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8->''"Five-hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,\
9five-hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear,\
10five-hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,\
11how do you measure, measure a year?"''
12
13A 1994 RockOpera musical adaptation of Giacomo Puccini's ''Theatre/LaBoheme'', ''RENT'' depicts a group of Alphabet City-based impoverished bohemians coping and cooperating in making the most out of whatever life they have left, all under cover of the looming, invisible, inevitable threat that is HIV/AIDS.
14
15The cast includes:
16* Mark Cohen: A down-on-his-luck Jewish-American documentarian. He is Maureen's ex-boyfriend and Roger's roommate. Owing to his profession as a filmmaker, Mark serves as a pseudo-narrator at several points of the play, framing scenes and providing explanations before the audience.
17* Roger Davis: A successful-in-a-past-life musician and former drug addict, intent on writing at least one more meaningful piece of music prior to his ever-encroaching death. Prior to the events of the show, he and his girlfriend April were diagnosed with HIV, driving her to commit suicide shortly after.
18* Mimi Marquez: A Hispanic-American exotic dancer and druggie. Like Roger, she's HIV-positive. Trying to pursue a relationship with him, their respective pasts, coupled with their outstanding circumstances, are that which get in the way. She and Angel are best friends.
19* Tom Collins: An HIV-positive philosophy professor described by Mark as a "computer genius, teacher, and vagabond anarchist who ran naked through the Parthenon". A former roommate of Mark and Roger's. He has a sexual relationship with....
20* Angel Dumott Schunard: A mischievous, HIV-positive street percussionist and DragQueen who falls in love with Collins. Debate rages over whether Angel is a transgender woman, [[DragQueen is just in it for the clothes and persona]], or is gender non-binary, even on this very wiki.
21* Maureen Johnson: A free-spirited, flirtatious, high-on-life bisexual performance artist who left Mark for Joanne.
22* Joanne Jefferson: A Harvard-educated lawyer and Maureen's girlfriend. The most straight-laced and straight-faced of the bunch.
23* Benjamin "Benny" Coffin III: Mark, Mimi, and Roger's roommate-turned-landlord, Mimi's ex-boyfriend, and the closest thing to an antagonist this show possesses. He used to be their roommate, until he married a real-estate heiress and "sold out". He has something of a {{Frenemy}} relationship with the others, seen as nothing more than yuppie trash and a sell-out.
24
25Notable for its revitalization of musical theatre among young people, its ground-breaking portrayal of people with AIDS, and its obsessive fanbase. Also notable for being one of a select number of musicals to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama.
26
27Like many stage musicals, ''RENT'' would eventually adapted into a feature film. Directed by Creator/ChrisColumbus, the 2005 adaptation featured most of the original Broadway cast reprising their roles, with the exceptions of Creator/RosarioDawson as Mimi, and Tracie Thoms as Joanne. Unlike the theatre production, it's a {{period piece}}, specifically established and set over a year from December 1989 to December 1990, whereas the original musical's time period was intentionally left ambiguous.
28
29The original cast would later reunite for a one night 10th Anniversary benefit concert on April 24, 2006.
30
31The original Broadway production was a LongRunner, having a healthy twelve-year run from April 29, 1996, to September 7, 2008; the final performance was filmed for home video, and was notable for having Tracie Thoms reprise her film role of Joanne, as well as having Rodney Hicks and Gwen Stewart, two members of the production's original cast at the New York Theatre Workshop, returning to be a part of the closing cast.
32
33A live television production, ''RENT: Live'', aired on Creator/{{Fox}} in January 2019, eleven years since the initial Broadway run ended. Among the cast of this production were Creator/JordanFisher as Mark, Music/{{Tinashe}} as Mimi, Creator/{{Valentina}} as Angel, Music/VanessaHudgens as Maureen, Creator/KierseyClemons as Joanne, and [[Film/TheGreatestShowman Keala Settle]] as the "Seasons of Love" soloist, while some of the original Broadway cast made [[RemakeCameo cameo appearances]] in the final number. Co-star Brennin Hunt (Roger) broke his ankle during the prior night's dress rehearsal, and there was no understudy prepared to take over from him. Since {{the show must go on}}, however, he was still able to perform in modified segments using a wheelchair on the actual night, but the television broadcast consisted mainly of footage from the dress rehearsal until the aforementioned grand finale.
34
35The poor reception of the special -- including the aforementioned lack of understudies and the resulting lack of live ''RENT'', and how it had to be heavily {{bowdleri|se}}zed to make it suitable for broadcast television -- resulted in Creator/{{NBC}} dumping its plans to broadcast a live version of another "mature" musical, ''{{Theatre/Hair}}'', in May, electing to focus more on "family-friendly" works instead.
36----
37!!''RENT'' provides examples of:
38* ActuallyPrettyFunny:
39** At the Life Support group, Gordon quips that he relies on fear because he's a New Yorker; that's what they know. Everyone in the film titters about this.
40** In the film, nearly every time the camera cuts away to Benny after a joke that he and his father-in-law are the butt of, he's trying to hide his smile. Most obvious during "Over The Moon" and after Maureen moons them during "La Vie Boheme".
41** Later on in the movie, Mark, Collins, and Mimi can't help but laugh when Benny reveals that he knew Angel killed his dog - and he didn't care because he always hated the dog anyway.
42* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: In the stage show, Mark takes Roger's leaving pretty hard, but the film ups it to the point that [[spoiler:it's implied that he's about to commit suicide before Roger comes back]].
43* AdaptationalContextChange: The film either confirms some implications from the stage show or switches things around for dramatic effect.
44** The events of act one take place over several days instead of just on Christmas Eve, meaning several events occur in the daytime instead of at close to midnight. As a result, Life Support has multiple meetings instead of one session, and several of them disappear over the course of the film as they die.
45** "You'll See" and "Today 4 U" are switched compared to the stage show, meaning that Benny makes his deal only to Mark and Roger rather than the whole group and the main conflict with him is introduced a bit earlier than in the show. It also means that by the time Angel meets the two, she and Collins have already been together for a day rather than less than an hour.
