So it's a given that "Rent" is a big movie. But try seeing it in the very first row. Oh yes. Mark, Roger, Mimi, Collins, Angel, Maureen, Joanne and Benny from an IMAX-worthy vantage point. Now that's huge.
Let's start at the beginning: Mark (Anthony Rapp) and Roger (Adam Pascal) live in a very large loft in the East Village of New York. However, their former roommate and friend Benny (Taye Diggs) has, before the start of the film, gotten married and is working for his father-in-law who owns the building in which Mark and Roger live. Benny and his associates want to tear down nearby housing for the homeless to build a cyber studio, but Mark's ex-girlfriend Maureen (Idina Menzel) is staging a highly-publicized protest. Benny offers to waive the rent on the loft if Mark and Roger stop Maureen's protest.
While this is happening, Tom Collins III (Jesse L. Martin) returns home after getting kicked out of MIT, gets the crap beat out of him and is saved by the multi-talented Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia). Roger, a struggling songwriter, then meets the sexy Mimi (Rosario Dawson) and Mark, a struggling documentary filmmaker, helps Maureen's new significant other Joanne (Tracie Thoms) with the technical aspects of the protest. While many of the friends are also battling AIDS, each endures through the course of the movie's life-altering events.
"Rent" has undergone some changes since its days on Broadway. Director Chris Columbus, who helmed the first two "Harry Potter" films, makes the film version less of a rock opera and more simply a musical. As a result, many lyrics are now spoken rather than sung. Also, the timeline is changed and the first act transpires over more than one night, so some songs are adjusted, eliminated or combined. The film also adds some story elements, including Maureen and Joanne's engagement and a fantasy tango scene. While most of these changes are small, they do make a difference when added together, especially to die-hard fans.
Columbus also falls a little short with his character development. In order to fit most of the songs into the film, things have been sacrificed. Unfortunately, the movie skims over important plot points like Roger's backstory and moves right on to the songs.
The acting, still, is commendable. Most of the stars are original cast members, but even new additions Thoms and Dawson fit right in. Pascal, who plays rocker Roger, has the perfect voice - a combination of skill and that scratchy tone of a rock star. Rapp plays an amazing Mark, making the character the most loveable and endearing dork ever. Heredia, who won the 1996 Tony Award for his role as Angel, is pitch-perfect. Meanwhile, Martin possesses the emotional power to put the entire theatre in tears. All of the actors have amazing voices, and Dawson is a pleasant surprise in her musical debut.
Regardless of Columbus's choices in the transfer from stage show to movie, the final product is still amazing. The actors evoke many emotional responses in the audience, the music is infectious and the story is engaging.
"Rent" is recommended to anyone who likes a good musical. Just make sure to sit at a reasonable distance.
