What can you say about a poorly done big-screen adaptation of an already flawed musical? I suppose you have to admit that it failed.

“Rent” was cheesy. Some of the lines were awkward and the acting was done stage-style at points and read badly on camera. And while the movie had an emotional impact, to be sure, it was achieved with the eloquence of a buck shot.

There was also no clear concept for the adaptation. It seemed that the director couldn’t decide if the musical aspects were internal, as in “Chicago,” or if suspension of disbelief should be employed, as in “De-Lovely.” Sometimes the songs were internalized, like a voice over. Sometimes they were sung outright. Sometimes the songs told a flashback story or were done in a representational dance during a black-out or in a montage of action. It was as though every musical movie beforehand was ripped off and stitched together to determine how to handle the songs for “Rent,” and sometimes the lifted concepts didn’t work.

For instance, in “The Tango Maureen,” Joanne and Mark are singing to each other, then they start to tango. Then Joanne drops Mark on purpose (it’s a pretty campy moment, really) and, taking a note from the “Waltz for Eva” and Che in “Evita,” Mark hits his head and blacks out only to find himself dancing in a surreal ballroom. The second verse is sung here and at the end Mark wakes to Joanne trying to revive him. They continue the final part of the song as though it has all been coherent, when, technically Joanne did not participate in the preceding fantasy verse because she was conscious and so should not have been able to be on the same page as Mark.

There were also some interesting choices made about what songs to include and which songs would be cut from the movie. Instead of doing an overview sampling, it was more like sections of the score were done and sections were left out. For example, “La Vie Boheme,” “I Should Tell You” and “La Vie Boheme B,” three redundant songs that run together, were all included in their entirety, while Act II gets a revision and is presented in a Reader’s Digest version, excluding “Contact” and “Goodbye Love,” among others.

But, the movie wasn’t without merit. Computer assistance aside, there were some great performances. Tracie Thoms (Joanne) had an amazing voice and presence; she truly shined. And Idena Menzel, who recently won a Tony for her role in “Wicked,” was as hilarious as Maureen. Rosario Dawson by far upstaged the original Mimi and Wilson Jermaine Heredia embodied Angel perfectly.

And there were some stand-out numbers. The movie had a really interesting take on “Take Me or Leave Me” and it was by far the best song in the show. And “La Vie Boheme” made it from its signature stage presentation to the screen version still intact. Most notable for taking advantage of the clarity cinema can provide over theatre, though, was “Light My Candle,” which is rather complicated in its back-and-forth, so its nuances were made easier to understand in the film.

The movie isn’t bad, it just didn’t quite fulfill its incoherent vision (sort of like the musical itself). It didn’t bother to clarify what it was or where it was going, so it got confused and, worst of all, the movie missed the opportunity to fix some of the flaws in the show itself.

This one’s for the dollar theatre.

Grade: C-