Rent or Everybody Must Get Aids!

Title: Rent
Rating: PG-13
Released: 2005
Format: DVD

Version: 2 disc Special Edition

Run Time:  2 Hr. 15 Min

Purchased: Scarecrow Video
Price: $4



Plot according to imdb: This rock opera tells the story of one year in the life of a group of bohemians struggling in modern day East Village New York. The story centers around Mark and Roger, two roommates. While a former tragedy has made Roger numb to life, Mark tries to capture it through his attempts to make a film. In the year that follows, the group deals with love, loss, AIDS, and modern day life in one truly powerful story.

Plot according to Allen:  a group of friends in New York deal with being gay, and/or having Aids all while constantly singing about it.  Their thoughts on life and love all change for the better when they meet free spirited drag queen Angel.

So as a straight male I'm not supposed to like musicals.  I'm especially not supposed to enjoy musicals that focus so intently homosexually charged as this movie and it's preceding Broadway show.  However it is the underlying message of Rent that I absolutely love.  Yes there are gay characters, but really they are just really normal people going through problems.  They could be animated asexual dogs and it really wouldn't be much different.  Yes there is the flamboyant and fabulous Angel  but instead of turning all the gay characters into a musical version of "The Birdcage" they are for the most part just like homosexuals actually are - NORMAL.

As I mentioned earlier there really is a beautiful message to this movie.  It is one that can apply to everyone.  Live your life for every moment may be your last.  It's important to go out remember that there is no day but today and if you spend your entire life worrying about the problems in your life you will miss out on all of the beauty around you.  Now let's be honest who doesn't need that reminder from time to time?

As a fan of the original show I paid extra attention to the music and I was generally pleased with the way they were done for the film adaptation.  As with everyone who has ever talked about this show I think my favorite songs were "Seasons of Love" and "No Day But Today", but at the same time there really is no bad song in this soundtrack, which there usually is at least one dud in a musical.

As with most musicals the goofy conversation turns to singing and dancing comes across a little silly but considering it's a musical you would have to be stupid to not expect that.  The ending comes across a little cheesy and a bit of a cop out to have a happy ending in a movie full of depressing and serious subject matter but again I can forgive that because in general the characters motivations and ideals are there and you can understand why it would happen the way it did.

So this isn't really a movie that I would watch on a regular basis, but when the mood strikes to listen to some catchy songs and be reminded that if people can be happy in the face of eviction, and AIDS then my problems are minuscule and I have no reason not to smile.

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Funny People actually not so funny

Title: Funny People

Rating: R

Released: 2009

Format:DVD (Blu-ray is also available)

Version: 2 disc Unrated Edition

Run Time: 2 Hours 26 Minutes

Purchased: Scarecrow Video
Price: $4



Plot according to imdb.com - George is a very successful stand up comedian who learns that he has an untreatable blood disorder and is given less than a year to live. Ira is a struggling up-and-coming stand up comedian who works at a deli and has yet to figure out his onstage persona. One night, these two perform at the same club and George takes notice of Ira. George hires Ira to be his semi-personal assistant as well as his friend.

Plot according to Allen - Adam Sandler gets sick, and as a result becomes bitter and angry about life.  He then meets a now thin Seth Rogen while doing standup comedy and hires him to write jokes for him.  they become friends.  Sandler reconnects with the love of his life, who comes back into his life because she is  sick and feels bad about how things ended, and that she has moved on with the first Hulk.

Alright first off Funny People is NOT funny.  I can not tell you how many people were misled and frustrated with this movie because they thought it was going to be funny.  Yes it was written and directed by Judd Apatow.  Yes it stars Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Jason Schwartzman, and Jonah Hill, all very funny people.  Yes the trailer looked funny.  However this movie is in no way shape or form a comedy.  Here's how you can tell it isn't a comedy:

1. the main plot revolves around the death of a main character who is very sick.
2. Adam Sandler does not speak like a child except when he is mocking his character's horrible movies.
3. It is over two and a half hours long.

Are there funny parts?  Of course there are funny parts.  You can't get that many funny people in a movie about stand up comedians and not have it have funny parts.  Make no mistake though this is Punch Drunk Love Sandler not Little Nicky Sandler.  And really it is an amazing performance from Sandler too.  he is both charming and sympathetic without losing the fact that this guy is generally not a good guy, but he tries.  Rogen was good too.  The evolution of his character throughout was a lot of fun to watch, especially through his stand up.

As a movie about stand up, an area of life that movies haven't really touched on since Punchline staring Tom Hanks and Sally Fields, you really get into the way these court jesters actually feel through their lives.  the loneliness of living on the road for so long, the pressure of having your entire career hang on whether you are funny that night or not, the cut throat nature of needing to step on those you think aren't as funny as you to get to the top.  It is all there, and it is all dealt with such reverence that you almost don't realize it is there.

Much like 300 this movie does seem a little long in the tooth, the Unrated version is 11 minutes longer too so I recommend sticking with watching the theatrical cut unless you really love hearing about balls, then the unrated is for you.  There were still a few characters I wish they developed more, specifically Elizabeth Mann and Jason Schwarzman's characters respectively, but I can see why they chose to focus mostly on Sandler and Rogen.

I hadn't seen this movie before today when I took it of my shelf to review it.  It was just one of those movies where I meant to see it in theaters, forgot about it then when it came out on DVD other things were ahead of it in my queue and it got lost.  I saw it on the shelf at Scarecrow Video in the middle of one of their used DVD sales and decided that I would risk it because of my love of stand-up and Judd Apatow as a writer and director.  I do not regret that decision.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5