Skipping out on the rent

By the time Friday night rolls around I am ready to just relax on the couch, play on the floor with Ella, watch a movie on the couch with Rachel and try not to think about my crazy school brood for a couple of days. I usually look for some fun, cheesy escapist flick that I can basically just veg out to. (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Just Like Heaven, Napolean Dynamite, Hitch, Notting Hill, etc.) But last night I made a major misstep and popped in Rent. It seems that everyone but me has seen the stage musical as it's been one of the biggest hits on Broadway and throughout the world for the last ten years. You often see commercials for films that quote some obscure critic saying that a movie "lifts the human spirit." Rent does just the opposite. It is the most depressing piece of crap I have seen since.....well I can't even think of a more downbeat film. The characters in the movie cope with poverty, suicide, AIDS, and other feel-good issues. Now you would think they would all be depressed for two hours and fifteen minutes but you'd be wrong. As long as they can still sing and dance with a transgendered Santa Claus all is right with the world.