Rent - A review (sort of)

Thanks to my subscription to Glamour magazine (yes I subscribe to a ton of chick magazines), I got to see an advance screening of Rent last night. I'm still on the fence about it. As a movie independent of anything else, I thought it was great. As a person who has seen the Broadway show about 3 times (I think) and thanks to my college roommate listened to the original Broadway recording about a million times I did not find it as great. So I'm struggling. I liked it. I'd probably see it again. I loved seeing almost 100% the original cast (Mimi's role is now being played by Rosario Dawson, I don't know who originally reprised it). Taye Diggs and Jessie L. Martin (of Law & Order fame) were awesome. I was completely surprised by Taye Diggs' singing. I liked the scope and the fact that a movie offers an opportunity that the show doesn't... namely all of New York City to play in. The songs with the whole cast were great and I loved La Vie Boheme. Will I? which has always been one of my absolute favorite songs was done well also. Oh and even on the big screen, I do not like Roger's song, Your Eyes. :)

However there were definitely things I missed. Some of my favorite lines do not make it in. A song or 2 is cut. (One of which I'm fine with because it always made me uncomfortable when I watched the Broadway show). Much of the sung dialogue is changed to spoken and that felt a bit weird to my ears. And I think the biggest problem I have is that it seems to have lost some emotional punch. I've said it before, I cry at everything. I cry at freaking Disney movies. This movie should've made me cry. C'mon it is about AIDS and death. It didn't.