It was obvious after "Chicago" and "Moulin Rouge" that the genre of movie musical was experiencing a renaissance of some kind. This paved the way for many projects to arrive from Broadway to the big screen, but there is always one significant problem - who is the target audience? More so, are the consumer generations of the 21st century ready to buy in to singing and dancing when telling a story? God forbid a movie doesn't have a plot or a point; it is automatically labeled with the words "tedious", "boring" and the pejorative "artistic".
So, here comes "RENT". It is exactly a kind of movie musical studios would be frightened to invest in. The very slim plot is simply an excuse to present a generation of artists, some of them gay, lesbian or transgendered, and their bohemian lifestyle. As they fight AIDS, hold protests and revolutionize against selling out, you are expected to believe that they simply often burst into song when you least expect it and don't give a damn that the things they talk about may be considered controversial, sinful or wrong (especially since they perform these songs boldly, unlike the very stylized approaches of "Moulin Rouge" or "Chicago"). I am glad to say that, despite all this, the movie miraculously works on its every level.
The characters of "RENT" are based on real people and their experiences in the impoverished East Village, New York City. Among them is Roger, an HIV-infected ex-junkie musician who is liked by Mimi, a 19-year-old stripper junkie. Roger shares his flat with Mark, who is a film-maker looking for the way "to express, to communicate" which becomes particularly hard when his girlfriend Maureen dumps him for another girl, the wealthy Joanne. Add in a philosophy teacher who can't find meaning in life until he meets Angel, a man in drag, and you have a huge spectrum of characters, which can sometimes present an obstacle in some movies. The strength of "RENT" is that it treats all these characters as one, combining their different characteristics into one sample of the New York Bohemia.
Another fantastic aspect of the musical is its music - literally every number is a showstopper, from the emotional "Seasons of Love" and "I'll Cover You" to the rockin' "Rent" and "What You Own". "La Vie Boheme" is a challenge of a song, since it contains more than twenty references, and it is fun to research them and trace the influences these people grew up with - Maya Angelou, The Sex Pistols, Michael Cunningham, just to name a few. Another fun sequence is "Out Tonight" which celebrates being young and having fun, but then subtly fades into "Another Day", which explains the philosophy of living in the moment and enjoying every day like it's the last.
"RENT" never fails. Despite some slight misjudgments and some slower pace at times, it is always strong, bold and delivers its message. It is also never pretentious, because even if you have never lived this kind of life, it is inviting and seductive. More than anything, "RENT" is playful, and that is its sexiness - recognizing and understanding the philosophy of "no day but today".