RENT The Movie: Bigger & Better Than RENT The Musical
First there was "RENT the musical"... now there's "RENT the movie".
VIDEO: Cast of Rent Singing "Seasons of Love"
And I, for one, am thrilled about this!
Rent started as a staged reading in 1993 at the New York Theatre Workshop, followed by a studio production that played a three-week run a year later. The version now known worldwide opened off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop on January 26, 1996 and opened on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre on April 29, 1996. Source
RENT itself may be fictionalized, but there's a very interesting element of "reality" tied to it (some of it quite eerie!) that has stuck in my head ever since RENT was first released as a play back in 1996.
That is....
The writer, Jonathan Larson...
"There are two stories to Rent. The first is the show itself, which won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for drama and four 1996 Tony awards, including best musical... The second story of Rent involves composer and playwright Jonathan Larson, who obsessed over this play for seven years, only to find his health failing due to stress, and his wallet as empty as those of his characters. The day of the final dress rehearsal, Larson died in his kitchen of an aortic aneurysm." Source
...he died just 10 days before his 36th birthday.
Oddly enough, Johnathan Larson also wrote a one-man autobiographical musical about turning 30 and his struggle to become a successful rock composer and lyricist... Tick, Tick, Boom! has been playing in theaters across America for years.
Becoming A RENT Groupie
The musical itself got very good reviews on Broadway, but there was just something about "the story behind the making of RENT" that meant more to me and prompted me to go see it when it opened off-Broadway (Tampa, Florida to be exact).
From there, still captivated by the underlying story about the writer, I felt compelled to own everything I could get my hands on regarding RENT. I scooped up pins, flyers, articles in newspapers and magazines.
For months, every time I stepped foot in a bookstore, I would sit & read through bits and pieces of books about RENT, learning some new tidbits about this low-budget musical -- an amazing piece of artwork. (I still kick myself that I didn't purchase a particluar behind-the-scenes book about the play and its writer
I guess I was an amateur "RENT groupie"... though there's actually an official title for it now. It's called a "renthead". (You know you're a Renthead if...)
The Music From RENT
I even purchased the 2-disc CD set
It's been 7 years now since I first saw RENT, and I still pull out that CD at least once a year for a change of pace. (Did I mention the musical itself features 33 different songs?! Each one of 'em is on the CD!)
To this day, there's still something refreshingly uplifting about the story, the music, and the story-behind-the-story.
Thinking About Seeing RENT The Movie?
My hope is that the movie will one-up the musical. I thought the musical (off-Broadway) was very good... perhaps it was even better ON-Broadway.
But I'm absolutely thrilled that they're bringing the awesome caliber of music and drama from RENT to the big screen for ALL to enjoy.
"Most of the performers in this movie version are reprising their roles from the original stage rendition."
I have to say... without the behind-the-scenes stuff, for me... RENT doesn't quite have the same effect. Though I'm confident that the movie itself will win-over a whole new generation of RENT groupies!
It's a movie that deals with issues like homelessness, AIDS, and alternative lifestyles -- and the music is really fast and LOUD (not metal loud, just "sing-it-loud-and-sing-it-proud" kind of Broadway musical loud). In amidst the snappy upbeat tunes are a fair share of melodramatic ballads that are INCREDIBLY deep and well-spoken.
RENT seems to have a cult following among teenagers and 20- or 30-somethings. And for a couple more days anyway... that still includes me!
If you choose to see RENT the movie, I definitely think that you'll either love it, or hate it. But remember, it's the facts interwoven with fiction that make this one oh-so-memorable and worthy of a look.
Reviews of RENT... The Play AND The Movie
"The first rock opera that successfully fuses music with the show." Source
View nearly 50 different comments about the music from RENT!
omg i love RENT so much. It is the best thing that has ever ben created! I loive the movie but i still thikn the play is way better!!! I watch it every night, no lie. BTW...ADAM PASCAL IS SO DAM FINE!!! I saw it 12 times in the moveis and 414 times on BW.. im in love!!!!!
RENT was awesome. :D Oh and Ashley was the name of the person who requested me to see RENT. xD Odd coincidence. Oh well. I was wondering if anyone knows anywhere I can get a RENT costume please email me at irentnyc@hotmail.com Thanks!
