Worth the 11-year wait...

Seeing the stage version with "Jack" in 2014

Back in 2012, I wrote a post about how much I loved The Last Five Years without having ever seen it. (This also explains the story in more detail.) Last spring, I finally got a chance to see a stage production. It was at a small theater about 30 minutes from where I live. The audience was pretty small too, but it was a nice production and I remember crying at the very beginning when Cathy is singing her haunting ballad. In the meantime, I knew that a movie version was in the works, starring the "smashing" Jeremy Jordan. (And, of course, Anna Kendrick. If you don't know who she is by now, you've been living under a rock.) So I was just counting the days until it was released, and then more until "Jack" and I could finally get our schedules together to see it. Well, the day has finally come and it was worth the 11-year wait since "Jack" originally gave me the CD. (We had also seen the stage production together last year.)

Before I go on, it's best that you watch the trailer. I'll wait...



Doesn't that make you want to see it now? ;)

I was very impressed with the movie version of this beloved musical. When I saw it on stage, only one of the actors was on at a time and they would sing their songs as a monologue. That was how it was intended for stage. They are only supposed to be together at one point and that's where they meet in the middle of the story. However, they're together most of the time in the movie. And even when they're not, they're interacting somehow or they're imagining the other's presence. Like with Chicago, the way some of the songs were done in this movie took the concept of the story to a whole new level. We get to see the story played out in natural environments with supporting actors. This adds on so many new dimensions and some of the songs are done in a way that it looks like either Jamie or Cathy is having a conversation with another character. The use of costume and hairstyle allows for a clear distinction between time periods. There's only one part that felt confusing because I thought it was supposed to be during Cathy's time but it was during Jamie's instead. I think that they could have done more to make the time discrepancies clear though. There's more creative license when it comes to a movie vs. a play. I'd even just be happy if they put the year at the bottom each time. There were some clues, but it still could be confusing to the average viewer. There was a (500) Days of Summer aspect to the time shifts, which were more clearly indicated in that movie. (If you're not familiar with the story, you'll be less confused by the movie if you know in advance that Cathy's story starts at the end and goes backwards and Jamie's starts at the beginning and goes forward. Otherwise, you'll think you're watching a time travel movie.) Also, I still don't know what they're looking at during "The Next Ten Minutes" when they say "That's Jerry Seinfeld. That's John Lennon." 

I wouldn't say that I cried during this movie, but I did get emotionally involved. Sometimes I'd get the chills from a scene being just THAT good. Having the two characters interact really boosted the emotional quality of their performances. Some scenes were filmed in a way that was unexpected. Like with "Shiksa Goddess," they're being physically intimate most of the time (and even some of the time in "I Can Do Better Than That") and it really gives off the heady feel of new romance in the "honeymoon" stage, when you just can't keep your hands off each other. And playing those scenes out that way really worked for me! I also loved the humor element in the "Shmuel Song." I was laughing out loud from most of it, as well as from "A Summer in Ohio." The way Cathy's story plays in reverse also ties in with the "Shmuel Song" in ways I didn't think about while watching it on stage.

2002: In our "honeymoon" stage

Other parts of the story are harrowing as you start to see where their marriage goes wrong. You see how great it was in the beginning and you're just wishing they could find a way to make things work. It made me think of my own marriage and how thankful I am to be with my husband a total of 13 years (married for almost 11). I got the original soundtrack of this musical right before my wedding, but thankfully it wasn't an omen as much as a cautionary tale. Not that I was even worried. Watching the movie just reminds me of how my husband and I still enjoy spending time together but also feel we can do our own thing and not feel overshadowed by one another's successes.

Having said that, they way they interpreted the last song was so interesting and creative. It could only really work that way on film though. I won't say anything more as to not spoil the ending. I just wish the movie had included how Jamie and Cathy met in the first place. That would have added a fun new element to the overall story that isn't really gleaned from listening to the soundtrack or watching it on stage.


I learned some fun facts from "Jack." One is that they used the Avenue Q stage on Broadway for one of Cathy's auditions. The other is that Jeremy Jordan's wife, Ashley Spencer, has a small role. (She was also in the Grease audition show on NBC and was the runner up for Sandy.) I learned from IMDB that both Sherie Rene Scott and Betsy Wolfe had small roles in the movie and they played Cathy in different versions. (Sherie was the original one.) Jason Robert Brown, who wrote the musical, also had a small role as a pianist. And Jeremy Jordan has the same birthday as my husband.

If you're into musicals and want a story that's different, has great songs with a perfect blend of lead actors, and packs quite a punch...look no further than The Last Five Years. Now it's time for me to try to get the songs out of my head...a "hazard" of knowing almost all the words and tunes! I definitely have more of an appreciation for the soundtrack after watching this movie.