I Rewatched Rent For The First Time In Years, And My Opinion On It Has Totally Changed

I’ve always known that Rent is a modern classic in the world of musicals. It’s Jonathan Larson’s masterpiece, and it’s a masterful rock opera. However, for a long time, it didn’t click with me, personally. Now, as new films premiere on the 2025 movie schedule, Rent is celebrating its 20th anniversary, so I decided to give it another watch.

I’m thrilled to report that this time around, my opinion about this movie has changed, and I loved it so much more this time.

The First Time I Watched Rent, I Had A Hard Time Following It And Wasn’t Into The Music

Rent is like a musical epic, it’s a rock opera, it’s all music basically all the time. That can be hard to follow, and that was the case for me the first time I watched this story play out.

This musical follows a group of friends in New York City as they handle all the good and the bad that gets thrown at them. It takes place during the AIDS epidemic, and focuses on how that impacted this crew as they also dealt with financial issues and the trials and tribulations of love.

While an overall relatable and beautiful story, it was hard for me to follow every character’s arc, especially since most of the important details are communicated through song. Since I didn’t find myself in love with the music the first time around, that made watching this all play out difficult.

However, as we’ll talk about next, coming into Rent this time, I had a much better understanding of Jonathan Larson’s life and work, the power of this story centered around many LGBTQ+ characters, and a love for the music that enhanced the viewing experience tenfold.

However, Now That I’m More Familiar With Jonathan Larson’s Work And Legacy, I Was All In

When it comes to what really changed between the first time I watched Rent and this time was my knowledge about Jonathan Larson, the man behind the musical. The first time I watched the 2005 movie, Tick, Tick…Boom’s film adaptation didn’t exist and wasn’t available to stream with a Netflix subscription like it is now. Now, the movie made by Lin-Manuel Miranda has been out for years, and I’ve been obsessed with it and its music since it premiered, which gave me a newfound appreciation for Rent.

For those who don’t know, Tick, Tick…Boom is the autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson that came before Rent. The movie adaptation, which is one of Andrew Garfield’s best, fully opens the door into the writer's life and tells the story of his quest to write a brilliant musical while making basically no money and living in New York City.

So, this musical gave me a deep insight into Larson’s work and life, and it highlighted how he got to Rent. That, and knowing that he died the day Rent opened on Broadway, added a level of vital meaning and power to this 2005 film.

Along with that, the music of Tick, Tick…Boom clicked with me. The rock tunes used to show Jonathan’s journey perfectly captured everything he was going through, and the soundtrack, which scored the best musical of 2021, was one of my top-played albums of the year.

So, going into Rent, I had a better knowledge of and affinity for Larson’s music. Tick, Tick…Boom doesn’t have as much music as Rent, so watching that was almost like training wheels, preparing me to re-watch the 2005 rock opera with a new appreciation.

So, I was primed and ready with an entirely new understanding and love for the mastermind behind Rent as I rewatched the film adaptation.

I Was Deeply Moved By The LGBTQ+ Stories Larson Told Through This Diverse Friend Group

Jonathan Larson is a known and beloved LGBTQ+ ally, and the story of Rent proves that as he told a story about a group of diverse friends and the trials and tribulations they faced.

The story’s primary conflict centered around the intersection of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and financial struggles that many people face, especially those who are trying to make it in New York City.

I was particularly moved by the story of Tom and Angel. In the film, Tom falls for Angel, a drag queen, and they both have AIDS. Their love story is wonderful, and songs like “I’ll Cover You” made me so happy, because they so unapologetically and loudly loved each other.

Then, when Angel died, it broke me. And the fact that Tom’s final song about her was mashed with Rent’s biggest number, “Seasons of Love,” was so deeply poignant and moving.

And that’s just one example of a story that left me feeling all the feelings.

Along with that, the fact that this story was told in such a mainstream way in the ‘90s on Broadway and the early 2000s on film added to its impact. Even today, LGBTQ+ representation in film could be significantly better; though, we’ve made significant positive steps forward in the last 20 years. However, Rent served as a beacon of light and representation as it told multiple moving stories about people who identify as LGBTQ+ that were both deeply tragic as well as beautiful and celebratory.

And Can We Take A Minute To Appreciate This Cast?

Finally, we need to talk about this cast. As I wrote about at length, since the first time I watched Rent, I’ve found a new appreciation for Larson. However, I’ve also developed a much deeper love for this cast, especially the folks who also played these characters on Broadway.

Obviously, I’ve always had a love for Idina Menzel’s work, and seeing her in the role of Maureen, which came toward the start of her career, was wonderful. Plus, I’m pretty sure “Take Me or Leave Me” is one of the greatest showtunes, and hearing her belt it with Tracie Thoms – who didn’t play Joanne in the first Broadway production, but did portray her on stage – blew me away.

Jesse L. Martin’s performance as Tom also really stood out to me this time. He originated his role on Broadway, and so did Wilson Jermaine Heredia, who plays Angel. That history mixed with their chemistry made me love Tom and Angel’s story even more.

However, hands down, the place where this Broadway history made the biggest difference for me was in Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal’s performances as Mark and Roger, respectively. The first time I watched Rent, I knew these guys were in the Broadway production; however, I didn’t know they were still so close today. Watching them on screen this time, I felt that true friendship they share, and that mixed with their perfect harmonies, made for a duo I loved seeing on screen.

I’m at a place in my life and my understanding of Rent and its origins that I deeply wish I could have seen it during its long Broadway run. However, sadly, I can’t. Luckily, we have this movie, and each time I see it, I find more to love about it. This time, I had a newfound appreciation and knowledge about it and Jonathan Larson’s history that deeply moved me, and that mixed with a relevant and important story played out by a stellar cast made for a viewing experience that I didn’t get the first time around.