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Rent follows a group of tight knit 20-something friends living in New York during the last year of the 80s. Narrator Mark Cohen (Anthony Rapp) is making an unscripted film about life in New York -- a bohemian life of fun.
But a rough, draining and tragic lifestyle that is filled with the sex and drugs that 80s New York was oh-too-well known for. Tragic not only because the bunch is penniless and unable to pay rent but also because four of the characters -- Angel, Roger, Collins and Mimi -- are infected with HIV, an illness which at this point has barely been around 10 years.
What's more, Benny (Taye Diggs), an old roommate, has become the landlord and is threatening eviction. But with love, laughter, Stoli, and friendship they survive the year's losses, hurdles and changes.
While it's to be expected that the emotions and adrenaline of live theater and music cannot be transferred in whole to the cinema, the spark this cast illuminates as a group still comes as damn near as possible to the real thing. Though the returning cast members are visibly older, the luxury of make-up and lighting provided by moviemaking are forgiving enough to the aging process that it's hardly an issue.
Rosario Dawson, who replaced original cast-member Daphne Rubin-Vega, gives a stunning performance as 19-year-old Mimi: a tough-as-nails junkie stripper. Who knew she was tier-one Hollywood gorgeous and could really sing?
For his part, Columbus doesn't meddle much. In one respect that's a good thing; he lets the story, characters, dialogue, and songs be the way they were on stage and with that, lets the audience feel closer to it. But then again, there are too many instances like Maureen's (Idina Menzel) protest when it seems he isn't doing anything at all. It's as if he forgot to make this a movie and instead made it a play recorded on film. In the rare instance he does fuse cinematic technique with theater, like in Mimi's "Out Tonight" segment which takes her from dancing on stage up to Roger's room, his work shines brilliantly. But unfortunately, it only happens half a handful of times.
Much like he did with the first two Harry Potter films, Columbus doesn't so much adapt anything as he does adopt it and place it on screen. It's a shame because a more fitting director could have given Rent a new glow with which to grow on screen, as it does on stage.
Unlike Rob Marshall did with the movie version of the musical Chicago, Columbus fails to give Rent that creative oomph that only great directors can produce and make a story three-dimensional.
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