I tend to be pretty emotionally detached from most movies unless they are portrayed in a very real way and the acting and characters are so incredible that I can't help but feel they must really exist. In this very infrequent case, I can really get into a movie and express emotion for a character that really resonates with me.
Then, there is Rent. I was optimistic as the first number rolled because, quite frankly, the music was very impressive. The harmonies, which I so enjoy, fell together excellently and I thought I might be in for a very unexpected and pleasant surprise. As they very slowly and painstakingly introduced each character with what seemed like a million songs, I began to hate the person who invented harmony and didn't think to copyright it so that the person responsible for all this unnecessary singing was able to write it all in. I continued to watch as I grew tired of the singing however, because I had not yet been able to determine the plot of the story. I must confess, after finishing the movie, I cannot honestly say I found a distinguishable plot in the thing.
Quite frankly I would much rather be forced to watch Laguna Beach than have to watch a bunch of middle aged misfits with the annoying habit of breaking into song on a regular basis. The climax of the movie appeared to be where the resident transvestite (I mean, what film doesn't need one) dies. Now let me be perfectly honest. If I had been friends with this person, I might have felt upset upon his/her/its death. However, I had only known this gender confused person for a period of about an hour, most of which time I had spent annoyed at having had to listen to endless songs and watch man on man kissing, which just really isn't my thing.
There was also the small fact of the matter that is that this was a movie and therefore, I retained the knowledge that it was not real. Like I said, when actors create a sense of realism and make you believe they are actually their character, it is possible to really feel strongly about the character. But who could possibly believe in a character that breaks into song every two freaking minutes?? It would annoy everyone around. No one would think it was cute or cool. They would all be like, “Oh, great. More singing, that's just what we need right now. Singing. We're all dying of AIDS, but lets just sing show tunes until we kick the bucket.” Needless to say, it was hard not to laugh hysterically when I heard people around me sobbing. Its not that I am a sick person or get something fun out of other's pain, but its just so hard to imagine people actually becoming delusional enough to care about a character from something so fake.
It would be like me reading a comic book and crying because someone killed Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred. I mean, come on people. The first thing on my mind when He-She died was, “Thank you God, it must be almost over!” Unfortunately it managed to limp on for quite a bit longer by which point I was counting ceiling tiles and holding my breath for time, and partially with the hope that I would pass out and wake up to death metal where there's no such thing as harmony. In short, Rent was not for me. I thought the music was well done and like all musicals, overdone. I have determined once again, that musicals aren't for me. Now I'm going to curl up in bed with my comic books and a box of tissues. Leave me alone.
