Rent
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (musicals)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
"Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure – measure a year?
In daylights – In sunsets
In midnights – In cups of coffee
In inches – In miles
In laughter – In strife
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure
A year in the life
How about love?
Measure in love – Seasons of love"
As I watched this long-awaited film version of the Tony Award winning musical Rent, a war was going on within my soul. There were two different audiences within me, and both were watching the same film. Each one saw many different things. The conservative Christian in me saw a film ripe with wanton sexuality, graphic depictions of both male and female homosexuality, drug addiction, identity crises, flat-out rebellion and chaos. The more I watched, the more I began to squirm with discomfort and uneasiness. I could easily take the sin-hunting route and declare the film as a celebration of immorality; something created by “blue-state� residing, liberal-minded Hollywood as yet another attempt to disregard the principles of God in favor of soulless debauchery.
John 8:7 (New International Version) - But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
1 Corinthians 6: 9-11 (NIV) - Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
But, the more I watched, I remembered my own sins and my own immorality. The more I watched, the more I saw myself. The more I saw myself, the easier it was for me to drop my sword of judgment. I was able to see the film for what it really was: a depiction and celebration of life. Not the rose-colored, “red-stateâ€� driven, Biblically-mandated ideal of what life should be; but, instead, a depiction of real American life in the 21st century. Whether we like it or not, whether we choose to accept it or not, the truth is that America—in 1989 (when the film is set) as well as 2005—is ripe with wanton sexuality, graphic depictions of both male and female homosexuality, drug addiction, identity crises, flat-out rebellion and chaos.
Many of us have misconstrued Christ’s words as just cause to judge the world for such behavior. However, if we look deeper at the story and characters in the film—not to mention the various real-life counterparts of these characters with whom we interact daily—we are challenged to walk in Christ’s footsteps and offer them grace, compassion, and love.
The lyrics above are from the (unofficial) theme song of this film, “Seasons Of Love.� As I watched the film and meditated on those lyrics, I surrendered the “holy-roller� within me to the compassionate Christ-follower within. Why? Because that’s What Jesus Would Do. He would not see these characters as they are merely displayed on screen. He’d see their hearts. Jesus would see the truth that lies beneath their identity crises, the cross-dressing, the homosexuality, the heroin use, and their living conditions; He would clearly see that all of these characters were searching. Either through their songwriting or documentary filmmaking or their defiant protest-laden performance art or their pursuit of each other, they were searching for freedom, purpose, and above all else, love.
There’s not much difference between the characters in this story and us. We are also in pursuit of freedom, purpose and love. The characters in this story symbolize our search for freedom through the main plotline of the film. Their dwelling place is a New York City neighborhood full of old, abandoned lofts where they happily live rent free. The corporate owners of these lofts—which are slated for conversion into a cyber-arts studio—send their manager to evict the tenants. Said manager just so happens to be their former cohort turned arch-nemesis Benny (Taye Diggs). The neighborhood rallies together in protest of Benny’s bosses’ plans in the form of a defiant performance art presentation performed by Maureen (Idina Menzel). Her performance leads to, first, a riot started by the police, and, eventually, a celebration of their own freedom as well as just about every other act of freedom and rebellion—depicted in the rollicking number “La Vie Bohemeâ€�.
Our search for purpose is best symbolized in this film by aspiring filmmaker Mark (Anthony Rapp). Rarely is he ever seen without his hand-cranked film camera wishing, hoping, and searching for the opportunity to capture life’s moments on film. Not just the joyous moments, but the moments of sadness and suffering—best captured through his shots of homeless people throughout his neighborhood. His HIV-positive roommate Roger (Adam Pascal) is also searching for purpose; but his search is a different one. He is searching for the right lyrics to create the perfect song to leave his mark upon the earth before his reaches its short, rapidly approaching, inevitable end.