46** "Another Day" originally has the support group singing along in the final chorus, but they're clearly in two different locations - the group meeting spot and the loft. In the film, Collins, Angel, and Mark actually join Mimi on the street, turning the final chorus into a confrontation.
47** At the end of "Will I?", Roger leaves the stage to show that he's finally getting out of the loft, and while it's heavily implied that he went to the Life Support meeting, it's never explained where he actually went before he shows back up in "Christmas Bells". The film confirms this implication by having him leave the loft at the beginning of the song instead of the end, and he makes it to the group in time to sing the final verse.
48** The rework of the plot means that "Santa Fe" takes place in the subway instead of on the street, and, because Roger got out of the loft during "Will I?", he joins in on the song.
49** In the stage version of "La vie Boheme B", Joanne tells the group that a riot has broken out at the lot following Maureen's protest. In the film, the riot breaks out while the group is still there, forcing them to flee the scene and regroup at the cafe. This also means that we actually see Mark recording the riot, whereas in the show it's implied that he went back to the scene and recorded it after the group dinner. Additionally, how the riot starts is tweaked; in the show, Benny calls the cops after the protest and it escalates when the homeless refuse to leave, while in the film, the protestors actually instigate the riot by attacking the police present before it spirals out of control.
50** Roger and Mimi re-join the rest of the cast for "La vie Boheme B" rather than just kissing outside - in fact, their re-entrance kicks off the song.
51** "Take Me or Leave Me" originally only has Maureen and Joanne onstage, as it takes place while they're rehearsing Maureen's latest performance. In the film, it takes place during their engagement party, with the rest of the cast present to watch.
52** In the stage show, [[spoiler:Angel technically has two death scenes; while we actually witness her degenerate and die during "Without You", she actually exits the show in "Contact", giving her actor one more chance to go out in a blaze of glory. The film removes "Contact", meaning that Angel's death lacks any of the chaotic energy of the orgy scene and is instead an utterly somber affair where she dies in Collins's arms in a hospital bed]].
53** Roger and Mark's argument during "Goodbye Love" switches locations, going from [[spoiler:Angel's funeral]] to the loft. This allows their argument to happen while Roger is [[spoiler:packing up for Santa Fe, and he leaves immediately after; Mimi is also waiting outside the door instead of just off to the side, making her overhearing the argument without anyone noticing a bit more plausible. Roger and Benny also get to have one last interaction before he goes, as he leaves town as Benny walks in]].
54** "What You Own" in the film ends with Roger and Mark singing to each other on the apartment rooftop, whereas the stage script indicates that while they're singing the same lines, they're not actually in each other's presence. Additionally, [[spoiler:it's heavily implied that Mark was going to jump off his apartment rooftop before Roger came back]].
55** In both versions of "Finale B", [[spoiler:Angel gets to come back into the show, but the ways it happens are different. In the stage show, their actor simply comes back onstage during the ending and rejoins the cast, while in the film, it's done by having Mark's film end with a shot of Angel staring directly at the camera. The original draft of the film's ending was very similar to the stage version, with the narrative intercut with shots of the actors on the "Seasons of Love" set and Angel simply stepping back into her spot, but it was ultimately reworked when it confused test audiences]].
56* AdaptationalHeroism: Benny's portrayal is mostly more positive in the movie. In general he comes off as a lot less slimy and he doesn't constantly rub his previous relationship with Mimi in Roger's face. On the flipside, he [[spoiler:isn't shown paying for Angel's funeral or Mimi's rehab]], but those scenes were shot for the movie, just left out of the final cut.
57* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the film, the pastor at [[spoiler:Angel's funeral]] still interrupts the group as they're mourning so as to discuss payment, but he notably does so ''without'' using a homophobic slur in the process.
58* AdaptationalJerkass: In the stage show, Roger's anger at Mimi kissing him just before "Another Day" only leads to him yelling at her and kicking her out of the apartment. In the film, he actually follows her down the stairs until she leaves the building entirely, yelling at her all the while.
59* AdaptationDistillation: The film streamlines the story and cuts down extraneous bits, allowing for more focus on the main characters and their friendship. For example:
60** Instead of breaking up multiple times, Roger/Mimi and Joanne/Maureen only break up once, giving the break-ups much more emotional weight.
61** "Contact" is cut; Angel's illness instead is played alongside "Without You", which also shows the depth of Mimi's depression and disease and how she comes to rely more and more on Benny.
62** There is greater emphasis on the group's friendship, as well as the interpersonal relationships between individual characters (Mimi and Angel's friendship, for example, is given more focus).
63** In the original musical, the first act all takes place on Christmas Eve. In the film, the events are split into three nights. "Today 4 U" through "Will I?" take place on Christmas Day (hence the change in the lyric from "Christmas Day" to "New Year's Day" in "Out Tonight"), while Maureen's performance and "La Vie Boheme" take place the night after Christmas.
64** Unfortunately this works against Benny's character. His RedemptionQuest scenes in the second act (covering the cost of [[spoiler:Angel's funeral]] and Mimi's stay in rehab, encouraging Roger to get back together with her towards the end of the show) were cut from the film, making him a definitive antagonist, rather than having a complicated relationship with the others while still being their friend. The film arguably suffers for losing this nuance. Though it also removes the bit near the end showing that his wife found out about his infidelity. We also hear that he paid for Mimi's rehab, didn't demand the rent back or cut the power again, and was dialing Mark to ask if they found Mimi.
65** Cutting "Christmas Bells" in the movie removes the implication that Mimi got her AZT on the black market, making it seem as though an exotic dancer living in squalor could somehow afford a drug priced somewhere in the thousands.[[note]]In fact, most of the protests and riots during [[ThePlague the AIDS crisis]] were the result of a potential life-saving drug being made too expensive for the people with the illness, who felt that the Reagan administration were [[MurderByInaction simply waiting]] while [[KillThePoor sufferers went extinct]] rather than help them.[[/note]]
66*** Somewhat arguable that that was ever the implication. The drug dealer is shown to have baggies of heroin, and in a later scene does provide Mimi with heroin. AZT is never mentioned in direct connection with said drug dealer. Although, it is referenced in "Christmas Bells". In the flea market, the company shouts "AZT!". This can either be a reference to the characters taking their AZT breaks or the vendors are smuggling it. It's unclear but it's there.
