The Last Five Years

If you want a musical that ditches the big Broadway razzle-dazzle for something way more intimate (and maybe a little devastating), "The Last Five Years" is honestly right up your alley. The film is adapted from Jason Robert Brown’s wildly beloved stage show and follows a couple, Cathy and Jamie, across five years of their relationship—from exhilarating beginning to painful end. The trick here is that Cathy tells the story backward, from breakup to bliss, while Jamie goes forward in time. They only meet in the middle for one cathartic song. Yeah, structure nerds will love this.

Anna Kendrick is hands-down the MVP of this thing. She plays Cathy with this vulnerable, self-deprecating honesty. Every little quirk, every flicker of hope, every pang of disappointment—she’s got it covered. Her voice, which can go from airy and insecure to full-bodied and angry within a single line, just knocks some of the movie’s best numbers out of the park. "Still Hurting" is especially brutal in her hands. If you thought she was great in "Pitch Perfect," prepare to see her actually act and not just sing cute pop covers.

Opposite her, Jeremy Jordan is charismatic as Jamie, an ambitious, fast-rising novelist. He nails the allure—the early cocky charm that makes you understand why Cathy falls so hard—but also the selfish streak that makes some of their later scenes genuinely uncomfortable. Jordan’s voice was built for this score, and you can feel the Broadway experience in his delivery, even if sometimes he seems a bit too polished compared to Kendrick’s rawness.

Tone-wise, the movie keeps things grounded and kind of cleverly simple. It’s mostly just the two of them, moving through New York apartments, bookshops, rehearsal spaces, cabs. Sometimes it feels a little stagey, with lots of lingering closeups and deliberately theatrical blocking. But this is definitely a choice—it’s almost like you’re trapped inside their heads, reliving the best and worst moments with them.

Where the film struggles a bit is in pacing. Because the two characters almost never interact except for that midpoint, it can start to feel repetitive as each sings directly to the camera (or an imaginary partner). You miss that dynamic chemistry, and after two or three songs, the back-and-forth timeline isn’t quite enough to keep the structure feeling fresh. By the last third, it’s emotionally exhausting—and at times, a little claustrophobic.

Still, director Richard LaGravenese succeeds in keeping the transitions smooth, especially with the use of color and lighting. He leans into warmer, sunnier looks for the romantic highs, and earthier, colder hues when things fall apart. This isn’t "La La Land" levels of lush cinematography—it’s more muted and insular but it matches the material. The focus is squarely on the performances.

Something I have to mention: If you’re not into sung-through musicals, this might test your patience. There is very little traditional dialogue, and the lyrics are dense, often carrying all the narrative weight. That’s impressive in its own right, but I’ll be honest: there are a few spots, particularly in Jamie’s later songs, where emotional impact gets lost under clever wordplay and musical acrobatics. But then a song like "Goodbye Until Tomorrow" comes in and you remember why people are obsessed with this show.

At its best, "The Last Five Years" is a raw, honest (and sometimes painfully relatable) look at a relationship’s slow implosion. It isn’t perfect, but it’s gutsy, and it trusts its leads to carry the emotional load without frills. If you want a musical that makes you feel something other than “happy,” this one is totally worth your time—even if you might need a drink afterward.