Rent Control (2003)

★ 4.4 1h 35m IMDb

Comedy Drama Romance

Aspiring actors in New York try to keep the death of one's aunt a secret so they can stay in her cheap apartment.

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Cast

Melissa Joan Hart as Holly Washburn Age 50 · Smithtown, New York, USA Melissa Joan Catherine Hart (born April 18, 1976, height 5' 2" (1,57 m)) is an American actress, writer, television director, television producer, singer and businesswoman. Hart is perhaps best known...

Ryan Browning as Calvin Age 51 · Los Angeles, California, USA

Carmen Electra as Audrey Age 53 · Sharonville, Ohio, USA Tara Leigh Patrick (born April 20, 1972), professionally known as Carmen Electra is a European-American/Native-American glamour model, actress, television personality, singer, dancer and sex symbol. S...

Andrew Kavovit as Dennis Age 54 · Bronx, New York, USA

Don Novello as Rico Age 83 · Ashtabula, Ohio, USA Donald "Don" Novello (born January 1, 1943) is an American writer, film director, producer, actor, singer and comedian. He is best known for his work on NBC's Saturday Night Live from 1978 until 1980,...

Director David Eric Brenner

Cast Melissa Joan Hart, Ryan Browning, Carmen Electra, Andrew Kavovit, Don Novello, Joseph D. Reitman, Lynne Marie Stewart, Beege Barkette, Richard Livingston, Joel Michaely

Wuchak 7/10 Jul 18, 2025

**_Fun farce_**

A young couple from Iowa (Melissa Joan Hart & Ryan Browning) move to the Big Apple with dreams of stardom, but realize that acquiring an apartment is the real key to success, not talent. They are forced to stay with Aunt Agatha & her fifteen cats. When something unexpected happens, they try to hide it from the weird landlord (Joseph Reitman).

"Rent Control" (also known as "Aunt Agatha's Apartment") had a troubled release history. It was shot in late 2001 before 9/11 and then shelved for not finding a distribution channel; when a distribution company picked it up they edited it to make it sellable to ABC Family Movie, who aired it. It was later released on DVD in late 2006. The problem is that "Rent Control" isn't a family movie. It's an adult comedy.

Yes, it has the lovable Melissa Joan Hart and an overall lighthearted, fun vibe and there isn't any cussing, but it does include some adult scenes. For instance, one woman the young couple seek to rent an apartment from is a sadomasochist. But the biggest non-family issue is the presence of a necrophiliac janitor in Aunt Agatha's apartment building.

You heard that right, a freakin' necrophiliac. There's a scene where the janitor in question puts a "Do Not Disturb" sign on his door and it's just puke-inducingly SICK to consider what was going to occur in that apartment. Sure, it was a stab at black humor, but it failed. Thankfully, that's a very small part of the story.

Melissa as Holly is her usually cute, winsome self and she's perfectly contrasted by the worldly Audrey (Carmen Electra), who may or may not come between her and her beau. Andrew Kavovit also has a significant role as an elevator man infatuated with Electra.

Despite the failed attempt at black humor involving necrophilia, "Rent Control" is an amusing situational comedy with a quality cast & characters. From the get-go, it's clear that it's a farce and not to be taken seriously. Anyone who takes it seriously needs to visit the psych ward. The flick's entertaining and that's the bottom line.

It runs 1 hour, 26 minutes.

GRADE: B+