Rent...finally!

Movie Review: Rent - Now you have to keep in mind that this review has been written by a big fan of the Broadway musical, so I am biased...it therefore might not be seen in a similar light by someone unfamiliar with the play.
On to the review: It was magnificent! They kept most of the original Broadway cast, and the 2 women who filled the vacated roles did an awesome job. Rosario Dawson made an incredible Mimi - she brought a new dimension to the role; Mimi became more than just a drug-addicted stripper...she had an innocence about her that was not brought out in the play. The actress who played Joanne, Tracie Thoms, also did a great job making the character less of a supporting role, bringing her to life like I hadn't seen before. Everyone else reprised their original roles incredibly well, and the movie was kept almost exactly to the original script written by Jonathan Larson.
A couple of criticisms, which are very minor...again coming from someone who has seen the play a few times. 1) Some of the spoken parts in the movie were actually sung in the play. Therefore, to me, these parts sounded VERY scripted. If you haven't seen the play, you wouldn't notice. 2) Another subtlety that Angela didn't pick up on, again probably because she hadn't seen it before, but you can just tell that when the actors are singing on-screen, that it is pre-recorded. I find a big part of the charm of any play is seeing the actors sing as they act. This is missing from the film, but I guess that is expected in any play-to-film adaptation.
Other than these couple of minor things, I have to say I enjoyed myself more than I thought I would. Seeing as we went to a 4pm show on a Monday, there were only about 10 people in the theatre and I was singing and bopping along to the show as if I had only just seen the play last week. The acting and direction was done almost flawlessly, and I think Jonathan Larson would have approved of the film if he were around to see it today.

BOTTOM LINE: 4 out of 4 stars - I may even go see it again. A definite must see for anyone who loved the play. For anyone else, you may want to read someone else's review...but Angela loved it, so I bet you will too. Just don't expect your typical happy-go-lucky musical. This one is not happy...its quite a tragic story which will leave you thinking as you leave the theatre. If you enjoy going home from a movie feeling a bit introspective...this is the one for you.