67* AdaptationExpansion:
68** Nothing is noted in the musical about how Mark or the others will pay for the post-show party after the one waiter notes that the last time Mark visited, he didn't even have enough to pay for his tea. In the film version, Angel shoves a bunch of money at the waiter, some of what she had left from her hit on Evita.
69** Life Support meets more than once in the movie, whereas in the show they only meet during a single scene. There's even a montage during "Without You" that indicates that several of them have died over the year the movie takes place in.
70** Joanne goes with Mark for his meeting with Buzzline to make sure the terms are fair. She negotiates 3000 per video for him, with a sliding scale bonus. When Mark worries he's selling his soul, Joanne says nonsense, he's getting a living wage.
71* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: In the film, Maureen and Joanne actually get engaged before they go through their breakup in "Take Me or Leave Me".
72* AdaptationSpeciesChange: The animal that Angel (in this show) / Schaunard (her counterpart in ''Theatre/LaBoheme'') is hired to murder changes from an annoying parrot to an annoying dog.
73* AlternateShowInterpretation: In the script, Mark is the only character who is not specifically placed anywhere on the stage during "Without You" as [[spoiler:Angel dies. As a result, while most professional productions simply place him on the side of the stage, others place him by Collins' side as Angel dies, which drastically changes everything about his character from that moment onwards]].
74* AmbiguousGenderIdentity: Angel is AMAB[[note]]assigned male at birth[[/note]], dating a gay man, dresses like a drag queen, acts femininely, serves as one of the four women on the GenderEqualEnsemble (and sings in what is typically a female range), is hinted to prefer the pronoun "she" but apparently doesn't mind masculine pronouns, and plays at being "brothers" with Collins during "La Vie Boheme." Her actual gender is never explicitly stated, so it's entirely up to the actor, director, and perhaps audience. Mark refers to Angel with male pronouns at one point before correcting himself (and it's common in productions to have Angel give him a glare to force the switch), Collins uses both genders when referring to them (saying both "Sing it, girl" and "I like boys" while referring to Angel), and even Angel themself got in on it offstage by referring to herself as "more man than you'll ever be and more woman than you're ever gonna get".
75* AnachronismStew: The play doesn't have a set time period and premiered on Broadway in 1996, but the movie is set in 1989–90. As a result, Benny and Collins both talk about the Internet somewhat prophetically, since it didn't start becoming mainstream until the mid-'90s. The same is true for Angel referencing ''Film/ThelmaAndLouise'' a year before it was released. Mark's film montage at the end contained a mural painted on a wall for deceased Latin music legend Music/CeliaCruz... more than a decade before her death.
76* ArcWords: "I should tell you," generally in reference to Roger and Mimi's relationship.
77** The title, [[TitleDrop of course]]. See DoubleMeaningTitle below.
78* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Roger gives one to Mimi during "Another Day":
79-->'''Roger''': ''Excuse me if I'm off track''
80-->''But if you're so wise, then tell me: Why do you need smack!?''
81* AscendedExtra: In ''Rent Live!'', the life support counselor is featured much more prominently, and is even given the honor of singing Joanne's solo in "Seasons of Love" (which seems fitting, considering that she's played by [[Film/TheGreatestShowman Keala Settle]]).
82* AudienceParticipation: "Moo with me!"
83* AutoTune: Peppered throughout the movie soundtrack, to the distaste of many fans, since the majority of the cast were Broadway pros who didn't need their voices sound-sweetened.
84* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: [[spoiler:For a heroin addict about to die of AIDS and/or an overdose, Mimi looks pretty good in the finale. Meanwhile Angel, who was assigned male at birth, has lesions on her face before she dies.]]
85* BigApplesauce: The show takes place in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity; specifically in Alphabet City, East Village.
86* BigNo: Roger in "Finale A".
87* BisexualLoveTriangle: Alluded to in the film version when Maureen storms out of her and Joanne's engagement party after an argument about a woman checking her out. Maureen's parents turn to Mark, asking him if he'll now get back together with her. While Mark is respectful of his ex's relationship, her parents are enforcing the love triangle to give Maureen a straight option (this is 1990, after all).
88* BittersweetEnding: The musical ends on an optimistic note, but half the characters have HIV/AIDS, so it's really only a matter of time until something like this happens again. Mark frets about being the only one left alive, and resolves to memorialize his friends in film. [[spoiler:WordOfGod is that Mimi died soon after the end of the story.]] Also, it's possible that Benny (and by association, his wife Allison) are living on borrowed time as well, if we interpret his relationship with Mimi as a sexual one.
89* BookEnds: The first song in the show has Mark start his camera with "''December 24th, 9 PM, Eastern Standard Time...''" while the final song has Mark start his camera with "''December 24th, 10 PM, Eastern Standard Time...''"
90* {{Bowdlerise}}: The 2019 live telecast removes several swear words from the script, most notably the f-bombs in "Tango Maureen". Benny's "Do you really want a neighborhood where people piss on your stoop every night?" had "piss" changed to "puke," Angel's "Times are shitty" got changed to "Times ain't pretty," and the homeless woman calls out Mark with a scoff and "Artists" instead of calling out "This town is full of motherfucking artists!" It also cut down heavily on the presence of the drug dealer and his buyers in "Christmas Bells", despite the fact that the lines asking for different drugs remains at the climax of the number when all the parts are overlapping.
91** The "Clit Club" Maureen mentions before "Take Me or Leave Me" gets changed to "Pandora's Box" as a DoubleEntendre StealthPun.
92** "La Vie Boheme" replaced the word "dildos" with "latex," which actually alliterates better in the lyrics ("To leather, to latex..."). However, the "To faggots, lezzies, dykes" lyrics that often get changed for school productions remained intact.