Rent rox my sox off
i LOVE rent. LOOOOOOOOVE it. i saw the musical on july 15th.it was my first play.byt i love the movie!!! i know EVERY words to ALL the songs.i wrote and printed the lyrics. rents my life. i listening to the cd as of right now.if you havent bought the cd- the one with 17 songs on it, you have to, it has a beautiful song called LOVE HEALS- sung by the rent cast!!!! i know its not all 27 songs, including halloween and goodbye love but its has love heals on it. buy it. listen to it. repeat it. memorise it. ..................................
THANK YOU JONATHAN LARSON ( may he rest in piece)!!!!!!!!!
p.s i need help finding books on it, can some one help me?????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love this movie. it's great and the songs are really powerful!I mean super powerful!
I absolutely loved Rent. It is my favorite movie ever and I am in love with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal!!
I'm SO happy that the original cast was used. If they wernt, it would just be another hollywood film. But, using the original cast, now it MEENS something. And it was, in my opinion, more profesional now
I love the movie oh so much and the songs were fantastic!
A friend sent me this link and I see it wasn't mentioned yet Rent Movie http://www.rentmovie.com There is a place to post on the forum as well and place to post fan website links. The only thing missing on www.rentmovie.com is the ability to purchase the RENT DVD.
I seen RENT when it was in theaters and it was really aweomse. I bought the soundtrack from the movie and I listen to it about everyday because the music is really cool and once you have the music in your head, you just have to sing along because the songs have a good beat to it. I cannot wait until the movie comes out next month.
i am a rent fan from manchester in england,i saw the musical in 2001 and i loved it,i am definitely going to see the film over in london when it opens up,i cant wait,its one of those that really pulls at your heart strings,its fantastic,i have the cd from the show which has been replaced i dont konw how many times coz i listen to it so much,it will be a huge success.
LOVE THE MOVIE! I think it is now my favorite movie of all time and I can't wait to buy it. I love the live musical just cause it is live, but the new opportunities for scenery in the movie are cool. And the songs stay true to my soundtrack, which I love. I was grooving in my seat, so I'm lucky it was a bargain movie during the Bengals playoff football game -- there were just a few of us in the theater!
The movie was great, but I liked the play better. It reminds me of a movie that was adapted from a book. People say "the book was better", because there are different visual images for different scenes. The play gave more room for imagination and visualization. The movie was spectacular, no doubt- but I was bothered by the fact that lines and lyrics were dramatically changed, some songs were completely ommitted or cut in half. The song, "You'll See" was completely misplaced! As a serious Renthead, however. . .I will give it the benefit of the doubt in believing that they did the best they could in making it what Jonathan Larson would want it to be.
I went to see the movie with my daughter. We both absolutly loved the film. Thumbs up. Tremendous talent. A film to see and see again.
ummm..wow REnt = total and complete love I have to say rent was an amazing movie...now is my favorite movie of all times...yes i was there opening night. What a great great movie!
I saw RENT with my bf and it had both of us crying and laughing. Musicals do something to me. I can't really explain it though. They make everything seem so optimistic and easy to fix.
I just saw the movie RENT today (went to the first showing) and my kids & I LOVED IT!!! I saw the play years ago and I loved it then and now I want to see the movie again & again. I cried my eyes out and I didn't want it to end. I hope it gets the recognition that it deserves. Most important I remember a time in my own life when I too struggled to pay my own RENT!!!
There is a guy in real life whom the character "Mark" is based on--his
name is Paul Garrin, who among other things is known for breaking the story on
the infamous Tompkins Square Park Police Riot that took place in 1988 in the
East Village. Paul became known as the "Man with a Video Camera", and could be
seen carrying his video camera with him everywhere, often finding himself
videotaping the police and the many riots that went down in the East Village
during the 80's and early 90's. more about Paul Garrin:
http://pg.mediafilter.org see his famous clip "Man with a Video Camera"
rtsp://stream.freethe.net/manwcam.mov or buy his videotape "By Any Means
Necessary" which chronicles the housing struggles in the East Village between
1988-1991 that inspired the story behind RENT. http://shadowshop.com go there
and click on "video" (or "tapes). You can view a sample clip there, and order
the video online.
I "won" tickets (from the Nashville Scene) to see the movie RENT last night!
It was pretty good...
I have to say, I'm glad I saw it as a musical, because the singing and PASSION came over much better "live".
Seeing it in movie-form made it easier to visualize the many plots & dynamic relationships within the script better though.
Go see it... it's FUN!
I love rent!! i saw it on broadway and it was amazing i can't wait for the movie
I LOVE RENT
I LOVE RENT! I did get the behind the scenes book and really enjoy it. I can't wait for the movie and plan to buy it when it comes out. I hope everyone loves it!!