Lastly, the characters' search for love mirrors our own search. We are a generation who is so desperate and starved for love that we’ll take it anyway it comes. After a vicious mugging in the dark corner surrounding the lofts, Tom (Jesse L. Martin) finds the love that he’s been searching for in the form of Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia)—street corner musician by night, drag queen by day, afternoon, and evening. I will be honest: seeing the early stages of their romance play out on screen (highlighted by their duet “I’ll Cover Youâ€�) made that conservative Christian inside of me squirm and wriggle in major discomfort. But, as their storyline progressed, I saw something deeper than a blatant and graphic depiction of homosexuality. I saw two people who genuinely loved each other—(Begin Spoiler) which further made the resolution of their storyline all the more heartbreaking. One need not be gay or straight to understand the pain in Tom’s voice and the tears in his eyes when Angel’s fate is revealed. (End Spoiler)
For various reasons, we choose to abandon love and settle for substitutes. As the story progresses, we find out that Roger has made the choice to abandon love due to unfortunate circumstances around a woman he loved before. He later finds himself wrestling with the decision to resume his pursuit of love thanks to his downstairs neighbor Mimi (Rosario Dawson), an exotic dancer and heroin addict. Mimi subtly but aggressively makes her intentions known in the number “Light My Candle�. Roger, a recovering heroin addict himself, spurns her affections. But it’s clearly seen at the close of that number that Mimi has compelled him to reconsider his decision. Mimi clearly wants to give her heart to Roger. However, the stronghold of drugs and sex threatens to steal her soul and threatens the hope of romance with Roger.
Lastly, we revisit the revolutionary performance artist Maureen who has chosen to abandon real love to settle for the substitute that many of us wrestle with the most: narcissism and self-love. We discover at the onset of the film that Maureen has just dumped her boyfriend Mark for... a woman. Joanne (Tracie Thoms—the featured female voice in “Seasons Of Loveâ€�), a NYC attorney, is Maureen’s new love. Or so we think. Mark and Joanne meet unexpectedly when Maureen asks for Mark’s assistance in the audio/visual preparation of her protest presentation. He shows up but Maureen doesn’t—leading to an undoubtedly uncomfortable situation between him and Joanne. The tension is pretty thick until they both realize the truth about Maureen (symbolized in their duet “Tango: Maureenâ€�). While Maureen once lusted after Mark and is now lusting after Joanne, it becomes clear, as the film progresses, that the love of Maureen’s life is Maureen herself. She talks a good game and appears to have the best of intentions—even committing to become Joanne’s life partner; but, as evidenced through a couple of instances of flirting as well as in her duet with Joanne “Take Me Or Leave Meâ€�, Maureen glories in her self-love. She even brags during the song about how both men and women have always been drawn to her beauty. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t give us a significant opportunity to witness Maureen “unmaskedâ€�. The film would have been strengthened by a deeper glimpse into Maureen’s psyche, forcing her to wrestle with the shame that drives her narcissism.
There’s only us
There’s only this
Forget regret or life is yours to miss
No other road
No other way
No day but today
Philippians 3: 12-15 (NIV) - I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things…
The finale of this musical challenges us to go forward in our own individual pursuits of purpose, freedom, and love. We are challenged to fully embrace the power of love and to let that love lead and guide us to our ultimate destiny in life. The vast writings of the Apostle Paul challenge us in the same manner. For nearly two millennia, God has spoken to us through his writings to boldly venture forth, get into the game, and seize the life that Christ has in store for us. Many of us have chosen to sit on the sidelines and to be content with an empty, mundane life. Even our relationships with Jesus Christ have suffered under this chasm of monotony. At the same time, we judge others—specifically gays and lesbians—for the manner in which they boldly and defiantly seize hold of the life and freedom that they desire. While this statement is not a personal endorsement of that particular lifestyle, it is a challenging statement. How many of us can truly say that we have vigorously and shamelessly pursued or taken hold of the purpose-driven, Christ-centered life using the same force and energy that gays and lesbians exhibit in their lives and struggles? We all know what the Bible says. But are we truly exhibiting the life that the Bible calls us to in the same manner that gays and lesbians exhibit their lives? Once again, that’s not an endorsing statement, but, for me personally, a shameful and convicting statement as I look at the fabric of my own life.