93* BreakupSong: "Take Me or Leave Me". In the film, Joanne and Maureen fight during their engagement party and they end up calling off the engagement because of their clashing personalities. However, in the stageplay, it's during a rehearsal for another protest Maureen forced Joanne to direct.
94* BrokenBird: A male example with Roger. In "One Song Glory," we see the pain he's bottling inside.
95* CastFullOfGay: Maureen is bisexual; Mark, Roger, Mimi, and Benny are straight. Joanne is either gay or bi, Collins and most likely Angel are. In some of the original notes, Mark was also flamingly bisexual, as Roger mentions to Mimi that Mark slept with half the guys in his film class.[[note]]Unfortunately, these notes have not been publically shared, and can only be seen by visiting the Library of Congress.[[/note]]
96* CerebusSyndrome: Though the first act has dark moments involving some of the protagobists' struggles with HIV and about the plight of New York's homeless, there is almost always a layer of humor, however cynical over it. And even when the cast quarrel, they tebd to make up fast. Act 2 focuses more on the characters' dysfunctions and how they clash with each other, with reconciliation coming less and less easily. And after [[spoiler:Angel's death]], humor basically disappears for the rest of the show.
97* CharacterDevelopment: Roger {{defrost|ingIceQueen}}s, Mark is given some depth in "Halloween" and "Goodbye Love," Maureen gets a little less promiscuous and clingy after "Goodbye Love" (or at least, is willing to try harder to stay faithful to Joanne).
98* ColdTouchSurprise: In "Light My Candle", Mimi and Roger, residents of the unheated Alphabet City, meet on Christmas Eve and start flirting. When they finally touch, they have the following exchange:
99-->'''Roger''': ''Cold hands''
100--> '''Mimi:''' ''Yours too [[BiggerIsBetterInBed Big]]. Like my father's''.
101* CondescendingCompassion: At one point, after Mark intervenes to help a homeless woman being harassed by the police by filming their encounter, she angrily rejects his assistance by accusing him of just trying to appropriate and exploit her unfortunate circumstances as inspiration for his art rather than acting out of any sincere desire to help.
102-->'''Blanket Person''': ''WHO the fuck do you think you are?\
103I don't need no goddamn help from some\
104Bleeding heart cameraman. My life's not\
105For you to make a name for yourself on!''\
106'''Angel''': ''Easy, sugar, easy...\
107He was just trying to--''\
108'''Blanket Person''': ''Just trying to use me to kill his guilt!\
109It's not that kind of movie, honey! Let's go:\
110This lot is '''full''' of motherfucking artists!!''\
111({{beat}})\
112'''Blanket Person''' (spoken): Hey, artist: You got a dollar?\
113'''Mark''': (''guilty silence'')\
114'''Blanket Person''': Huh. I thought not.
115* CulturallySensitiveAdaptation: ''RENT: LIVE'' edited the 1995 musical to get rid of dated or unintentionally problematic issues:
116** It changed a line in "Happy New Year" where Maureen sings about wanting to be Joanne's slave to her simply promising to be good to Joanne.
117** Due to a shifting understanding of gender identity since the 1990s, Angel's AmbiguousGenderIdentity was updated to be more obviously transgender instead of a drag queen. Angel affirms during "I'll Cover You" that she feels the most like herself in feminine clothing, and Mark no longer refers to her as a drag queen during [[spoiler:her funeral]]. Collins also consistently refers to Angel as "she" instead of "he."
118* CulturalTranslation: The play changes a lot things from its source material, ''La Bohéme'' in order to apply a SettingUpdate. For example, Marcello the painter becomes Mark the filmmaker, the Latin Quarter becomes Alphabet City, tuberculosis becomes AIDS, etc.
119* DarkReprise: The literal reprise of "I'll Cover You" sends 97% of people into either quiet, manageable tears or full-blown hysterics.
120* DeathByAdaptation:
121** [[spoiler:This version of Schaunard (Angel) dies of complications from AIDS, unlike the original Schaunard from ''Theatre/LaBoheme''.]]
122** [[spoiler:Mimi is KilledOffForReal at the climax of the Dutch production.]]
123** In the film, it's shown that several of the Life Support members pass away over the year the movie takes place in, with "Without You" showing a montage of them disappearing from the sessions; in the show, they simply disappear after their one scene.
124* DefrostingIceKing: Roger starts out the play depressed and shut-in due to his HIV diagnosis and [[TheLostLenore his girlfriend's suicide]], but over the course of the musical, he falls for Mimi and gets out again, rediscovering his ability to love.
125* DidIMentionItsChristmas: The play spans two Christmas Eves as well as one [[NewYearHasCome New Year's Eve]], though the holidays are rather incidental to the plot.
126* DiedInYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler:Angel. This almost happens to Mimi, too. See below.]]
127* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler:Mimi (except in the Dutch production), who is saved through ThePowerOfRock... alongside a heavy dose of FridgeLogic[=/=]slight MindScrew. Being brought from the freezing street to a warm room probably helped, too.]]
128* DistantDuet: In "What You Own", Mark's in New York, Roger's in Santa Fe, and they meet for the final verse on the roof of their apartment building.
129* DoubleMeaningTitle: It refers to the rent that Mark and Roger can't pay, and to the general feeling of being torn (i.e., "rent") apart. And the third meaning, as suggested by "I'll Cover You" and "What You Own" -- nothing is owned in this life, only rented. Including life itself.
130* DownerEnding: The Dutch production apparently did not like how [[spoiler:Mimi seemed to be brought back to life by the power of love. So in that one, she really ''does'' die. And after she gets carried off stage by the other characters, Mark stands on stage and sings a cynical rendition of the finale]]. This was approved by the licensors and everything.
131* DragQueen: Angel, who is usually played by a male actor, wears women's clothes and alternates between he/him and she/her pronouns, although it's not clear if she's a cis male drag queen, a trans woman, or nonbinary/genderfluid.
