"Manipulative Sap"

I liked the idea behind "Rent", both its figurative and literal meaning. The movie starts off with a wonderful piece of music "Seasons of Love" setting the tone of the film. After that segment, it all goes down hill. I only got half-way through the film. It got to the point where I recognized the pattern and it stunk. I wasted my time.

When I watch "The Wizard of Oz", "Moulin Rouge" or even "Grease" what these films do so well is that they allow the story to build up. The character(s) should have motivation and emotional tension that's built up to the point where dialog is not even an option. These characters should burst out into song whether they are happy, sad or angry. "Rent" goes from set piece to set piece with characters who have problems. Here is this character, he has a problem. Feel Bad. This guy has AIDS. Feel Bad. There is a love triangle. These two people feel like they are getting played by the same person. Feel Bad. This guy had a girl friend who died. Feel bad. That guy totally got his butt whooped in the alley way. You should feel bad. No, really you should. Collins came off as a cool character. Even after his beating he still had this positive aura about him. I liked that.

"Rent" doesn't allow any breathing room for the story to develop thus when a character begins to sing, it comes off unnatural. I am given no reason why I should like these characters, but yet I should feel horribly bad about their predicaments. Hmm manipulative? I think so.

Grade: F