History YMMV / Rent

* PresumedFlop: The 2005 film is erroneously believed to be this since it's box-office returns fizzled out after a few weeks. This is ignoring the fact that it made a lot of money during its initial release and was critically acclaimed, but also had the misfortune of having to compete with ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire''.

* FairForItsDay: The show was and still is highly regarded for its normalized portrayal of queer sexuality and the frankness in its discussion of AIDS, two things that the wealthy, theater-going crowds of the mid-90s weren't used to seeing. Nowadays, it's often accused of trivializing the AIDS crisis from an ''extremely'' brutal and blatantly homophobic battle for human rights, as well as homelessness itself, to somewhat-minor difficulties (squatters would not be able to afford AZT). The fact that it [[BuryYourGays kills off the gay drag queen/gender-fluid Angel]], while {{spar|edByTheAdaptation}}ing the cishetero Mimi, whose ''Theatre/LaBoheme'' equivalent dies, has also been called into question. It also remains one of the few mainstream shows to feature an openly bisexual character... who perpetuates [[AnythingThatMoves their most hated stereotype]]. And due to author Jonathan Larson's death before the show opened, there's no way of knowing if or how his views might have changed with the times.

* ValuesDissonance

** The show equates being openly gay and living with AIDS as a form of rebellion from the establishment. 20+ years later, it comes off as either no big deal or more than a little insulting.

** Creator/RosarioDawson starring in one of the most LGBT-positive musicals of all time becomes harder to watch after she was accused of harassment and assault against a transgender man in 2019.

%% ** "Do you know the way to Santa Fe?"

** Maureen's performance-art piece, "Over the Moon," is usually played as in-universe {{Narm}}: an ostensibly serious protest piece about gentrification that she turns into an indulgent, haphazardly staged drama about talking cows and a suicidal Mickey Mouse and begging the perplexed audience to "MOO WITH ME!" This is also the reason why it's so memorable and usually draws AudienceParticipation.

%%** In the hands of a poor actress, "Over the Moon" will run into this. For some, even with a strong actress it runs into this, as the song is just so ridiculous.

** Maureen's performance-art piece. Also counts as StylisticSuck.

** On a lighter note, everyone and their mother has their own opinion on what Angel's gender identity is. The fact that the gray areas of gender and sex are ''far'' more well-known and understood nowadays than they were when the show was written has only added to this.

** In the hands of a poor actress, "Over the Moon" will run into this. For some, even with a strong actress it runs into this, as the song is just so ridiculous.

** The movie had all of the original Broadway principles [[RoleReprisal reprising their roles]] around a decade later except for Daphne Rubin-Vega and Fredi Walker. The former because she was pregnant, the latter because she thought she had aged out of her role. Tellingly, several viewers thought, given the young ages of these roles (most of whom are generally agreed to be in their mid 20s), the actors were too old to play them at this point.

* Wangst: Since he's not coping with a disease, drug addiction, societal discrimination, or a dying lover, Mark's problems seem pretty small compared to those of other characters. Even his survivor's guilt gets dismissed with a "Poor baby" from Roger.

** Regarding women, Maureen says CantLiveWithThemCantLiveWithoutThem near verbatim. So did she forget she's bisexual?

** A generation born too late AIDS epidemic can still understand what it's like to live in a world with a [[UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic rapidly spreading, deadly disease]] that leads to alienation and paranoia.

** A generation born after the height of the AIDS epidemic can still understand what it's like to live in a world with a [[Covid19Pandemic rapidly spreading, deadly disease]] that leads to alienation and paranoia.

* NarmCharm: Maureen's performance-art piece. Also counts as StylisticSuck.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: Benny has a number of points. While he's a jerk and uses immoral means, he is trying to improve the neighborhood. The idea that he somehow owes his friends eternal free rent doesn't hold water, especially since it’s unfair to everyone else who has to pay.

* WTHCastingAgency: Creator/SarahSilverman as Alexi Darling. Hell, her character was used so little in the film, it almost feels like a BigLippedAlligatorMoment.

* UnintentionallySympathetic: The parents. We're supposed to think that they're a bunch of repressive old fogies who aren't letting their kids live... but from everything we see of them they're loving, caring parents concerned for their children's welfare. Creator/LindsayEllis wondered if this wasn't done [[IntendedAudienceReaction to deliberately highlight the "heroes"' hypocrisy]].

