(353 votes, average: 4.13 out of 5)
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Rent Movie.com Movie Reviews presents (2005) Rent the Movie Starring: Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal Director: Chris Columbus This film adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning rock opera tells the story of one year in the life of a group of bohemians struggling in modern day East Village New York. 
The story centers around Mark (Anthony Rapp) and Roger (Adam Pascal), two roommates. While a former tragedy has made Roger numb to life, Mark tries to capture it through his attempts to make a film. In the year that follows, the group deals with love, loss, AIDS, and modern day life in one truly powerful story. Rosario Dawson, Jesse L. Martin, Idina Menzel, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Tracie Thoms, and Taye Diggs also star. Rent, the show that in 1996 gave voice to a Broadway generation, has finally become an energetic, passionate, and touching movie musical. Based loosely on Puccini’s La Bohème, it focuses on the year in the life of a group of friends in New York’s East Village–”bohemians” who live carefree lives of art, music, sex, and drugs. Well, carefree until Mark, an aspiring filmmaker (Anthony Rapp), and Roger, an aspiring songwriter (Adam Pascal), find out they owe a year’s rent to Benny (Taye Diggs), a former friend who had promised them free residence when he married the landlord’s daughter. Roger has also attracted the attention of his downstairs neighbor, Mimi (Rosario Dawson), while Mark’s former girlfriend, Maureen (Idina Menzel), has found a new romance in a lawyer named Joanne (Tracie Thoms). Philosophy professor Tom (Jesse L. Martin) finds his soul mate in drag queen Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia). But because this is the late-’80s, the threat of AIDS is always present. The remarkable thing about Rent the movie is that nearly 10 years after the show debuted on Broadway, six of the eight principals return in the roles they originated. They’re a bit older than would be ideal for their characters, but they do have the advantage of having learned the show directly from creator Jonathan Larson (who died of an aortic aneurysm while the show was in previews), plus they started young–we’re not exactly talking Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford here. Alongside a polished performance like Rapp’s–sometimes observer-commentator, sometimes participant in two of the score’s showstoppers, “The Tango Maureen” and “La Vie Boheme”–the two new additions (Thoms in place of Fredi Walker, Dawson in place of the edgier Daphne Rubin-Vega) slip comfortably into the ensemble; the pivotal Dawson makes a seductive case as Mimi when she tempts Roger in the mesmerizing “Light My Candle” or burns up the stage of the Catscratch Club in “Out Tonight.” Moviegoers who have an aversion to people who break into song while walking down the street probably won’t have their minds changed by Rent (even if they are singing rock songs), and the gritty subject matter and lack of big-name stars make it unlikely to cross over to general audiences the way Chicago did. But fans of musicals should find “Seasons of Love” as stirring as ever, and the show’s passionate admirers–the “Rentheads”–probably couldn’t have wished for a more sympathetic director than Rent fan Chris Columbus, or a more faithful representation of the show they love. –David Horiuchi
Comment by Brittany
# February 14, 2007,
This movie was very moving! i loved it with all my heart! i want to help everyone and anyone that has HIV and AIDs. it is a big deal and it has helped me look at that more closely. I LOVED THIS MOVIE! it made me feel better and get goined in on the acts. it was really fun at parts and really sad at others. thank you for making this movie i think everyone should watch it!
Comment by Tatiana
# February 25, 2007,
One of my favorite movies EVER!!!!!! I Love It!
Comment by Thowsyn
# May 11, 2007,
I’m a Nigerian and the movie business is next to nothing here, but i’m a rear breed in d ovie world in ma country, and i must say,of all d american movies that av inspired me, RENT is still the numero uno and i’m thinkin of making a musical drama in my own dialect now…God Bless Chris 4 dis..
Comment by lalalalalalalalaaaaaaaa
# July 13, 2007,
Such a good movie………Inspirational, moving, yet tremendous fun and humor at the same time. Two thumbs up.
Comment by katlyn
# July 13, 2007,
i love this movie! it’s one of those movies you can watch over and over! i cried really hard at some points, but laughed and sang along at others….it’s a really great movie!
Comment by Melanie
# August 6, 2007,
rent is awesome ive watched it so many times ive lost count and i never get tired of it!
Comment by chayene
# December 7, 2007,
I absoloutly LOVE rent it is just sooo awsome !
Comment by Meagan
# December 10, 2007,
Great Great Great! My fav. musical! It’s very powerful and has a great message that people can relate to or actually have to face in real life. I love the songs and the uniqueness of the movie.
Comment by RENTHEAD
# January 3, 2008,
AMAZING! The movie stayed true to the Broadway play all the way through, except for the Maureen and Joanne engagement, but i can overlook that. my favorite play of all time! Rent helped me to feel sympathy for the homeless, and i’m doing everything i can for people who are HIV positive or have AIDS. jonathan larson is my role model. I’m taking piano, and i’m really good at it, i might add =). THANK YOU JONATHAN LARSON!!!
Comment by I’ll Cover You
# January 17, 2008,
This is an amazing movie! I have the soundtrack on my MP3 player and it’s just amazing! The music, the words, the acting! It’s great! My favorite part is disecting the characters’ motions and feelings to something going on inside their brains. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen (and sang along to) this movie! It’s delicious!
Comment by me
# March 9, 2008,
I love rent. Period. There is no other musical or movie out there that can change that. I cry every time Angel dies (sorry if I just ruend the movie for some one) and can’t stop dancing through “Take Me for What I Am”.
I love all of Idina Menzel’s work, epecailly “Wicked”, which is also and amazing musical.
Comment by mimi
# April 2, 2008,
Rent is the greatest musical i have seen. i really really love this film! i certainly won’t be bored watching this over and over again! no film has touched me like Rent did..ü
Comment by jamalie
# April 16, 2008,
Hey rent peeps i just want to say angel mimi and tom collins are my favorite characters and mark roger moureen joeann and behny you guys can really bust a song out especialy you joann but out of all you guy im sorry for the rest of you but my fave characters are mimi and angel
Comment by jamalie
# April 16, 2008,
Oh i just want to say i really want to meet all of you guys
Comment by jamalie
# April 16, 2008,
i am so
that i have the movie yay for me 
Comment by jamalie
# April 16, 2008,
i was so
when angel died
Comment by Erin Miller
# May 18, 2008,
I think RENT is the best movie I have ever seen. Always when i’m home sick or something like that,that is the first movie I think of watching. I’m sssooooooo happy because when it first came out my mom bought the dvd for me.That movie is sssooooooo good even my grandma like’s it.
All over my room I have RENT posters.This movie is so tutching.Every time Im wathing it I laugh I cry I sing I dance.I defenetly give this two thumbs up!!!!!!!! Best movie ever made!!!!!!!!Call me crazy but Mimi and Angel are my role models.I cant stop watching it or stop listening to the soundtrack.If I met the cast of RENT I would practicly die. Every time ” La Ve Bhoeme” comes on I get up to sing and dance.I just love this movie!!!! Well now i’m going to watch RENT(yay)
Comment by Joselin Hernandez
# September 24, 2008,
The key is to pay attention to the movie. It really is a great film to watch, not to mention it’s very touching and humorous.
The soundtrack is great too. I know lots of people can relate when I say i sing along to it every time I watch the movie.
Comment by MeL Tan
# January 23, 2009,
I’m an Indonesian and I just love this movie right after I watched it. This is a very powerful movie and have a deep message in it. The songs, the actors and actress, their characters gives me a lot of perspective to see this life..
I already watched this movie for many times, n every time I watched it, I always get something new. And I can’t stop myself from singing.