Rent Review

Rent is a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning musical made into a movie. The story follows the life of a group of Bohemians for one year in New York City from 1989-1990. Mark Cohen is a filmmaker as well as the narrator who shares an apartment with his friend, Roger Davis, a striving musician whom is HIV-positive. Tom Collins is Mark and Roger's former roommate, who lost his job at MIT and is HIV-positive. Tom's lover, HIV-positive Angel, is a drag queen that holds the group together. Maureen Johnson is Mark's ex-girlfriend turned lesbian, whose girlfriend is lawyer, Joanne Jefferson. Lastly, Mimi Marquez is Roger's new girlfriend who works at the Cat Scratch Club, is a drug addict, and HIV-positive. The group of friends have a hard time finding work, and without money they cannot pay their rent. Throughout the movie, it is slowly understood who does and does not have HIV.

The composer, Jonathan Larson, was born in Mount Vernon, New York and attended Adelphi University on a full scholarship. After graduation he spent 12 years composing music for plays, and in 1994 he started to compose Rent. On the night of the last dress rehearsal for Rent, Jon died of Marfan's syndrome, a connective tissue disease.

The movie beautifully displays the strength of the friendships between the characters. They support each other unconditionally, whether attending life support meetings or helping another in work emergencies. There is a strong bond between those with HIV and those without, and they freely offer their time when one is sick. Angel is a strong, independent woman; she simply does not care about others' opinions and is the glue that keeps the group together. Eventually, the relationships disintegrate, and everyone goes their separate way. Two months later they all reconnect when one of the former friends encounters a tragic event. The music is compelling and enhances the storyline. Each character has his/her own style of sound when they sing, which is a reflection of his/her personality. Roger is the rocker, so when he is singing there is a harder drum beat and guitar sound, displaying his stubbornness and determination to succeed in the music industry. When Mimi sings, it is more passionate and soft with more focus on the piano, reflecting her innocence, and inexperience with life. The majority of the characters in the movie reprise their roles from the Broadway production.

The only criticism about the movie is after the first viewing it is difficult to have the same emotional reaction to the story. Secondary viewings allow the audience to pick up on new concepts originally overlooked.

This movie is suitable for those 15 and older due to the selling and use of drugs as well as the HIV storyline. The character dynamics and friendships in Rent are similar to the types of friendships in Hairspray and High School Musical I and II.

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