Okay. So being also Rent-obsessed, I very sensibly looked up reviews of it, and in this case the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is cooler than Focus on Family because the Catholics say this:
Director Chris Columbus has remained largely faithful to the original — and many of the original cast members reprise their roles here — while the dissolute lifestyles of some of the characters take second place to the overriding themes of love, connection and fellowship.
Yeah, that’s right. You heard them. Fel-low-ship. (I hate that word actually.) I’ve left out the part that comes after it because really why bother? I will just say that it mentions that there is “suggestive dancing and movement”. Suggestive movement. Watch out for the movement! It’s suggestive!
Focus on Family, however, does not beat around the bush. (Teehee.) They say:
Mimi performs an extremely suggestive dance in a skimpy leather bikini. She rubs her crotch [are they allowed to say crotch?] when a patron offers her a tip. (Similarly dressed women dance in the background.) During the musical number “Light My Candle” she makes a sexual come-on to Roger. (The song is full of sexual double entendres.)
(I like their parenthetical asides the best.)
Actually I like their sum-up the best. Ready for it?
There's no doubt that Larson (who died unexpectedly shortly before Rent premiered Off Broadway in 1996) was a skilled writer, and the music of Rent is particularly good. The lyrics, on the other hand, are often questionable, and Larson sneaks a degenerate worldview past undiscerning viewers by means of that great songwriting. Whether moviegoers are aware of it or not, they're being preached at. And this sermon contains a romanticized glorification of a lifestyle -- be if homosexuality or what should now be called neobohemianism -- that despite the movie's upbeat conclusions ends ultimately in hopelessness.
Ultimately in hopelessness. Focus on Family does not love the gays. You can read the review in full (and many more!) at Plugged In Online (here) or the Catholic one (here). Hurrah! Movie reviews are glorious!
2 comments:
Ooh, ooh, ooh. This is not by a religious person, but here is one of my favorite IMDb reviews ever. It’s of The Little Mermaid.
‘When I was a little kid, (when the movie was brand-new) I used to dance to the song, “Under the Sea.” Now I just avoid this movie altogether. I’m a guy, and guys like me really don’t like mushy movies, like this one. I found it a little dull, and King Triton was not a very nice “person” until near the end, when he turns Ariel back to a human.
‘Ursela was an interesting villain, but she got what she deserved. Her two eels, Flotsam and Jetsom, were sizzled and destroyed, thanks to Ariel, who forced Ursela to point the triton at them, instead of Eric.
‘Really, we would have been better off without a movie like this one. The songs are classified as “annoying” and the story is classified as “stupid.” My score: 2/10.’
(Can we use html in here?)
I am SO confused! Is the wretched lifestyle of the people in Rent caused by the fact that they’re gay? This is a frightful shock to me, I thought it was all about artists trying to be faithful to their art. Obviously Larson snuck this gay=poverty+drugs thing right past me while I was busy listening to the music. I feel like such a fool now.
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