Take my advice and rent “Rent”

rentMatt’s Disclaimer: Believe it or not, I’m not a big fan of musical theater and I have never seen the stage version of “Rent.” Please keep this information in mind while I entertain you with my opinion of this film.

Do you like musical theater? Is “Rent” your favorite play of all time? If you answer yes to either of these questions, definitely see the movie. If you answer no, to any of my questions, don’t even think about seeing this picture.

“Rent” is the film version of the very popular and long-running musical that follows a group of struggling artists in the late 1980s and early ‘90s as they deal with serious issues, including AIDS, homelessness and discrimination. Every story line is set to music and the songs tell the story.

To be honest, I did not like “Rent.” It’s just not my cup of tea. The last great musical I saw was “Team America: World Police.” That should give you a frame of reference as to where I’m coming from. The whole production feels like a long music video of a really bad song.

I found “Rent” to be unintentionally funny. Ninety-five percent of the film is singing and the characters break out into song during the smallest of conversations. This cracked me up. On Monday, I’m going to try this same approach in my everyday life. If you ask me a question, I will sing my answer. Maybe this will start a fad, “Music Monday.” I doubt it.

“Rent” looks beautiful and sounds great. The actor’s performances are wonderful and fans of this genre will be very pleased and excited to see many of the original stage actors reprise their roles for the film.

For the right couple, “Rent” would make an excellent date movie. I took my friend, Ramona (a self-described “Rent-head”). Ramona knew the words to the songs and was quietly singing during the film’s 135- minute duration. The guy behind us wasn’t so enthusiastic. He slept through the last hour of the film and the usher had to wake him up while the credits rolled. That was my favorite part of the evening.

Please don’t hate me because I didn’t like this movie. I’m only human. My advice, rent “Rent.”

* MATT BELLNER is an actor and professional dancer from Burbank.

20051210i4xf2hkf(LA)Matt Bellner