The Rent Movie Is Streaming on Netflix! Five Reasons to Give It a Second Watch
Here’s an excuse to get into your PJs and not go “Out Tonight”—the 2005 movie adaptation of Rent is now streaming on Netflix Instant! Sure, we’re the first to admit this movie’s got some issues—most of it wasn’t filmed in New York, it didn’t score big at the box office, and it ranks an underwhelming 46 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. But hear us out: There are five moments in the movie that really do hold a candle (“What are you staring at?”) to Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway masterpiece. Grab your scarf and your stash and check out the evidence below!
1. Mark and Roger Have an Awesome Apartment
These days, a loft of this size (even if it has no heat and is completely infested with rats) would get at least $3,000 a month even in Bed-Stuy. But let’s suspend our imagination for a minute and drool over the gorgeous views of New York City a Warner Brothers backlot.
2. Rosario Dawson Makes a Kick-Ass Feline of Avenue B
Getting to see the Cat Scratch Club in all its gritty glory is fun, but what really gives “Out Tonight” an added dimension is Rosario Dawson as Mimi. It would have been great to see Daphne Rubin-Vega rocking the turquoise vinyl, but if we have to have a replacement, we’ll take the fiery, sexy Rosario any day.
3. Angel and Collins Still Win Most Adorable Couple
One of the few scenes actually shot in New York City, “I’ll Cover You,” featuring original cast members Wilson Jermaine Heredia as Angel and Jesse L. Martin as Collins, is as adorable as it was on Broadway. Just try to ignore the CGI’d breath coming out of their mouths while they sing.
4. Two Words: OBC Reunion
We get chills watching Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Idina Menzel, Wilson Jermaine Heredia and Jesse L. Martin rocking out on that table and raising a glass to “you and you and you, you and you.” It’s always a treat to see the OBC back together again (even if they’re, oh, a good decade older than the characters are supposed to be).
5. Roger Actually Goes to Santa Fe
In what is by far the most ridiculous moment of the movie, Roger packs up his blue convertible and hightails it to Santa Fe, where he does lots of gazing at cactuses while his luscious Bon Jovi hair blows in the breeze. The whole "What You Own" montage is definitely worth a second look (or at least, a second laugh).
