[Rent] opens with a group of artists living rent-free in a building set to be converted into a business by Benny (Taye Diggs), who used to hang with these cats until he sold out and got a job. This poor guy is abused more than any one else in the film, and it really turned me off. He cuts these people every break in the book as far as living on the property for free, and they still call him a sellout for no other reason than he wears a tie. I actually think we’re supposed to see this guy as the villain here, but I never did. He really did seem to be helping his friends, and they humiliate him repeatedly. I’m sorry, but isn’t reverse-economic discrimination still a form of prejudice?
— “Capone”, review of Rent, Ain’t It Cool News, 22 November 2005
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Instead of watching “Rent”, I’ll just contemplate the opening musical number, “Lease” in “Team America: World Police”
The lyrics:
“…Everyone has AIDS, my grandma and my old dog Blue
The Pope has got it and so do you
C’mon, everybody, we’ve got quilting to do…”
“That was some of the Best Damn Acting I’ve ever seen!”