132* DrivenToSuicide: The dog, Evita. In the backstory, Roger's girlfriend April.
133** "One Song" hints that Roger is contemplating this, since after he finishes his song there will be "No need to endure anymore."
134* DuetBonding: Mimi and Roger especially, though there are several examples.
135** All in all, there are ''six or seven'', depending on your exact definition: "Light My Candle", "I Should Tell You", and arguably "Another Day" for Mimi and Roger; "You Okay, Honey?" and "I'll Cover You" for Angel and Collins ("Santa Fe" could be considered one, as it does feature Mark and Roger, but is mainly focused on Angel and Collins); "Tango: Maureen" for Mark and Joanne; and "What You Own" for Mark and Roger.
136* DwindlingParty: Showed heartbreakingly in the film during "Without You". During the onstage of various Life Support meetings, we see the members vanish one by now. Then it ends with [[spoiler:Angel dying, which leads to the friend group breaking up]].
137* TheElevenOClockNumber: "What You Own."
138* EnsembleCast: While Mark is the narrator and thus the story is told from his perspective, all eight of the principal cast are treated relatively equally in the narrative.
139* EvenTheGuysWantHim: In the DVD commentary, Chris Columbus and Anthony Rapp speculate that the true reason some viewers left the theater during the "I'll Cover You" scene is because they had difficulty coping with their own desire for Wilson Jermaine Heredia and his fantastic legs.
140* EveryoneHasStandards:
141** In the film, Joanne pushes Mark down while they're tango-dancing. It turns out when he lay on the ground for a few minutes, she checked on him, asking if he was okay.
142** Even though he inadvertently starts the fight [[spoiler:after Angel's funeral]], Benny tag-teams with Mark in an attempt to break it up out of respect for Collins.
143* {{Expy}}: Every single major character is a personality Expy to a character (or two, in the case of Joanne and Benny) in ''Theatre/LaBoheme''.
144** Mark is Marcello, the painter
145** Roger is Rodolfo, the poet
146** Mimi is Mimì, the seamstress
147** Collins is Colline, the philosopher
148** Angel is Schaunard, the musician
149** Maureen is Musetta, the other musician
150** Joanne is Alcindoro/partially Marcello
151** Benny is Benoît and also the Viscount, a character cut from the final version of the opera and thus only alluded to.
152* FaceHeelTurn: Apparently Benny if we believe Mark and Roger.
153* FamilyOfChoice: The main characters, most of whom are isolated from their families and other friends. All but Joanne are desperately poor, half of them suffer from AIDS and the relationships between the couples are rocky at the best of times, but they support each other and won't let any of the group go through it alone.
154* {{Fanservice}}: The only reason why, in the film, "Out Tonight" is performed while Mimi is at work instead of at her apartment like in the play. Maureen also suits this, what with her skin-tight near see-through leather catsuit, and flashing her butt.
155-->''It's a living.''
156* FemmeFatale: Maureen.
157** Zigzagged with Mimi. It's the persona she adopts for "Light My Candle" and "Out Tonight," but "I Should Tell You" shows her vulnerability and her desire for a trusting relationship with Roger. Then she makes Roger question her loyalty by reconnecting with Benny and ultimately getting back together with him even though he's still married. It's up to the audience whether Roger has a right to be wary of her or if that's just his excuse not to open up to her.
158* {{Foreshadowing}}: Possibly FridgeBrilliance here, but Mimi singing the Support Group's mantra in Another Day [[spoiler:is possibly an early indication of her being HIV positive]].
159** And the line [[spoiler:"The way that she dies"]] in "Seasons of Love" could refer to [[spoiler:Mimi's near death and/or Angel's real death.]]
160* TheFilmOfThePlay: [-FEATURING-]: Most of the original Broadway cast members!
161** The producers recognized that, for the most part, the original cast had aged well enough in 10 years that they could all take their original roles. Fredi Walker, the original Joanne, thought she was too old for her role, but made sure they didn't RaceLift her part. Daphne Rubin-Vega, the original Mimi, was pregnant at the time of production.
162* FirstPersonPeripheralNarrator: Mark acts as the narrator. There really is no central character.
163* FlawlessToken: It might be a coincidence, but the four canonically minority characters (Benny, Collins, Joanne, and Mimi) are the only ones with stable jobs. Also, the only healthy and unconditionally loving relationship is between two gay men.
164* FriendsRentControl: Mark and Roger's apartment is ''huge''. No wonder they can barely afford to live there. In the stage version, it's stated that there is no heat or electricity, so they have an illegal wood-burning stove and an extension cord which is stealing power from elsewhere. Benny promised them a rent-free stay, which he then went back on, sticking them with a year of back-rent.
165* FriendlyAddressPrivileges: "Tom. Friends call me Collins."
166* FunnyAnsweringMachine:
167** Mark and Roger saying "speeeeeaak" together in a bored tone in songs such as Voice Mail #1.
168** The New York Theatre Workshop version of RENT has another funny voicemail that never made the final cut.
169--> '''Collins:''' We went to steal an air conditioner.
170--> '''Angel:''' We'll be right back.
171* FunnyBackgroundEvent:
172** Easy to miss, but in the Hollywood Bowl performance, Mark is seen [[RagingStiffie crossing his legs]] while Maureen acts out suckling on the cow's udder by sucking her thumb suggestively.
173** In the 2005 film performance: When Maureen dons a pair of silver shades to imitate Benny, Benny removes his and hides them in his jacket.
174* HardTruthAesop:
175** Using real people in your art is not cool, especially when they fail to give consent. Mark gets reamed out by a homeless woman after he uses his camera to stop a cop from harassing her because a dollar for food would help more than an "artist". Afterward, he only makes the documentary about his friends as a living memory of them, but nearly gives up on realizing they aren't art, and they ''are'' going to die.
176** People are going to change, and you may lose your friendships with them in the process. Benny "changes" after he marries Allison and demands rent from his friends, knowing very well he can't pay. After [[spoiler:Angel dies]], the original group breaks up while calling each other out for their flaws and ignoring Mark and Benny's pleas to stop.
