Rent

A group of artists in early nineties New York, living with AIDS and unable to pay rent. Adapted from Jonathan Larson's 1996 Broadway musical. The most notable decision is the casting: six of the eight original Broadway cast members returned, including Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal. The problem is that nearly a decade had passed and the actors were visibly older than the characters. Rosario Dawson was among the newcomers. Things changed on the way from stage to screen. Goodbye Love was filmed in full and only partly used, because Chris Columbus felt it was an emotional overload. Scenes showing April's suicide were cut for the same reason. On a 40 million dollar budget it grossed only 31.7 million worldwide, 29.1 million domestically and 2.6 million abroad. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 47 percent with a blunt consensus about weak direction, inescapable staginess and irritating faux-boho pretension. Roger Ebert praised the performances while saying the film needs an audience already familiar with the stage version. Who it is for: people who love the musical and want the original cast on screen. Who it is not for: newcomers. The film does not connect its songs, and from outside it looks scattered.