'Rent' review

Rent is quintessential, young, New York musical. I saw it couple years ago and I loved it. I love the songs, I love the characters, the setting, etc, even though they may have become cliched since passing 1990s. It was a good love story told in some of most beautiful songs. Finally, Hollywood got around to make the movie because musicals were not popular until Chicago proved there still was an audience left for the genre.

The movie version supposedly features returning original casts, but they don't exhibit strong presences in the movie, as captivating Rosario Dawson steal the show & the movie. It shows the difference between stage actors and movie stars where I would've love to see & hear the original casts intimately at the theater, but alas, this is a movie. The songs are also rearranged with HEAVY musical beds that frequently drown vocals. I was so annoyed at the "I Should Tell You" part that I wanted to scream, cut the music! So that I can FEEL the emotions in the vocals. And I was annoyed that whenever they start singing, they sounded like recorded songs, cutting off all other environment sounds. I know this is a movie with pre-recorded tracks, but it doesn't have to be a series of music videos. Thus, this is a movie cherrypicking, highlighting some scenes from the musical, with larger venues and rearranged tracks. Sigh.

I don't know why Rob Marshall didn't choose this project over a Geisha movie--more on this movie later. Instead, we have Christopher Columbus who is so steep in Hollywood sensibility that the movie feels safe. Characters feel safe. The story feels safe. The ending feels safe--I almost laughed Rosario Dawson came back from the near-death experience. This movie should've taken bigger risks by choosing an 'edgy' director who FEELS the moments between the beats, instead of following the beats.

One thing for sure; I would go see the the musical again, listen to the music again, but I wouldn't watch this movie again or listen to it's soundtrack. I would spin the original cast recording once more, to refresh myself, to remind myself, "measure your life in love."