Hopdeep Derperson
I'm giving this a 10 to try to counteract the ratings of most of these reviews. It isn't a standalone movie, and shouldn't be rated as such. It is an adaptation of the stage production almost exactly, and a pretty passable one at that: pretty cinematography, decent performances, and a good reading of the source material. Jeremy's voice is great for the part, and Anna Kendrick is...okay. My actual rating is more like an 8 (because the stage productions I have seen have been more moving, and this one does kind of make it good vs. bad, as opposed to two flawed people breaking). It is a weird film, yes, but not a bad stage production.
kurokotsu
The Last Five Years is a sequel musical, coming after Songs for a New World; Which introduces these characters, and builds them up together. Songs for a New World, but, yet, was not given a movie adaptation. The main cast is comprised of two people, Anna Kendrick as Cathy Hiatt, and Jeremy Jordan as Jamie Wellerstein. There is no supporting cast to speak of, instead focused on these two characters. The Last Five Years is, as the title implies, about the last five years of something. In this case, it's a relationship.Anna Kendrick is the newer of the two actors here. She understands the character, a despairing and unsuccessful New York actress. She plays a normal, struggling woman dealing with a, to put it lightly, eccentric boyfriend/husband. Here, her personality is lost at moments, content to merely follow along on the pomp and parade that is her husband's life. There is a bit of a disconnect between them, song-wise. In the moments she is involved in his songs, she doesn't interact much. Part of this can be blamed on the character itself, but part is also in the emotions conveyed with lines, as well as a lack of the emotional conviction that would be expected of one in her circumstance.Her costar, Jeremy Jordan of Smash fame, does far better in his role. He takes cues from the original actor, it shows in his mannerisms and the odd voices he does. He can do the egomaniac writer well, he lives for such a big role and it's obvious. He flows between the varying emotional states and moods of the role, and it feels genuine. There's not much to be said about him, other than that it's a solid performance from a solid actor.The staging and editing is, as to be expected, quite good. One thing I have to bring up is the almost surreal attitude of the movie. In the beginning, we have scenes such as a choreographed dance number on a New York street, and a seemingly endless black hallway of ex- girlfriends. Later, when they continue on the worse aspects of the relationship, all traces of that are gone. It becomes very standard, almost, and upsets the tone in a way that may not have been intentional. This, combined with the use of saturation to differentiate the scenes, with emerald green grass in one moment and a nearly grey apartment the next, causes a disconnect within the movie itself. It feels disjointed in multiple ways, due to all of the tonal and artistic shifts.The original writer was involved in the creation, as was the initial female lead who kept the pace going from behind the scenes. The biggest issue is an understanding of pacing, given how the source material bounces around. The storytelling is meant to be opposed. The woman, Cathy, her story is started at the end of the relationship. It rewinds, every other songs, to the very beginning of their relationship over the course of the movie. The male lead, Jamie, his story starts at the beginning. With his relationship to her, and then following to the conclusion we already know from her story. The two don't share songs except for brief moments, usually. They share screen time, but nothing else. The last song, as he says goodbye and she meets him, is one of two times they both sing in the same song. The other time is right smack dab in the middle of the movie, where he proposes to her. As such, it is very difficult to get a feel for their chemistry. It causes issues with knowing where exactly you're at, relying on the musical narrative with no outside aid.Overall, it's a solidly average movie. Not perfect, not horrid. The chemistry they share, for how hard it can be to measure, is the best thing holding it together, followed by Jeremy Jordan's portrayal of his character. I can recommend seeing it, if only to experience the story and the different attitudes present throughout. You can laugh and cry and feel the movie tug at your heartstrings when it wants to, which is the most you can ask for from any musical.
estebangonzalez10
"Jamie is over and Jamie is gone. / Jamie's decided it's time to move on. / Jamie has new dreams he's building upon. / And I'm still hurting."The Last Five Years is yet another Broadway musical that has arrived in theaters. Jason Robert Brown's musical play was adapted by director, Richard LaGravenese, and I couldn't help but feel that the transition felt a bit forced at times. I'm not the biggest fan of musicals, but the best thing this adaptation has going for it is the inclusion of Anna Kendrick in the starring role as Cathy. She has a fantastic voice and a charming screen presence (and one of the main reasons why I was a huge fan of the comedy Pitch Perfect). The film opens with her singing about her failed marriage to Jamie (Jeremy Jordan). We then are introduced to Jamie in the next scene in a flashback where we see the couple falling in love for the first time five years ago. Jordan also delivers in the lead role with a fantastic singing voice, and we soon realize that the film begins to intersect each scene with Cathy and Jamie's point of view on their relationship. While Cathy's story begins from the end of their relationship and moves back in time, Jamie's story begins from its starting point and moves forward so it does seem a bit confusing at first as the two stories intersect with each other. This is the first time I've seen something like this done in a musical, but it's been explored many times before in dramatic films (Blue Valentine is the one that came first to my mind). The songs are very well written and performed beautifully, but after some forty minutes the novelty of the experience wears off and the film begins to drag during its second half. It does get points for originality, but I wouldn't recommend the film.The lead actors deliver strong and believable performances and they share great chemistry so the romance works. The songs are also beautifully delivered and the lyrics are witty. The film is almost entirely sung and that is how we are introduced to each one of the characters and their own perspective on the ups and downs of their relationship. Jamie is an upcoming novelist who begins to find fame in his work, while Cathy is a struggling actress who doesn't seem to have luck in the big city. They are both very much in love, but with Jamie's fame the couple soon face new struggles. He has to attend several dinner parties with publishers, where Cathy feels left out, while she ends up having to travel to Ohio for smaller local stage plays there. The similar story of falling in and out of love has been drafted out in other films in the past with the differing perspectives of each lover, so it isn't entirely unique. It is hard to sympathize very much with these characters despite the chemistry between both actors because it becomes clear that they are both heading towards different paths. The musical begins with some promise, but it dies off and becomes tiresome by the end. I wasn't a fan of the hand-held camera work either which is extremely shaky at times. http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/