177* HeadTurningBeauty: Maureen sings that she's been looked at and seen as attractive by her peers for most of her life: "Ever since puberty / Everybody stares at me / Boys, girls, I can't help it, baby!"
178* TheHeart: Angel in general. Mimi to Roger. Mark a bit.
179* HeelFaceTurn: Benny kinda-sorta reconciles with the other characters. The film almost entirely excises this by removing two key scenes.
180* HeterosexualLifePartners: Roger and Mark. "What You Own" is their duet and ends with ''spectacular'' harmony and a big hug between them. Director Chris Columbus says this is why their duets were removed from the film, as their friendship seemed more naturalistic and believable when they're allowed to just talk to each other.
181* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Mimi, though she's an exotic dancer rather than a prostitute.
182* HowWeGotHere: In the original Broadway version, Mark is on stage with just his camera and sings the beginning part of Halloween: "How did we get here, how the hell? Pan left, /Close on the steeple of the church/How did we get here, how the hell?/Christmas. Christmas Eve, last year" which goes straight into Voicemail #1. However, it was later removed from the show in most Broadway productions.
183* {{Hypocrite}}: During their fight in "Take Me Or Leave Me", Maureen and Joanne sing about how they refuse to change and demand that the other accept them the way they are, while at the same time criticizing each other's flaws.
184* ImColdSoCold: Mimi complains of being cold in the finale, where she appears to be on the edge of death but subverted in that she doesn't actually die.
185* IncomingHam:
186** In "Christmas Bells", for Maureen.
187--->'''Maureen:''' Joanne, which way to the stage?!
188** And before "Today 4 U,"
189--->'''Collins:''' MERRY CHRISTMAS, [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch BITCHES!!]]
190* InsistentTerminology: Mimi is an S&M dancer, not a stripper. Making that mistake in front of the wrong fan can be [[BerserkButton hazardous to your safety]].
191* IronicEcho: "I'll cover you." The first time, it's part of an extended metaphor about a pair of lovers providing shelter for each other. The next time, [[spoiler:it's about filling in a grave]].
192* IrrelevantActOpener: "Seasons Of Love". The show's most iconic tune also has almost nothing to do with the narrative outside of the notion of a year of time passing (as it does in Act II). It's mostly a thematic keynote. Some purists were annoyed when it was used as the ''Act 1'' overture for the film instead, but Chris Columbus pointed out -- [[DumbassHasAPoint correctly]] -- that its entire point is to set the stage, and that it does so better than any of the show's other songs do.
193* IWantSong: "Santa Fe" and "One Song Glory".
194* JewishAndNerdy: Mark.
195* KarmaHoudini: In the movie, [[spoiler:Benny's wife never finds out about his affair with Mimi. Though on the other hand, the affair is given much less focus in general.]]
196* KickTheDog: During their argument in "Goodbye Love", Roger and Mark both throw out some pretty harsh accusations, but Roger is ''easily'' the more cruel of the two. He responds to Mark convincing him to [[spoiler:not leave Mimi behind by taking off to Santa Fe]] by rubbing in how Mark hides his emotions and failures in his work, and when Mark finally confesses that it's because he's terrified to eventually watch Roger die, Roger only responds "poor baby".
197* LadykillerInLove: Arguably Maureen with Joanne, at least by show's end.
198* LargeHam: Three words: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_118BHpkli8 Over]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbyj-HZGZG4 The]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QH4HpoamIQ&feature=related Moon.]]
199-->'''Maureen:''' 'THE ONLY WAY OUT IS UP!' Elsie whispered to me.
200* LastNameBasis: (Tom) Collins.
201* LeFilmArtistique: Mark's raison d'être.
202* LingerieScene: Mimi takes off her silver robe for her black bra and panties at the beginning of "Out Tonight" in the film adaptation.
203* ListSong:
204** "La Vie Boheme".
205** "Seasons of Love".
206* TheLostLenore: April, Roger's dead girlfriend, whose suicide triggers the depression we find him at the play's start. [[spoiler:In the theatre version, Mark notes that April [[DrivenToSuicide slit her wrists in their bathroom]], leaving a note saying only, "We've got AIDS." The film isn't quite that explicit.]]
207* LoveTriangle: Mark, Joanne, and Maureen as well as Roger, Mimi, and Benny. The movie also gives us Mark, Roger, and Mimi subtext.
208* MagicalQueer: Angel.
209* ManHug: Mark and Roger on several occasions, most notably at the end of "What You Own".
210* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Mimi to Roger, Mark to Roger, Maureen to Joanne, and Angel to everyone.
211* MarriedToTheJob: Mark. As Roger rants at him: "Mark's has got his work, they say Mark lives for his work, and Mark's in love with his work..." Of course, [[SurvivorGuilt there's a reason]]...
212* TheMasochismTango: The tango... Maureen. Mark and Joanne discuss this, how this is what makes Maureen alluring and dangerous.
213* MatingDance: "Contact".
214* MeaningfulEcho:
215** "Another Day", "Without You", and "Will I" were all given this treatment in the finale. ''At the same time.''
216** Some of "Today 4 U" is reprised far more sexily during "Contact."
217** During Finale A, Roger and Mimi echo "Another Day," "Light My Candle," and "I Should Tell You." "I Should Tell You" is also echoed briefly in "Your Eyes" and in "Goodbye Love" in the sung-conversation between Mark and Roger, right before he says "I'll call." More Roger / Mark subtext, anyone?
218** During Finale B, Roger meaningfully echoes [[spoiler:"Thank God this moment's not the last", a much-needed nod to "Another Day"]].
219* MeaningfulFuneral:
220* MeaningfulName:
221** Angel, of course.
222** Also, many characters' names are modernizations of their counterparts from La Boheme.
223* MisterMuffykins: Evita, Benny's wife's dog (at least the yappy part).
224* MindScrew: "Contact": It's kind of a stage-wide orgy that is also a metaphor both for [[spoiler:Angel's death]] and for the barriers people put up between each other. It never fails to confuse the hell out of everyone the first time around.
