"The last five years"

[badzu903]

I watched this brilliant and dreadfully haunting masterpiece three days ago. So here I want to ask those, who had watched both the musical and the movie. Do you feel hurt after watching it? Betrayed? Scared? Well, for me, I was and am devastated after watching it. I listened to the soundtracks before watching it and kinda feel emotional, but who would know I cried a river after watching the musical, and I don't want to trouble with how miserable I was after the movie.

 

After all, I would strongly suggest watching "The Last Five Years" if you haven't watched it yet. Sure, it can make you depressed like me, but it's worth your time.

[rudd1]

i saw the movie, loved the two main characters, but was a little bit bored during some scenes...

[volleyballguy85]

I love how the musical bounces back and forth in the couple's timeline. Anna Kendrick is always phenomenal and Jeremy Jordan melts my heart. I could watch this movie over and over again!

[TimSkyler]

I've seen every major production of "The Last Five Years" that's been put up: the original Skokie, IL premiere with Norbert Leo Butz and Lauren Kennedy, the following Off-Broadway production with Butz and Sherie Rene Scott, and finally, the revival that Jason Robert Brown directed himself a few years ago. To say that I was excited (and apprehensive) for the movie would be an understatement. As a film.. it didn't truly work. At least not the way in which Richard LaGravenese wrote/directed it. First off, let me get out of the way the fact that Anna Kendrick was perfect. She completely and totally nailed it in every single way. Moving on. Jeremy Jordan was a poor choice for Jamie. He's charismatic, yes, but he doesn't have the acting chops to carry some of the VERY heavy material. There are a few moments when Anna Kendrick outshines him even during one of his songs.. He was "fine," but they could have gotten someone better. As for the the real reason I didn't think it worked as a film, it was simply "too much" at times. In the stage production, while one of the two actors sings, the other is usually there on stage, and is "present" in the scene, but they're not IN the scene, therefore giving whomever is singing the scene to themselves, basically. The film didn't really do that, adding in dialogue (which I get was probably necessary in a couple of scenes) and letting the two characters simultaneously share the scene. The weight and emotion that comes with that hurts the story-- we're seeing and hearing "too much," if you will. In the stage production, we're supposed to leave understanding both sides with our limited knowledge of he said/she said, we're not supposed to really be able to blame either of them specifically. Here, with the additional dialogue and scenes and "revelations" that comes in Jamie's last solo number, "Nobody Needs To Know," we come away thinking that yes, it was completely his fault. Losing that objectivity makes me sad, haha..

 

I DO like the movie, though, haha, despite this rant. "See I'm Smiling" was so flawlessly done by Kendrick, I think it's my new favorite version of the song. And Scott's version on the original Off-Broadway cast album was hard to top.