First of all, let me say that The Last 5 Years is based on a musical. Now that might further intrigue you, or it might turn you off of the film completely. Me, I'm generally a fan of musicals, so I was intrigued. I've never seen The Last 5 Years as a play, so I went into the film free of expectations. I was glad that the Austin Film Festival guide warned me that most of the film is sung so that it resembles an opera more than a traditional musical.
As with many musicals, this requires some buy-in. Once you commit to a world where everyone expresses their emotions through song, it's easy to get swept up in those emotions. The Last 5 Years revolves around Cathy (Anna Kendrick) and Jamie (Jeremy Jordan) as the musical chronicles the beginning, middle, and end of their five-year relationship. We begin when their relationship is ending and from there, jump around chronologically. Director Richard LaGravenese deliberately chose to not include subtitles telling you exactly where you are in Cathy and Jamie's timeline, so it tends to get confusing, and sometimes I got lost. Thankfully, each scene is full of emotion, and you can pretty quickly gather where they are in their relationship based on how they act toward one another. It adds a subtlety to the film that I really appreciated.
As for the acting, Kendrick and Jordan are certainly suitable leads. Kendrick's singing is stunning and riveting, nailing the (often raw) emotions in each song. Jordan is similarly talented vocally and absolutely pulls off Jamie's charm and personality, particularly during one scene that requires him to jump around the room singing and dancing with inexhaustible energy. Unfortunately, sometimes the chemistry between Kendrick and Jordan falls flat, and it becomes much harder to believe that this is a couple that's lasted five years together. Then you remember that most of the singing for this film was done live during filming, and you can forgive a lack of chemistry when you have such dedicated and talented actors.
Unlike many traditional musicals, this is not a happy tale and does not have a happy ending. It is very much an accurate portrayal of a couple that falls in and out of love and how there's not always an easy answer for why it doesn't work out. If you like musicals and know you can absorb yourself into the film, The Last 5 Years is a refreshing break from all those indie dramas and action movies beginning to flood the theaters.