225* TheMusical: Rent is the late parts of TheEighties and the early parts of TheNineties condensed and put to an [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic awesome soundtrack]].
226* MythologyGag: While the movie has them change several times, certain stage costumes make appearances throughout the movie. The most notable ones being Mark's sweater during "La Vie Boheme" and then Angel and Mimi's outfits on New Year's. Angel's is the one she wears during "New Year's Eve" in the stage version and Mimi's is her first act outfit, complete with spandex pants and leopard print boots.
227* NewYearHasCome: "Seasons of Love".
228* NiceToTheWaiter: A rare case where the antagonist is better at this than the heroes are. The waiters at the Life Cafe mention that Mark and his friends have a habit of not paying for their meals; in the film at least, Angel does pay them for the food they ordered. Benny, in contrast, makes it a habit to pay for everything he buys, and [[spoiler:covers Angel's funeral, as well as Mimi's rehab]]. He says that he was wanting to give more to the community by refurbishing it.
229* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: The tabloid news show that Mark briefly works at does a piece on "vampire welfare queens who are compulsive bowlers."
230* NoBisexuals: Maureen is constantly referred to as a lesbian, though she is actually bisexual, having dated both mend and women and is Mark's ex. Jonathan Larson referred to her as a lesbian in the original script, but he was later corrected by lesbian friends who noted that she wouldn't have dated Mark if she was a lesbian. Most of the characters still refer to her as a lesbian, but that can be chalked up to bisexual identity not being as commonly promoted at the time. Historically, 'lesbian' was often used to refer to women who had relationships with women regardless of whether they also had relations with men.
231* OddFriendship: Though they spend most of their first meeting rather cold towards each other due to Joanne dating Mark's ex, they bond over her treatment of them both, and on New Years Eve are instantly on the same wavelength for breaking into Mark and Roger's sealed off apartment by scaling up the side with rope. Maureen is rather uncomfortable with how fast they became friends.
232--> '''Mark:''' We can hoist a line--
233--> '''Joanne:''' To the fire escape--
234--> '''Mark:''' And tie off at--
235--> '''Mark and Joanne:''' That bench!
236--> '''Maureen:''' I can't take them being chums.
237* OriginalCastPrecedent: Mark and Mimi are stated to be respectively Jewish and Hispanic, but the races of the other characters are pretty much determined by those of the original cast members despite race being incidental. Thus, Joanne, Collins, and Benny are always black, Angel always Hispanic, and Maureen and Roger always white, at least in professional American productions where a variety of people are available.
238* OnlySaneMan:
239** Some (particularly detractors) see Benny as this, since he is one of the only characters who plans for the future and tries to hold down a job.
240** Mark sees himself as this.
241* OppositesAttract: {{Deconstructed}} with Maureen and Joanne. In "Take Me or Leave Me", they have an argument concerning their different personalities and upbringings as well as Maureen's flirtatious behavior. The song ends with them breaking up because they can't be together anymore.
242* ThePowerOfRock: How they [[spoiler:save Mimi]].
243* PairTheSpares: An inter-textual example. In ''Theatre/LaBoheme'', Colline and Schaunard are the only characters without a romance, so here their equivalent characters are made a couple.
244* PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure: Angel's funeral. Mimi and Roger's relationship seems to have ended for good, Mark and Roger alienate because of Roger running off to Santa Fe, and Collins isn't happy that all the drama was brought to the funeral -- something he knew Angel would've never wanted. [[ZigZagged However]], Maureen and Joanne reconcile for good, and Benny begins to turn back to his friends, footing the bill for Angel's funeral, and admitting to Collins he never really liked the dog Angel [[DrivenToSuicide drove to suicide]].
245* PrecisionFStrike: Also the only two F-bombs left in TheFilmOfThePlay.
246-->'''Joanne:''' This is weird.\
247'''Mark:''' So weird...\
248'''Joanne:''' Very weird...\
249'''Mark:''' Fucking weird!
250:::And then later in the same song...
251-->'''Joanne:''' She cheated!\
252'''Mark:''' She cheated.\
253'''Joanne:''' Maureen cheated!\
254'''Mark:''' Fucking cheated!
255* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Mark gets a pretty good one from a homeless lady who feels he's exploiting her plight to make his movie.
256** "Goodbye Love" is basically this for everyone, with Mimi and Roger fighting, Joanne and Maureen fighting, Roger and Mark fighting, and Collins telling all of them off for not being able to hold it off just for today.
257* RecursiveCanon: The fact that Mark mentions Musetta's Waltz means that ''Theatre/LaBoheme'' exists within the world of this musical, which is based on it.
258* RecycledINSPACE: Puccini's ''Theatre/LaBoheme'' [-IN MODERN DAY NEW YORK!-]
259* RichSuitorPoorSuitor: Roger and Benny, to Mimi. One's a poor, HIV-positive songwriter, the other's a married landlord.
260* RockOpera
261* RummageSaleReject: The entire cast.
262* RunningGag:
263** This one:
264--->'''Roger:''' Muffy-
265--->'''Benny/Mark:''' [[AccidentalMisnaming Allison...]]
266** The constant puns with Mimi's name and the word "me", seen at least in "Light My Candle", "La Vie Boheme A", and "Goodbye Love".
267* SayMyName: In "Your Eyes": "MIMIIIII!"
268* SelfParody: Dating back to the New York Theatre Workshop in 1994, "Right Brain" was what is now "One Song Glory", and many fans either feel like vomiting or laughing when they [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiH29pTi5nA hear it]], for very obvious reasons.
269* SettingUpdate: See RecycledINSPACE above.
270* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: In the song "Happy New Year", Benny sings "Does your boyfriend know who your last boyfriend was?" and Roger responds "I'm not her boyfriend! I don't care what she does!"
271* ShootTheDog: Angel, somewhat literally.
272* SidekickSong: "Today 4 U" for Angel, "Santa Fe" for Collins, "Over the Moon" for Maureen.
