rent

broadway musicals inevitabley get made into movies. you get the cheap, homogenized version of an on stage classic.
thank goodness.
i grew up watching those movies. i love LOVE movie musicals. and maybe most of the energy and performance quality gets sapped out when you watch a actor lip syncing on the big screen. maybe it is kind of annoying when you talk about a beloved musical and someone says, "oh definitely! and minnie driver was great."
but i don't live on broadway and i'll take what i can get.
that said, i saw "rent" yesterday. growing up it was one of three musicals i wasn't allowed to see. and since i will always feel the need to rebel against my mother in any way i can, i went to see it.
and it was fine.
mediocre.
not very good.
but at least i got to see the context of all the songs i've listened to over the years. plus, in the opening scene one of the characters is wearing the exact same outfit that carlton used to always wear on "fresh prince of belair". and one of the guys from "newsies" had a bit part in it. and there's this part where mimi dies but then comes back to life that's so horribly done i wanted to kill myself.
and then come back to life.
singing.
and telling a story about my dead, drag queen friend who was standing in the bright light.
i bet "rent" was amazing when it first came out. but 10 years later it's lost it's societal relevance. and i for one couldn't really dwell on the fact that they were all gay and aids ridden because i was too distracted by the fact that they were living in a loft in new york for FREE.
a good portion of the audience walked out of the theater before it was half over. i'd never seen so many people walk out of a movie before. and, i mean, i saw "from justin to kelly".
i'm guessing they exchanged their tickets so they could see that nice little harry potter flick again.
which is fine.
they shouldn't be forced to watch something they find offensive.
but what did they really think "rent" was about?
maybe they didn't research it after their mothers forbade them to go see it when they were teenagers.

in any case, "the producers" is coming out soon and i'm very excited about it.

Comments

Leah said…
welcome to snobville.
Nama said…
hehe...i loved it...read my blog for details...
Lincoln said…
I'm assuming you saw it in Provo for so many people to walk out. Anyway I wanted to see it. I told my friend Whitney that I wanted to see it and she said, "oh Lincoln, why do you have to be so gay." (i know a few of you are smirking). But in reality I wanted to see it to compare it to the stage version, which I was fortunate enough to see. So, I'm culturally superior to Kathryn...because I saw it on stage...when it was still cool. But I still love you. (and in reality i would choose Harry Potter over anything.)
Jon said…
So what were they renting?
Chester B. said…
525,600 minutes...

I hate Chris Columbus.

How did the producers of this movie think that the guy behind Home Alone was a good choice for director?
kat said…
well, you know, because basically "rent" is "home alone".
if the burglars were lesbians.
and kevin was a heroin addict.
and the old man was a drag queen.

it's so obvious.
Nama said…
HAHAHAHA!

right on, kat.