"Lock the doors and close the blinds -- we're going for a ride..."

... we watched "Mr. and Mrs. Smith."  That wasn't a bad movie at all. In fact, we both love it -- despite the complete departure from reality. It's simply a great film where you could tell that they had a great time making it.

It was after "Smith" was over that I was flipping channels and ran across a film I hadn't seen but had wanted to for quite a while.

It has all of the ingredients for a great movie: the story was written in the nineteenth century and made famous by Puccini in the form of the opera La Boheme. A century later, the opera was "modernized" into Broadway musical which focused on a culture of artists living with AIDS.  It became one of the longest running musicals on Broadway, developing a cult following across the nation and around the world.  It's one of my favorites.  I used to listen to the soundtrack non-stop in the car.  And sing along. (Yes. I was one of those.)  I was blown away when I saw the production at the Mechanic Theater in Baltimore.

When they originally decided to develop a film version of the musical, Spike Lee was attached to the project. he eventually backed out, but they had a pretty amazing cast -- including many of the original Broadway cast members and stars of television and the big screen. The sets were luxurious. The outside shooting locations breathtaking.

With all that this movie had going for it --  I don't see how it could happen, but Rent just blows.

I really didn't want the movie to suck. Honest. The musical -- even just the Broadway soundtrack -- touches my emotions so much.  There's power and passion. There's chemistry. But this movie? It felt like a bunch of amateurs at a karaoke bar.  Deadpan amateurs. Even Rosario Dawson whom I can't get enough of.

The movie was made for middle America -- the folks that don't get to go to see Broadway-size musical productions on the stage. And, of course, for the RentHeads that would see any movie that was called "Rent" no matter how much it sucks.  I'm certainly glad I waited the two years for it to come out on cable to see it.

Awful film. Ick.

Strangely, however, I want to rent the DVD so I can see some of the deleted numbers which were part of the musical but not the film.   I guess it's a sickness...