273* SnowMeansLove: In the film version, snow falls as Mimi and Roger stand outside the cafe after Maureen's protest and finally admit they could have a real relationship together.
274* SparedByTheAdaptation: Mimi survives at the end (except in the Dutch production), unlike the original Mimi from ''Theatre/LaBoheme''.
275* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Maureen's flimsy justification for being unable to stop cheating is that everybody's attracted to her and she can't help it.
276* SomewhereAMammalogistIsCrying: Evita the little yappy dog is specifically mentioned to be an akita, for rhyming reasons. Akitas are a large breed, reaching 100 lbs or more, though it is implied Evita is still a puppy. Still, keeping an akita in a 23rd story apartment is somewhat questionable.
277* StepfordSmiler: Mark. While he's always attempting to be [[ManicPixieDreamGirl Roger's happy, supportive best friend]], the song "Halloween" marks him (pun intended) as someone contemplative, mournful, and terrified of the reality of his situation. Roger even calls him out for this, how he appears to be making himself numb while encouraging the others to feel.
278-->'''Mark:''' [[TearJerker/{{Rent}} ♫ And when I capture it on film, will it mean that it's the end and I'm alone? ♫]]
279* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: In the movie, Joanne pushes Mark to a concrete floor hard during "The Tango Maureen". He seems to get up to finish an elaborate dance routine with her, along with Maurren and a bunch of backup dancers. Then we get a DaydreamSurprise and SmashCut to reality, where Mark is laying on the floor, revealing the whole thing was a hallucination. Joanne's even worried she hurt him badly and helps him to his feet.
280* SurvivorGuilt: Mark knows he's probably going to outlive all of his friends, which is a serious downer. He finally confesses this to Roger in an attempt to get him to [[spoiler:not drive off to Sante Fe]], which Roger spits on by pointing out that ''he's'' the one who's actually going to die.
281--> '''Roger''': Poor ''baby''.
282* {{Symbolism}}: Mark and Roger {{invoke|d}} this during the song "Rent" while burning their old material to keep warm after the heater goes out.
283-->'''Mark:''' The music ignites the night with passionate fire.\
284'''Roger:''' The narrative crackles and pops with incendiary wit.
285* TheThreeFacesOfAdam: Roger is The Hunter, Mark is The Lord, and Collins is The Prophet.
286* TheThreeFacesOfEve: Joanne is The Wife, Maureen is The Seductress, and Mimi is The Child.
287* TragicAIDSStory: Many characters have and die from the disease, the most prominent being Angel. Mimi, a drug addict, comes close, and likely dies soon after the play ends, but still makes it to the final curtain. Roger's ex-girlfriend killed herself because she didn't want to live with it shortly before the events of the musical, and Roger himself suffers depression from it. The message implied was that Angel was TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth.
288* TriumphantReprise: "Finale B", for "Another Day", "Without You", and "Will I?"
289%% * TrueCompanions: This is the overall relationship of the main characters.
290* {{Tuckerization}}: The members of Life Support meeting are named after Jonathan Larson's friends who died of AIDS. The script encourages the production to rename any characters after anybody who the production knows dies of AIDS.
291%% * UnreliableNarrator: Mark.
292* UptightLovesWild: Joanne and Maureen, a prim, proper by-the-book lawyer and a free-spirited, spontaneous performance artist.
293* VillainSong: "You'll See" is Benny describing his
294* WhamLine: A few, including:
295** "AZT Break." Mimi reveals that she's also HIV positive, which convinces Roger to take a chance on her.
296** After "Contact": Collins' "...it's over." This leads into [[spoiler:Angel's funeral]] and every member of the cast becomes distraught.
297** From "Happy New Year": It's revealed that [[spoiler:Benny]] used to date Mimi.
298-->"But does your boyfriend know who your last boyfriend was?"
299* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Benny disappears from the movie adaptation after the funeral scene. Everything from him paying [[spoiler:for Angel's funeral and Mimi's rehab]] to his [[spoiler:wife finding out he cheated on her and dragging him away]] doesn't occur or even get mentioned, though the former things were filmed, just cut out of the final release.
300* WhatTheHellHero: A homeless woman delivers a scathing one to Mark, rightly pointing out that he's only using her plight to make a name for himself and kill some of his guilt, since filming her like an animal on the Discovery Channel doesn't solve any of her problems. This actually causes him to rethink his movie plans, refocusing it on his friends battling AIDS.
301* WholePlotReference: To ''Theatre/LaBoheme'', of course: Angel's last is name Schaunard, the name of the character she was modeled after. Collins is Collin, Mark is Marcello, Mimi (just guess), etc. They all have jobs roughly equivalent to their operatic counterparts, Mark being a filmmaker while Marcello was a painter, etc.
302** The use of "Musetta's Waltz" (the song Roger keeps playing on his guitar), referenced in the line from "La Vie Boheme A": "And Roger will attempt to write a bittersweet, evocative song ... (Roger plays) ... that doesn't remind us of Musetta's Waltz."
303** The lines "Every single day, I walk down the street, I hear people say 'Baby's so sweet'" in "[[CantLiveWithThemCantLiveWithoutThem Take Me or Leave Me]]" (a fairly direct, if modernized, translation of the first lines of "Quando m'en vo", or Musetta's Waltz).
304** And of course, the akita, Music/{{Evi|ta}}[[Creator/AndrewLloydWebber ta]].
305** Part of "Christmas Bells," where various vendors shout out their wares to passerby, echoes a similar scenario in the Act II opening of ''Theatre/LaBoheme.''
306** Mark burning his screenplays for heat and Mimi's game with the candle are taken straight from the opera, and the ending is a virtual recreation, with the ending slightly tweaked.
307** Collins' obsession with his stolen coat in Act 1 is likely because his inspiration in ''La Boheme'' spent his only aria bemoaning the loss of his coat.
308* WholesomeCrossdresser: Angel.
309----
310-->''"There's only now,\
311There's only here.\
312Give in to love,\
313Or live in fear.\
314No other path,\
315No other way,\
316No day but today."''

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