I think if you are not familiar with Jonathan Larson, this story needs a little more context than it's given. It's clearly a labor of love and a love letter to musical theater in general and Broadway in particular. The music is terrific of course, and all the performances and many VIP cameos are delightful.
However, this is a slice of Larson's life before he wrote Rent. References to Rent are clear in the film (AIDS and HIV references abound for example) and the film opens (and closes) by talking about Rent. But I kept waiting for the main character to start writing Rent. He doesn't - the film ends before Larson begins working on Rent. It's kind of confusing and a little disappointing. If I had been clear what this film was (it's mostly a staging of, and exploration of, a show Larson wrote prior to Rent called tick tick boom), I would have enjoyed it more instead of expecting it to be something it wasn't.
However, this is a slice of Larson's life before he wrote Rent. References to Rent are clear in the film (AIDS and HIV references abound for example) and the film opens (and closes) by talking about Rent. But I kept waiting for the main character to start writing Rent. He doesn't - the film ends before Larson begins working on Rent. It's kind of confusing and a little disappointing. If I had been clear what this film was (it's mostly a staging of, and exploration of, a show Larson wrote prior to Rent called tick tick boom), I would have enjoyed it more instead of expecting it to be something it wasn't.