Review: “The Last Five Years”

“The Last Five Years” was filmed with Grand Peaks Entertainment and Lucky Monkey Pictures and premiered in 2014. Anna Kendrick, who played the character of Cathy, and Jeremy Jordan, who played Jamie, worked under the direction of Richard LaGravenese. Produced by Janet Brenner, Kurt Deutsch, Richard LaGravenese, and Lauren Versel. The run time is 94 minutes. This film was based on the Broadway musical “The Last Five Years,” written by Jason Robert Brown in 2002.

With the complex musical genius of Jason Robert Brown’s original score, lyrics, and script, the film version of “The Last Five Years” succeeded to impress in the eyes of musical theatre buffs across the world. By using highly accredited Broadway performer Jeremy Jordan and well-known Hollywood actress Anna Kendrick, the film boosted its integrity. The work of Jason Robert Brown is known to be extremely challenging to perform.

The artistic liberties that the director and producers took with the material were an extraordinary way to handle a unique method of storytelling. The way this story was written is unique in that the story is told almost backwards. The scenes jump around from different times in a span of five years. With other Broadway musicals that have been made into movies have not necessarily utilized the real power behind the magic of cinematography. As a former musical theatre major and current musical theatre enthusiast, I have noticed that most musicals made into movies essentially film a sort of formal stage production of their original performances. Of course, that is a beautiful approach of attempting to document the magic of live theatre. However, when Hollywood and Broadway are combined, there is an immense amount of potential for greatness. I feel that “The Last Five Years” almost introduced a new way to reimagine any given stage production.

Jason Robert Brown is famous for creating stories that are complex and creative in ways that audiences have never seen before. For this, he is extremely successful. His past work includes “The Bridges of Madison County,” “Songs For a New World,” and “Parade.” Other than looking up to Billy Joel since childhood, he has been influenced heavily by Stephen Sondheim, who wrote “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” and “Sunday in the Park with George,” which is a musical based off of the famous painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat. Jason Robert Brown has an extraordinary imagination that is sprouted from art, history, and every day life.

The basic plot of “The Last Five Years” is based around the ever-evolving relationship between Jamie and Cathy, the story’s principal characters. As previously stated, the way this particular story was written is far from traditional. Every seen is out of order, however, through the genius of Jason Robert Brown, the plots twists make perfect sense. The audience gets a bird’s eye view into the intimate, passionate, and, at times, depressing roller coaster of romance. Cathy is a classic New York dreamer who is struggling to get the smallest taste of success on Broadway. Jamie is a young writer who sees constant victory in his career. Their story is one of the relentless battles with oneself when life seems to be laughing in your face.

This story is so relatable to anyone who has ever loved another person. Jason Robert Brown knew exactly how to draw in every niche audience by proving that relationships are hard and everyone knows experiences that hardship. The characters are lovable and super dynamic. They are positively transparent in that the audience gets to see their inner monologues and process the events of life along with the characters. Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan have wonderful chemistry, which is important in an intimate story like this. However, Kendrick’s vocal range is not as wide as the typical actress chosen to play Cathy on the stage. On another note, I believe the casting was another way the creative team was able to combine Hollywood and Broadway again with its two leads. The influences of Broadway are apparent in that the film is cleverly cut and you can seen when the “set changes” of the actual stage production would’ve happened, giving the audience a beautiful mix between the stage and screen.

The way the script was rethought was another example of harmony between stage and screen, where the appropriate modifications were made to accommodate for a more casual setting. Obviously, the soundtrack is a main focus in this film due to most of the storytelling being told through song. Jason Robert Brown is a Tony Award winning artist who has a lifetime of experience to back up his musical expertise.

This film was particularly enjoyable for me because of my immense respect for musical theatre and my personal respect for the creators involved. This story is extremely honest in that it shows the raw stages of life that occur when we get close to those around us. This film was a wonderful extension of the original stage version. By using well-known, talented actors and a script that already had a successful run on the stage, there was no option but to have accomplishment on screen as well.

5 out of 5 stars