John 13:34-35 (NIV) – "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
If the 21st century church in America is going to bear any significant impact in the kingdom of God, we must go out into the world and minister His LOVE... and not just recite His words... to the Angels, the Mimis, the Rogers, Marks, Toms, Bennys, Joannes and Marueens who desperately need to her Jesus’ message of love. They’ve had plenty of Bible verses tossed upside their heads and force fed down their throats. But declaring Scripture is not ALL we’re called to do. The theme song of “Rentâ€� challenges us to measure our lives in seasons of love, similar to Christ's words above. Some of us Christians measure our lives in obedience to Christ’s words. But Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 13 that knowing and quoting Scripture and doing the stuff of Christ alone is empty, fruitless, and ultimately annoying. With love as our driving force, we should be compelled to meet others where they are and plant seeds of God’s love. It would be an awesome display of Christ’s love if we—instead of judging those who are homosexual, drug addicts and struggling with sin and personal identity crises—befriended and invested into the lives of these men and women to understand what compels them to live the lives that they live... and to boldly declare that Christ has another way—a BETTER WAY—to fulfill their long-burning desire for purpose, freedom and, above all else, love.
Rent has been a life-changing experience for me. I gladly place it as one of my top 10 movies of the year. Give it a chance and see the film through Christ’s eyes and heart. Perhaps He can change your life through this film as well.
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (musicals)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (musicals)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
"Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure – measure a year?
In daylights – In sunsets
In midnights – In cups of coffee
In inches – In miles
In laughter – In strife
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure
A year in the life
How about love?
Measure in love – Seasons of love"
As I watched this long-awaited film version of the Tony Award winning musical Rent, a war was going on within my soul. There were two different audiences within me, and both were watching the same film. Each one saw many different things. The conservative Christian in me saw a film ripe with wanton sexuality, graphic depictions of both male and female homosexuality, drug addiction, identity crises, flat-out rebellion and chaos. The more I watched, the more I began to squirm with discomfort and uneasiness. I could easily take the sin-hunting route and declare the film as a celebration of immorality; something created by “blue-state� residing, liberal-minded Hollywood as yet another attempt to disregard the principles of God in favor of soulless debauchery.John 8:7 (New International Version) - But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
1 Corinthians 6: 9-11 (NIV) - Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
But, the more I watched, I remembered my own sins and my own immorality. The more I watched, the more I saw myself. The more I saw myself, the easier it was for me to drop my sword of judgment. I was able to see the film for what it really was: a depiction and celebration of life. Not the rose-colored, “red-stateâ€� driven, Biblically-mandated ideal of what life should be; but, instead, a depiction of real American life in the 21st century. Whether we like it or not, whether we choose to accept it or not, the truth is that America—in 1989 (when the film is set) as well as 2005—is ripe with wanton sexuality, graphic depictions of both male and female homosexuality, drug addiction, identity crises, flat-out rebellion and chaos. Many of us have misconstrued Christ’s words as just cause to judge the world for such behavior. However, if we look deeper at the story and characters in the film—not to mention the various real-life counterparts of these characters with whom we interact daily—we are challenged to walk in Christ’s footsteps and offer them grace, compassion, and love.
The lyrics above are from the (unofficial) theme song of this film, “Seasons Of Love.� As I watched the film and meditated on those lyrics, I surrendered the “holy-roller� within me to the compassionate Christ-follower within. Why? Because that’s What Jesus Would Do. He would not see these characters as they are merely displayed on screen. He’d see their hearts. Jesus would see the truth that lies beneath their identity crises, the cross-dressing, the homosexuality, the heroin use, and their living conditions; He would clearly see that all of these characters were searching. Either through their songwriting or documentary filmmaking or their defiant protest-laden performance art or their pursuit of each other, they were searching for freedom, purpose, and above all else, love.
