are limited, her expressive eyes and sly smile more than make up the difference. And Thoms replaces Fredi Walker as Joanne, who was funny enough to tell Columbus that she was “too damn old” to reprise her part. Thoms brings a level-headed presence to Joanne and sings the hell out of her opening solo during “Seasons of Love.”
And a few of the musical numbers shine on screen. “La Vie Boheme” is an excellent showcase for the cast, capturing their character’s rebellious spirit. At the same time, “Light My Candle” is the only rock opera sequence to survive the translation to film and is a highlight for Dawson’s Mimi. And Columbus brings a stylized poignancy to “Without You,” showing the vanishing bodies of AIDs support groups in the face of the devasting HIV crisis.
I can’t help compare “Rent” to last year’s “Tick, Tick…Boom!” the film adaption of Jonathan Larson’s semi-autobiographical musical directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Larson’s lesser-known work benefitted greatly from Miranda’s clever cinematic translation, where he crosscut the show’s original stage incarnation with dramatic sequences and traditional movie musical beats. That style would’ve been a perfect fit for “Rent,” with the rock element of the stage show mixed with dramatized sequences. And the producers could’ve kept the rock opera element removed from Columbus’ film version.
In the end, the 2005 film version of “Rent” is a deeply flawed adaptation of the emotional and electric Broadway rock opera. Despite the presence of much of the original cast, the film is missing the stage show’s propulsive energy and rebellious spirit. Instead, we got a conventional and safe movie musical directed by one of Hollywood’s most commercially successful directors.
OSCAR BAIT SONG:
Thankfully, the producers chose not to shoehorn an additional song into the film. Or even worse, recruit another composer to craft a new tune. The production was wise to bring Rob Cavallo to produce and record the film soundtrack. Cavallo was a highly successful producer in the alt-rock world, working with the likes of Green Day, Linkin Park, and Alanis Morrisette. His presence amps up the soundtrack’s alt-rock flavor, replacing the Broadway show’s more rock concert vibe. And the movie soundtrack does include “Love Heals,” a song cut from the musical’s final version.
ACTORS WHO CAN’T SING:
With the presence of the original Broadway cast, all the actors performed their singing and dancing. And it’s great to watch Anthony Rapp, Jesse L. Martin, and Idina Menzel showcase their incredible vocal abilities. Of the newcomers, Rosario Dawson isn’t a trained singer, and it shows in a few numbers, but her “Out Tonight” anthem is still one of the movie’s highlights.
OTHER VERSIONS:
If you purchase the film’s DVD or Blu-Ray, there’s an extensive behind-the-scenes documentary” No Day but Today” on the making of both the stage incarnation and movie. Also available for purchase and streaming is a filmed Broadway performance before the show closed in 2008 but sadly didn’t feature the original cast. Either would make for a great double feature with the movie version to contrast and compare.
In 2019, FOX TV produced a live performance of “Rent,” similar to their successful productions of “Grease” and “Hairspray.” The TV special featured Vanessa Hudgens and Jordan Fisher in roles and an encore of “No Day but Today” sung by the original Broadway cast. Unfortunately, the special was botched when Brennin Hunt, who played Roger, injured his foot the day of the event. And the producers were shortsighted and did not have an understudy on hand. The production was forced to air the dress rehearsal filmed the day before, with the cast half performing their roles to save their voices. Sadly, the live TV special could’ve introduced the musical to a new generation of fans but fell flat on its face due to the low-energy performance.