* DesignatedVillain: Benny is sleazy and cheats on his wife, but certain viewers find his worldview much more sympathetic and reasonable than the others. After all, the thing that makes him a "villain" is not the sleaziness or the cheating, but rather that he wants to make money off the commercial space he owns, rather than letting his friends live there for free. It's often joked among fans that you know you've aged out of ''Rent's'' target demographic when Benny starts making sense.

* NeverLiveItDown: Angel killing the dog, the only immoral act she commits in the show (which was more of a hitjob because she was desperate for money), sullies her entire character for many fans. Year in, year out, the argument never changes...

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: A lot of modern audiences, no longer familiar with the specter of AIDS as a death sentence due to advances in medicine and AIDS research, don't really appreciate the gravity of what the characters are going through. In the film, a lingering death from AIDS complications is graphically depicted to make sure the point comes across.
** The Fox production ''RENT Live'' also takes care to emphasize how bad it was. There's slides detailing the severity of the condition and a voiceover (from Anthony Rapp) during the transition to "Life Support" that explains it for anyone who doesn't know. It also takes a cue from the film and makes sure to highlight Angel's deteriorating condition during "Without You" and Collins' attempts to care for them still.

* PopCultureHoliday: The second the clock hits 9 PM on December 25th, fans are bound to post a reference to the musical on social media.

* CantUnhearIt: For many fans the original cast is ''how'' they see the characters, no doubt helped by just how many times they've reunited: the 2005 film, the 10th Anniversary concert, and performances for the 2008 Tony Awards, the final Broadway performance, and the 2019 Fox TV production.

* ViewerGenderConfusion: Is Angel a trans woman or a cis male cross-dresser? They usually go by "she/her" pronouns, but Benny explicitly refers to them as a boy. The movie muddies it more by adding scenes of them removing their wig during the life support meeting and, as they are dying, wearing masculine clothes, all without explicitly stating their gender identity. It's uncertain if either Jonathan Larson or Chris Columbus knew enough about the subject of gender queerness to know the difference. Some adaptations like ''Rent LIVE'' have attempted to rectify this by portraying Angel as transfeminine, keeping her pronouns consistent barring Mark's slip-up.

* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: On opening night, the day after Larson's very sudden death, the entire cast paid tribute by performing the musical sitting down at a table on the stage. By the time they reached La Vie Boheme, they realized they couldn't do the song justice without getting up and acting crazy and that Jonathan would have wanted them to do it right. Cue Anthony Rapp (Mark) getting on the table and starting the song, with the rest of the cast following -- not ''just'' because it was supposed to happen, but because they got genuinely caught up in the song.

* ViewerGenderConfusion: Is Angel a trans woman or a cis male cross-dresser? They usually go by female pronouns, but Benny explicitly refers to them as a boy. The movie muddies it more by adding scenes of them removing their wig during the life support meeting and, as they are dying, wearing masculine clothes, all without explicitly stating their gender identity. It's uncertain if either Jonathan Larson or Chris Columbus knew enough about the subject of gender queerness to know the difference.

* WTHCastingAgency:
** Creator/SarahSilverman as Alexi Darling. Hell, her character was used so little in the film, it almost feels like a BigLippedAlligatorMoment.
** Getting Creator/ChrisColumbus, known for such [[SarcasmMode gritty and dark]] films as ''Film/HomeAlone'' and ''Film/MrsDoubtfire'', to direct. He actually lobbied hard for the job, having lived as a StarvingArtist in his youth.
** The failure to hire understudies for Rent:Live proved infamously disastrous, as Brennin Hunt who was playing Roger broke his foot during dress rehearsal. With nobody to fill in, this "live show" then only had of 15 minutes of live material in which one of the lead actors was in a wheelchair, while the rest of the show consisted of the previously recorded scenes.

** Collins. Admit it, you wanted to give him a hug during the DarkReprise of "I'll Cover You".

** Angel, the single most positive and kind character in the show and the only one who actually does die from AIDS.
** Joanne, desperately trying to single-handedly sustain her girlfriend's career and their rocky relationship. Moreso in the movie, thanks to Tracie Thoms's performance and Maurine being [[{{Flanderization}} depicted as even meaner than she is in the show]].