There’s not much difference between the characters in this story and us. We are also in pursuit of freedom, purpose and love. The characters in this story symbolize our search for freedom through the main plotline of the film. Their dwelling place is a New York City neighborhood full of old, abandoned lofts where they happily live rent free. The corporate owners of these lofts—which are slated for conversion into a cyber-arts studio—send their manager to evict the tenants. Said manager just so happens to be their former cohort turned arch-nemesis Benny (Taye Diggs). The neighborhood rallies together in protest of Benny’s bosses’ plans in the form of a defiant performance art presentation performed by Maureen (Idina Menzel). Her performance leads to, first, a riot started by the police, and, eventually, a celebration of their own freedom as well as just about every other act of freedom and rebellion—depicted in the rollicking number “La Vie Bohemeâ€�.
Our search for purpose is best symbolized in this film by aspiring filmmaker Mark (Anthony Rapp). Rarely is he ever seen without his hand-cranked film camera wishing, hoping, and searching for the opportunity to capture life’s moments on film. Not just the joyous moments, but the moments of sadness and suffering—best captured through his shots of homeless people throughout his neighborhood. His HIV-positive roommate Roger (Adam Pascal) is also searching for purpose; but his search is a different one. He is searching for the right lyrics to create the perfect song to leave his mark upon the earth before his reaches its short, rapidly approaching, inevitable end.
Lastly, the characters' search for love mirrors our own search. We are a generation who is so desperate and starved for love that we’ll take it anyway it comes. After a vicious mugging in the dark corner surrounding the lofts, Tom (Jesse L. Martin) finds the love that he’s been searching for in the form of Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia)—street corner musician by night, drag queen by day, afternoon, and evening. I will be honest: seeing the early stages of their romance play out on screen (highlighted by their duet “I’ll Cover Youâ€�) made that conservative Christian inside of me squirm and wriggle in major discomfort. But, as their storyline progressed, I saw something deeper than a blatant and graphic depiction of homosexuality. I saw two people who genuinely loved each other—(Begin Spoiler) which further made the resolution of their storyline all the more heartbreaking. One need not be gay or straight to understand the pain in Tom’s voice and the tears in his eyes when Angel’s fate is revealed. (End Spoiler)
For various reasons, we choose to abandon love and settle for substitutes. As the story progresses, we find out that Roger has made the choice to abandon love due to unfortunate circumstances around a woman he loved before. He later finds himself wrestling with the decision to resume his pursuit of love thanks to his downstairs neighbor Mimi (Rosario Dawson), an exotic dancer and heroin addict. Mimi subtly but aggressively makes her intentions known in the number “Light My Candle�. Roger, a recovering heroin addict himself, spurns her affections. But it’s clearly seen at the close of that number that Mimi has compelled him to reconsider his decision. Mimi clearly wants to give her heart to Roger. However, the stronghold of drugs and sex threatens to steal her soul and threatens the hope of romance with Roger.
Lastly, we revisit the revolutionary performance artist Maureen who has chosen to abandon real love to settle for the substitute that many of us wrestle with the most: narcissism and self-love. We discover at the onset of the film that Maureen has just dumped her boyfriend Mark for... a woman. Joanne (Tracie Thoms—the featured female voice in “Seasons Of Loveâ€�), a NYC attorney, is Maureen’s new love. Or so we think. Mark and Joanne meet unexpectedly when Maureen asks for Mark’s assistance in the audio/visual preparation of her protest presentation. He shows up but Maureen doesn’t—leading to an undoubtedly uncomfortable situation between him and Joanne. The tension is pretty thick until they both realize the truth about Maureen (symbolized in their duet “Tango: Maureenâ€�). While Maureen once lusted after Mark and is now lusting after Joanne, it becomes clear, as the film progresses, that the love of Maureen’s life is Maureen herself. She talks a good game and appears to have the best of intentions—even committing to become Joanne’s life partner; but, as evidenced through a couple of instances of flirting as well as in her duet with Joanne “Take Me Or Leave Meâ€�, Maureen glories in her self-love. She even brags during the song about how both men and women have always been drawn to her beauty. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t give us a significant opportunity to witness Maureen “unmaskedâ€�. The film would have been strengthened by a deeper glimpse into Maureen’s psyche, forcing her to wrestle with the shame that drives her narcissism.
There’s only us
There’s only this
Forget regret or life is yours to miss
No other road
No other way
No day but today
Philippians 3: 12-15 (NIV) - I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things…
The finale of this musical challenges us to go forward in our own individual pursuits of purpose, freedom, and love. We are challenged to fully embrace the power of love and to let that love lead and guide us to our ultimate destiny in life. The vast writings of the Apostle Paul challenge us in the same manner. For nearly two millennia, God has spoken to us through his writings to boldly venture forth, get into the game, and seize the life that Christ has in store for us. Many of us have chosen to sit on the sidelines and to be content with an empty, mundane life. Even our relationships with Jesus Christ have suffered under this chasm of monotony. At the same time, we judge others—specifically gays and lesbians—for the manner in which they boldly and defiantly seize hold of the life and freedom that they desire. While this statement is not a personal endorsement of that particular lifestyle, it is a challenging statement. How many of us can truly say that we have vigorously and shamelessly pursued or taken hold of the purpose-driven, Christ-centered life using the same force and energy that gays and lesbians exhibit in their lives and struggles? We all know what the Bible says. But are we truly exhibiting the life that the Bible calls us to in the same manner that gays and lesbians exhibit their lives? Once again, that’s not an endorsing statement, but, for me personally, a shameful and convicting statement as I look at the fabric of my own life.
John 13:34-35 (NIV) – "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
If the 21st century church in America is going to bear any significant impact in the kingdom of God, we must go out into the world and minister His LOVE... and not just recite His words... to the Angels, the Mimis, the Rogers, Marks, Toms, Bennys, Joannes and Marueens who desperately need to her Jesus’ message of love. They’ve had plenty of Bible verses tossed upside their heads and force fed down their throats. But declaring Scripture is not ALL we’re called to do. The theme song of “Rentâ€� challenges us to measure our lives in seasons of love, similar to Christ's words above. Some of us Christians measure our lives in obedience to Christ’s words. But Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 13 that knowing and quoting Scripture and doing the stuff of Christ alone is empty, fruitless, and ultimately annoying. With love as our driving force, we should be compelled to meet others where they are and plant seeds of God’s love. It would be an awesome display of Christ’s love if we—instead of judging those who are homosexual, drug addicts and struggling with sin and personal identity crises—befriended and invested into the lives of these men and women to understand what compels them to live the lives that they live... and to boldly declare that Christ has another way—a BETTER WAY—to fulfill their long-burning desire for purpose, freedom and, above all else, love.
Rent has been a life-changing experience for me. I gladly place it as one of my top 10 movies of the year. Give it a chance and see the film through Christ’s eyes and heart. Perhaps He can change your life through this film as well.
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (musicals)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
3 Comments:
i just wanted to say i thoroughly enjoyed your review of RENT and your fresh and open-minded approach to the entire issue. i, too, experienced similar issues while watching the film. i wrote a bit about it on my blog. i encourage you to check it out. thank you, again, for the courage to write openly and freely. blessings.....
andrew m. odom.
http://www.drewandbritt.org/?p=290
I regularly read your reviews of movies and I usually do see your perspectives. However, this review of RENT is by far my favorite review of yours. I think your statements are both bold and scripturally stable. I believe you have hit exactly on what this movie should mean to Christians. I was glad to read your review of the movie! I loved the movie and its story. Thank yoU!
I saw Rent the day that it opened and I bought it the day that it came out on dvd, and I agree 100% with your article. Not only do you post your opinions but you use scripture to back up your opinions. Althought it is not a "Christian" movie I believe that it is a movie that all christians should watch. Thank you for you bold stand on what you believe.
Praise Him,
Kylee
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